When the time changed, my radio atomic clock has been keeping time erratically. One days it h displays the correct time, then the next day, it is off a couple of hours, then the next day, it is off six (6) hours, then the next day, it displays the correct time, then the next day it is off four (4) hours, etc., etc.
What gives???
In the old days you could say “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” With modern clocks with more sophisticated failure modes, you can have one which isn’t even that good; it’s never right.
Old joke: “What time is it when your clock is doing what it’s doing? Time to get a new clock.”
Serious answers:
You could try unplugging it and removing any backup battery it may have. Then after a few minutes, plug it back in.
Also sometimes these smarter clocks go bonkers if the backup battery is nearly dead. So you might try replacing that battery; that’s sure to be cheaper than buying a whole new clock.
Don all that
Done all that.
Then this
is no longer a joke.
Both my clock and DVR have clocks that set automatically and they have always been 25 minutes off.
you have power, radio receiver and clock systems to go bad.
if you’ve replaced thew backup battery with a known good battery (and made sure the contacts were clean and tight) and also powered down for a bit (10 minutes or longer is sometimes needed for bad memory or functions to disappear) then test the clock further.
clocks allow manual setting of the time (to allow use in a bad radio signal area or that it becomes useful before the day or two for it to get a signal). set it and watch it. check frequently.
Well is something changing your time zone ?
Also, “atomic clock” wasn’t a full description of your system… perhaps if you could be less ambiguous. Maybe you are in some wild orbit of a large black hole.
Is it a La Crosse clock? Mine do that as well whenever we switch to and from Daylight Saving. I have seen them get the proper time and the next day switch back. Then later switch to the proper time. After a day or so, it is correct.
La Crosse says it is due to radio reception issues.
These are clocks that have a radio receiver inside that receive an over the air time signal to automatically set the time.
I have found keeping my clock(a) near a window for a few hours seems to help.
As Rain soaked mention - this is a known problem after DST - and some manufacture say it can take five days to resolve itself.
Here is a 68 page best practices manual from NIST that has some good info:
It appears to me that the pre 2012 version of the signal (and presumably what exists in all devices prior to that date or before the spec was announced) is that the signal is sent once a minute - and takes the full minute. There doesn’t appear to be (that I could tell) error checking in it - and they recommend that the manufacture require two sequential frames before starting the time, but apparently during DST - you need more than 2 minutes to sync up:
Anyway - I don’t know exactly what is going on, but I don’t recall any of my atomic clock based instruments being quick. If you live far away from Colorado - it appears to me that sometimes - you need to put it by a window - sometimes even overnight.
Why exactly - I don’t know - but I’m guessing it is something similar to what I posted above.
I recently changed the battery in my radio clock and it wouldn’t pick up the time at all. I finally found the manufacturer’s web site and it clearly said that after you change the battery, you have to press the reset button. Which I did and it has worked perfectly ever since. I probably know that once but those batteries must last five years.