The GC-1000 today

Tue Apr 20 00:19:58 EDT 1999

Funny that you mention the 3.6MHz output.  I have a VERY accurate freq. Counter [Heath's best from the 80's, with a thermostatically regulated oven for the xtal], and my 3.6 MHz output was NEVER correct, or really even close, even though both the freq. Counter and my clock both worked fine.  I don't remember how far it was off, but it was substantial [my recollection is a couple hundred khz, or maybe it was tens of khz, but it was more than a nominal amount].  I could adjust the time base in the counter by zero beating the xtal osc. Against WWV that I could hear on the GC-1000, and I could get down to within a couple of Hz at ten MHz.  I could never understand this and left it as one of the mysteries that man was not intended to understand.

Barry Watzman

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From:  Tim C [SMTP:tconst at MEDIAONE.NET]
Sent:  Monday, April 19, 1999 12:31 AM
To:  HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV
Subject:  The GC-1000 today

<<File: ATT00000.html>>Hi all

Several quick thoughts on the GC-100:

My GC-1000 has been running almost constantly for over 12 years.  I have found that the internal power supply was very inadequate and generated a lot of heat, so for the last 6 years I moved it to the 12V input.  I would highly recommend the change.  

The new LF receivers found at Radio Shack and other places  just do not have the reception the Heathkit does.  These puppies work great even in the first floor apartments of NYC.

If anyone on this list is the highest bidder on the e-pay GC-1000 they better check in with the seller who is implying that the clock will output RS-232.  When I bought my clock the RS-232 was a optional purchase, the Model GCA-1000-1 was about $50 extra.  Maybe Heath combined the two kits at a later time but I doubt it.  Chuck Penson mention's this fact in his book as well.

Someone else mentioned about weather the Clock was Y2K compliant and so far it is not.  A switch on the inside of all clock with the RS-232 option allow up to a 15 year value to be added to the base year of '83.  So all clocks will be showing the year is '98 and will not go to '99.  The device used to output the date and time is a 40pin Programmed microprocessor from Heath part number 444-200 so unless someone can reprogram a new one we are out of luck.  On the other hand software can resolve this problem. I have written a small routine in VB6 that reads the output and can also correct the client workstation clock.  I do not include the year since I know it is wrong. The problem with it is that I can not get better that 1sec precision without a lot more code and then I'm mot sure if the code could be much better than .2-.3 seconds.  Just does not seem worth the effort.  

Question: I have heard that the 3.6MHz output on the back of the clock can be used as a very accurate signal source.  Would love to hear from others that this is true.  My Freq. counters just do not have the lab quality resolution.

Tim
W1TCC
By the way 20M is hot and it's 12:35am Eastern 

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