Radio-Controlled Clock Behaving Oddly

[zcacogp]

Chaps,

Does anyone here know anything about radio-controlled clocks? You know - the ones that set themselves from a radio signal from Rugby (or somewhere) and therefore always keep perfect time.

We have an analogue one in our kitchen, and it has recently started whizzing forward 12 hours for no apparent reason. You would notice that it was making the rapid clicking noise that it does when setting itself, and stop at the right time.

This morning we noticed it had stopped - it was showing the wrong time. Suspecting it was a case of a flat battery, I put a new one in, and it whizzed forward to 12.00 (both hands upwards) and stopped there. And it's been like that since about 8.15am today. It hasn't set itself to the right time.

Does anyone know anything about these clocks and whether this is a common occurrence? We've had it for around 10 years now and it's never done it before (that we are aware of.)


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Interesting idea but no - no change in anything locally. It's worked fine in the current position for the last 6 years.


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Guys,

Good responses - thank you. I'll try moving it to another room but fear something has packed up ...

TS - thanks for checking the transmitter. I'll take your word for it that that website tells you it is working - it meant nothing to me!


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Thanks. To answer your earlier questions, no, there is no signal indicator on the clock and TFM has long since been filed in the round bin in the corner! (I can't remember that it said anything much more than 'Put batteries into it' - there are no other knobs or dials to twiddle. The beauty is in the simplicity!)


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Right, well it's been in another room at the other end of the house for a couple of hours now and still thinks the time is midnight (or midday).

I suspect it's borked.


Oli.

[zcacogp]

jeremyc said:

Make & model?

On the mechanism (i.e. not the face and hands), all it says is "U.T.S. MSF RADIO CONTROL German Design".

Not very helpful.

Ydnaroo - no, not that simple but thanks anyway. I didn't know they were that cheap now! (This one was about £80, 10 years ago.) Maybe I need to stop fussing and just buy a new one.


Thanks,


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Nope, my clock (the one that originally prompted the thread) is working fine.

Have you tried changing the batteries?


Oli.

[zcacogp]

Sometimes they can take a while to get back into sync with the transmitters. Leave it 12 hours and see what happens then.


Oli.