Where to buy?
atomicclocksstore.comDepends on where you live 3 Star of 5
I've had this clock for several years, and how useful it is really seems to depend on where you live. I'm in California (east San Francisco Bay area), when we were in a 4th floor apartment the clock worked fine. Now we're in a single story house just a mile away, and it doesn't really work at all. It's worse than a normal clock in that you can't just set it yourself -- it rarely gets a signal but when it does it's as likely to set the time off by an hour as it is to set it correctly. Inbetween the minutes slowly drift off, so at the moment it's running 63 minutes late. This is more or less true of all "atomic" clocks that set themselves over the air, every time we move there's some shuffling of self-setting clocks around the house, especially ones with weaker reception, until we find a spot where they can all get a signal. But there doesn't seem to be a spot where this clock works now, so I can only conclude it has the weakest reception of all out self setting clocks.
As others have mentioned, the initial setup for setting the time is complicated. More so if you can't get a good signal, and in that case you end up doing it a lot.
In the end what you think of this clock will depend on how good of a signal you can get. If you get a strong signal you'll only have to set it up once, and you'll probably like it, it's a 4 or 5 star clock (assuming the DST settings are new enough!). If not, the clock becomes a nuisance, and you'd probably give it 1 star. I'd give it 2.5 if I could, so I'll round it up to 3. But given that this clock seems to have the weakest reception of our four self-setting clocks, overall there are probably better choices if you aren't sure how strong of a signal you're getting.
Atomix Clocks Have Daylight Savings Time BUG - DO NOT BUY1
Right from the MFG - these clocks must be REPLACED whenever the Government changes DayLight Savings Time dates...
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 6:17 PM
To: sales
Subject: Acurite Daylight Savings time BUG
All-
We purchased an Acurite Self setting clock one year ago. The clock appears to be unaware of recent changes in US laws that have moved the dates for Daylight Savings time - thing reset itself on March 31st, which is no longer valid.
What steps must I take to upgrade the clock's firmware?
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Reply:
"Thank you for contacting Chaney Instrument Company. In regards to your email there is nothing that can be done to reprogram the micro chip for DST you will have to purchase another clock. Thank you"
Atomix clock keeps time as well as a brick 1 Star of 5
I bought an Atomix atomic clock expecting it to work as well as an AccuRite brand I have. Unfortunately the Atmoix never worked right, though I didn't realize it for a while. It kept losing or gaining time, not consistent either way, and every attempt to set it according to the instructions (it's more complicated than the AccuRite) failed. The clock never responded to the instructions printed on the back. I e-mailed the Chaney company and their advice was to use alkaline batteries (which I had been doing), let the clock sit for 24 to 48 hours looking out a window toward Colorado (no kidding!), and if that didn't work, buy another from them. Sorry, my next atomic clock won't be from Chaney.
About Atomix 544 - 10" Silver Anodized Aluminum Atomic Clock detail
* Amazon Sales Rank: #59204 in Consumer Electronics
* Brand: ATOMIX
* Model: 00544
* Dimensions: 10.00" h x 2.00" w x 10.00" l, 1.80 pounds
Features
* Clock never needs setting
* Receives and decodes U.S. Atomic Clock signal
* Refreshes time several times a day from accurate time signal
* Automatically self-adjusts to daylight-saving time
* Contemporary anodized aluminum finish and tasteful display
Atomix 544 - 10" Silver Anodized Aluminum Atomic Clock Description
If it's good enough for NASA and the U.S. military it's good enough for us! Keep time to the fraction of a millisecond, and never reset, with this patented clock which receives and decodes signals from the atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado. No need to worry about falling back or forward with standard and daylight savings time changes - this battery operated marvel sets itself with no help from you.
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