Time and Frequency Activities at ROA

J. Palacio, F. Javier Galindo, R. Boloix

Abstract:	The Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada (ROA) was founded in 1758 to increase the knowledge of the Spanish Navy’s midshipmen in astronomy matters. Since then, the Observatory has been the astronomical center of the Spanish Navy and it is the oldest Spanish observatory. Jorge Juan, the Spanish Navy Officer, who founded the Observatory, participated in the expedition to Peru to measure the length of one degree of arc of a meridian circle organized by the Royal Academie des Sciences & Paris. Its activities have been historically related to astrometry, ephemerides, geophysics, and the time and frequency fields. The Astronomy Department was charged with maintaining the astronomical and civil time scales. It was also responsible for synchronizing the master clocks of the Spanish warships before they left port. In 1972, an independent department was founded to maintain the time scales using physical standards. A few years later this Time Department (Seccion de Hora) received its first atomic clocks. Seccion de Hora has been contributing to BIPM for TAI since these former days. In this paper we will discuss the activities of Seccion de Hora in the time and frequency fields, and as depository of the Spanish time and frequency standards. These activities include time scale algorithm studies and time transfer using single-channel and multichannel GPS receivers, geodetic GPS receivers, and TWSTT ROA is an active and permanent participant in international cooperation in time and frequency activities. In this paper, an overview of the activities on time and frequency fields at ROA will be given, as well as some of the investigations in fields of our interest.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 31th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting December 7 - 9, 1999 Marriott's Laguna Cliffs Resort Dana Point, California
Pages:	203 - 210
Cite this article:	Palacio, J., Galindo, F. Javier, Boloix, R., "Time and Frequency Activities at ROA," Proceedings of the 31th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Dana Point, California, December 1999, pp. 203-210.
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