NIST Director Copan Decides to Shut Down WWV/WWVB/WWVH

Can you believe that WWV, WWVB and WWVH will be shut down in 2019?  Struck me as beyond strange, but sure enough it shows up in the 2019 budget request:

  • -$6.3 million supporting fundamental measurement dissemination, including the shutdown of NIST radio stations in Colorado and Hawaii

https://www.nist.gov/director/fy-2019-presidential-budget-request-summary/fundamental-measurement-quantum-science-and

I suggest owners of “Atomic” watches and clocks write frequently and often to protest this decision that is supported by Walter Copan, the current Director NIST.

Arrl news here: http://www.arrl.org/news/nist-fy-2019-budget-would-eliminate-wwv-and-wwvh

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7 Responses to NIST Director Copan Decides to Shut Down WWV/WWVB/WWVH

  1. Vivian says:

    I can’t believe that Walter Copan is the first director of the NIST to visit WWVH. He stopped by there on March 7, 2018, according to this article: https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/time-beach-working-nist-hawaii
    And then, Mr. Copan promptly decided to shut it all down. I am very upset by his proposed budget. There are so many users of WWV, WWVH, and WWVB. As an RF engineer, I use the 10MHz frequency of WWV in the field to check equipment calibration in a pinch. I also use the WWV signals to verify the operation of my radios. My elderly mom uses a very nice WWVB clock as she otherwise would not be able to set the time herself. PLUS, the savings would only be $6.3 Million. I hope that Mr. Copan will reconsider the value of WWV, as it surely would exceed $6.3 Million if a large solar event occurred and GPS satellites were knocked out.

  2. Skip Behnke says:

    More than 80, 000 signatures are still required by Sept 15 [1 wk to go ] to even get a W.H. review! Sign or toss the clocks? “https://petitions.whitehouse.gov” ‘Maintain the funding for NIST stations WWV & WWVH,,,’

  3. Harold says:

    The NIST director evidently knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. There’s nothing like not having a Plan B when things don’t work, but apparently that’s the plan.

  4. Frank Norman says:

    shutting down wwv just lost the administration my vote

    • robert says:

      Certainly seems very shortsighted, doesn’t it Frank? Of course it is imperative for the current administration to cut as many programs as they can to pay for the corporate tax cuts they have already put in place. I always wished that 3/4 of your tax money would be spent as the administration desired, and 1/4 would be spent on programs that you personally want to see moving forward. I wonder what sort of world we would be living in if that were the case? WWV would be in my list for sure.

  5. Marc says:

    How can WWV be going away? 50 million clocks, watches and other devices that rely on the time signalling is important!! Please don’t go off air?

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