PerfectTime™ SkyScan Atomic Clock

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2003.01.18 PerfectTime™ SkyScan Atomic Clock
Last weekend I stumbled upon wall clocks while at Office Depot. I've been living without a wall clock for a decade and decided I should change that. They had a couple of Sharp digital wall clocks on display. One had the feature of automatically setting its time from the low frequency radio transmission (WWVB, 60kHz AM) from the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) U.S. Atomic Clock located in Fort Collins, Colorado for $34.99. A similar digital Sharp clock had the indoor temperature without the automatic time setting feature for $39.99. What I wanted was a clock that would do both! After querying some friends and searching the web, a friend turned me on to the SkyScan wall clock that not only sets its time and date automatically from NIST, it also displays both indoor and outdoor temperature (in either Fahrenheit or Celsius) and indoor humidity! The outdoor temperature is read by a remote sensor and transmitted wirelessly to the wall clock via 433mhz (up to 100ft away). If this weren't amazing enough, it is priced at only $26.99 at Price-Costco stores. I was unsuccessful at finding it marketed anywhere else. I bought 2 of these and have been running them successfully for a couple of days. Within a few minutes of inserting the 2 AA batteries the clock automatically sets itself to the NIST clock (+/- 1 second). The remote outdoor temperature transmitter also works excellent. Just install 2 AA batteries in the transmitter and the wall clock immediately starts displaying the outdoor temperature reading from the outdoor remote temperature transmitter. Magic!

Since I bought two clocks I did some tests. You can have both wall clocks read the outdoor temperature from a single outdoor temperature transmitter which is very cool. Alternatively I ran both clocks synched to their own individual outdoor temperature transmitters. My preference is to run both from a single transmitter if they are within range as this reduces the outdoor transmitter quantities and saves on batteries.

This wall clock is amazing. Imagine never having to set your wall clock ever again and have it be within 1 second accuracy to the U.S. Atomic Clock, the official national timepiece that measures time by counting Cesium atom oscillations. Cesium atomic clocks are extremely stable and are unaffected by factors such as temperature, pressure, or humidity. For more information on the U.S. Atomic Clock visit: http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/

SkyScan Atomic Clock (Model # 86603) Features:
• Receives 60kHz WWVB signal.
• Automatic time and date adjustment after signal reception.
• Calendar with day of the week display from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2097.
• Hour, minute and second display.
• 12 or 24 hour format.
• Time accuracy (U.S. Atomic clock): better than 1 second in 3,000 years.
• Time accuracy (free run): +/- 30 seconds per month.
• Indoor temperature and remote (outdoor) temperature.
• Centigrade or Fahrenheit readout.
• Battery life: approximate 1 year with alkaline batteries.
• Clock operating temperature from 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F)
• Indoor, Outdoor Temperature measuring range from -20°C to 60°C (-4°F to 140°F)*
• Temperature resolution 0.1°C.
• Humidity Range from 1% to 99%. Resolution 1%.

* If using the wireless transmitter with temperatures below 32°F or above 122°F, users are recommended to use Lithium battery to enhance life. Also, the LCD readout on the wireless transmitter will be blurred when operation takes place with extreme temperature conditions. The LCD readout will resume the normal display when placed at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

SkyScan Atomic Clock (Model # 86603) Specifications:
Temperature measuring range
Indoor: 32°F to 122°F with 0.2°F resolution, 0°C to 50°C with 0.1°C resolution
Outdoor: -4°F to 140°F with 0.2°F resolution, -20°C to 60°C with 0.1°C resolution
Temperature checking interval
Indoor: every 16 seconds
Outdoor Transmitter: every 16 seconds
Outdoor temperature display on clock: every 3 minutes
Transmission distance: maximum 100 feet in open field, depending upon surrounding structures, mounting location and possible interfering sources.
Power source (Alkaline batteries recommended)
Atomic Clock: 2 AA batteries, 1.5V batteries
Wireless Transmitter: 2AA batteries, 1.5V batteries
Battery life: about 12 months
Dimensions (LxWxH)
Atomic Clock: 9.8x8.1x1 inches / 25x20.5x2.5 cm
Wireless Transmitter: 3.9x2.8x0.8 inches / 10x7x2.2 cm

2003.01.20 Update
After seeing this webpage a good friend bought a SkyScan Atomic Clock of his own the very next day. He was concerned that the two temperature sensors were reading off by a few degrees between themselves in the same room (the clock was on a wall and the remote temperature transmitter on a table). I recommended he place both the clock and remote temperature transmitter on a similar surface within a couple of feet of each other and monitor to see if they read close to the same temperature. The wall clock indoor temperature reading tends to be affected by the temperature of the wall it is hanging on which can be a couple of degrees colder than room temperature if it is an exterior wall. His reply is copied below:

I did the temperature test overnight on a wooden table. Temps are less than half a degree apart, and also within a half degree of my electronic thermostat readout and a large analog wall thermometer. I also put a cheap liquid (alcohol?) thermometer next to them, it reads 2 deg lower, but I expect it is erroneous more than the others.

Final result/conclusion... it's closer than we deserve for the $$, just as you say. Thanks again... what a great product! We actually had a lot of fun watching the temps come close, sync up, etc. The clock received the wave and set itself in less than five minutes.... temp works great... I screwed the bracket to a wooden eave that is also shaded by an evergreen bush.

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Webpage last updated: Monday, January 20, 2003
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The 2 SkyScan self setting wall clocks.	Close up of the wall clock in its original packaging.	Packaging rear. SkyScan Clock Model # 86603

Outdoor Remote Wireless Temperature Transmitter and wall bracket.	Applying sticky backed Velcro as an extra precautionary measure to insure the transmitter won't fall off the wall bracket hook.	Adhering the remote transmitter wall bracket to outdoor stucco wall with GE Silicone which works well for this use eliminating the need to drill the stucco for screws.

Standard consumer grade Silicone is acetic based and can corrode electronics or attack various types of sensors during cure.	If siliconing the wall bracket it is probably advisable to wait a few days to let the silicone cure prior to hooking on the remote outdoor temperature transmitter.	GE manufacturers an electronics safe/grade silicone if you would rather us this type. It is white in color and a small tube will run $10-15 (much more than $2-3 for Home Depot standard grade silicone). An electronics house should carry it.

Temporarily taping the bracket while the silicone cures.	The remote outdoor temperature transmitter hung on its siliconed wall bracket.	The remote outdoor temperature transmitter should probably be mounted in a semi-protected area such as under an eve to guard against direct UV sunlight damage or moisture from rain.



The operational SkyScan Atomic Wall Clock hung on a wall.		The Home Depot purchased GE Silicone II household glue.

The back panels of the wall clock and remote temperature transmitter.	Close up showing how the rear panels flip open exposing the battery doors.	The battery doors removed showing the 2 AA batteries per unit.

Close up of the wall clock controls. Once configured they shouldn't ever need touching. The bottom 3 buttons are used for reset purposes (all reset, Temp-Finder for resynching to the remote temperature transmitter, and Time Wave for reacquiring the "WAVE" time signal).	Upon power up, the wall clock tries to receive the "WAVE" time signal from NIST every 10minutes for 30minutes. Once the wall clock successfully receives the "WAVE" time signal it will attempt to refresh it once each night.