Re: [LEAPSECS] DRM broadcast disrupted by leap seconds

From: Ed Davies <ls_at_edavies.nildram.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 10:15:03 +0100

Markus Kuhn wrote:
> When the scheduled transmission time
> arrives for a packet, it is handed with high timing accuracy to the
> analog-to-digital converter,

I assume you mean digital-to-analog.

> ...
> [In fact, since short-wave transmitters frequently switch between
> programmes at the full hour, in discussions the hope was expressed that
> in practice nobody will notice.]
> ...

Don't they also often transmit the time signal on the hour? Ironic, huh?

This also raises the point that because the transmission is delayed a few
seconds for buffering there is presumably a need for the studio to work
"in the future" by a few seconds if time signals are to be transmitted
correctly.

> Either having a commonly used standard time without leap seconds (TI),
> or having TAI widely supported in clocks and APIs would have solved the
> problem.

Absolutely - and the second suggested solution doesn't need to take 20
years to be implemented.

Ed.
Received on Sat Jul 19 2003 - 02:18:00 PDT