Radio Controlled Clock
Clock #625-488 by Howard Miller, Inc.
6/21/2011
APCO
388 Grant Street, SE, Atlanta, Georgia USA 30312-2227 Telephone (404) 688-9000 Web www.apcosigns.com
IS348
Coverage and Placement - IMPORTANT! Please Read:
The signal transmitted by the NIST is strong enough to cover the entire
continental United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. However, as
with any radio signal, certain geographic features, weather disturbances
and building structural characteristics will affect the strength and reception
of the signal.
Please note the following points:
1. It is highly recommended that you
first start the clock at night and let
it attempt to receive the signal automatically overnight
. Best signal
reception occurs between 10:00PM and 5:00AM.
2. For best performance, try to
place the clock near a window, preferably
so that it is facing Fort Collins, CO
.
3. Do not locate the clock within 6' of a radio, television, computer, electrical
raceways, power lines, electric motors, microwave or any other device
or appliance that may cause electrical interference.
4. Enclosed areas such as a basement or interior areas of large concrete/steel
office buildings can be difficult locations for radio reception and are not
recommended.
Starting Your Clock
1. Locate the signal/battery box on the back side of your clock. (Fig. 1)
2. Install a fresh AA size Alkaline battery
(use alkalinebatteries only)
in the
battery holder according to the (+) and (-) symbols shown in the diagram.
DO NOT use a rechargeable battery in the clock.
3. Press the time zone button corresponding with your area.
NOTE: The time zone can be set or changed at any time after the battery
is installed. If no buttons are pressed, the clock will default to Pacific Time.
If more than one button is pressed, the clock will set the time zone to the
last button pressed.
Daylight-Saving Time Adjustment
Adjustments for daylight-saving time and standard time are made
automatically.
If you live in an area that does not adjust for daylight-saving time, you will
need to press the “DST OFF” button.
Automatic Time Setting
1. After the battery is installed, the hands will advance to either the 4:00,
8:00 or 12:00 position and stop. The receiver will be switched on and
the clock will search for the WWVB time signal.
2. If the clock is able to receive the time signal, it will automatically set the
hands to the correct time. After setting, the clock will periodically search
for the signal each day and adjust the hands accordingly so that the
clock remains in synch with the WWVB time signal.
3. If the clock does not receive the time signal, it will remain stopped and
will continue to search for the time signal every hour.
Manual Time Setting / If Poor Reception
If your clock does not automatically set itself within 24 hours after inserting
the battery, it is probably due to poor reception. This is normally a temporary
condition. Refer to the “Coverage and Placement” section of these
instructions and move the clock to another location for improved signal
reception. Best signal reception occurs between 10:00PM and 5:00AM.
To manually set the time:
1. Press and hold the “Time Set” button until the second hand starts to
move. Release the button.
2. The second hand will run and stop at the 12 position. After the hand
stops, press and hold the “Time Set” button to advance the hour and
minute hands.
3. When the hands get within a few minutes of the current time, release
the “Time Set” button and press it momentarily to advance the hands
in the 1-minute increments.
4. Approximately three seconds after you last press the “Time Set” button,
the clock will automatically exit the manual setting mode and begin
running normally. If this happens before you finish setting the clock,
repeat the steps 1 through 3.
5. The clock will now be reliably set to the correct time and will be ready
to automatically pick up the time signal once reception improves.
Important: Manual time setting is not intended for permanent setting of
the clock to a time other than the correct time for the time zone selected.
Whether the time is set manually or automatically, the clock periodically
searches for the time signal each day. After receiving the signal, it will adjust
the time based on the time zone selected.
What is a Radio Controlled Clock?
A radio controlled clock is a clock with an internal radio receiver that is permanently turned to receive a special 60 kHz time signal transmitted by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station WWVB, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The WWVB transmitter is linked to a cesium
atomic clock, the most accurate time keeping device in the world with a time deviation of less than one second in one million years. Your Howard Miller
radio controlled clock provided with APCO MyDay product is specially programmed to interpret the WWVB time signal and set itself to the correct local
time. For more information on the WWVB signal and radio controlled clocks you can visit the NIST website at http://www.bldrdoc.gov/timefreq.
Fig. 1 Signal/Battery box
