High Accuracy Time Transfer Synchronization

Paul Wheeler, Paul Koppang, David Chalmers, Angela Davis, Anthony Kubik, William Powell

Abstract: In July 1994, the US Naval Observatory (USNO) Time Service System Engineering Division conducted a field test to establish a baseline accuracy for two-way satellite time transfer synchronization. Three Hewlett-Packard model 5071 high performance cesium frequency standards were transported from the USNO in Washington, DC to Los Angeles, California in the USNO's mobile earth station. %a-Way Satellite Time Transfer links between the mobile earth station and the USNO were conducted each day of the trip, using the Naval Research Laboratory(NRL) designed spread spectrum modem, built by Allen Osborne Associates(AOA). A Motorola six channel GPS receiver was used to track the location and altitude of the mobile earth station and to provide coordinates for calculating Sagnac corrections for the two-way measurements, and relativistic corrections for the cesium clocks. This paper will discuss the trip, the measurement systems used and the results from the data collected. We will show the accuracy of using two-way satellite time transfer for synchronization and the performance of the three HP 5071 cesium clocks in an operational environment.
Published in: Proceedings of the 26th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting
December 6 - 8, 1994
Hyatt Regency Reston Town Center
Reston, Virginia
Pages: 51 - 62
Cite this article: Wheeler, Paul, Koppang, Paul, Chalmers, David, Davis, Angela, Kubik, Anthony, Powell, William, "High Accuracy Time Transfer Synchronization," Proceedings of the 26th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Reston, Virginia, December 1994, pp. 51-62.
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