Report on the 1975 Survey of Users of the Services of Radio Stations Wwv and Wwvh

'JM ^^ t*.;: .,-.;, .'-ti ^^#' • J* .^: '•^i'-^v'-' '- \ • REFERENCE N B S V U) NBS TECHNICAL NOTE 674 ^''fff AU O* * U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/National Bureau of Standards Report On The 1975 Survey of Users of the Services of Radio Stations WWY and WWYH /OO ' .6/5753 . no,(o7i . /975, NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau consists of the Institute for Basic Standards, the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute for Applied Technology, the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, and the Office for Information Programs. THE INSTITUTE FOR BASIC STANDARDS provides the central basis within the United States of a complete and consistent system of physical measurement; coordinates that system with measurement systems of other nations; and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical measurements throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce. The Institute consists of the Office of Measurement Services, the Office of Radiation Measurement and the following Center and divisions: Applied Mathematics — Electricity — Mechanics — Heat — Optical Physics — Center for Radiation Research: Nuclear Sciences; Applied Radiation — Laboratory Astrophysics ° — Cryogenics" — Electromagnetics" — Time and Frequency". THE INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properties of well-characterized materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides advisory and research services to other Government agencies; and develops, produces, and distributes standard reference materials. The Institute consists of the Office of Standard Reference Materials, the Office of Air and Water Measurement, and the following divisions: Analytical Chemistry — Polymers — Metallurgy — Inorganic Materials — Reactor Radiation — Physical Chemistry. THE INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TECHNOLOGY provides technical services to promote the use of available technology and to facilitate technological innovation in industry and Government; cooperates with public and private organizations leading to the development of technological standards (including mandatory safety standards), codes and methods of test; and provides technical advice and services to Government agencies upon request. The Insti- tute consists of the following divisions and Centers: Standards Application and Analysis — Electronic Technology — Center for Consumer Product Technology: Product Systems Analysis; Product Engineering — Center for Building Technology: Structures, Materials, and Life Safety; Building Environment; Technical Evalua- tion and Application — Center for Fire Research: Fire Science; Fire Safety Engineering. THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides technical services designed to aid Government agencies in improving cost effec- tiveness in the conduct of their programs through the selection, acquisition, and effective utilization of automatic data processing equipment; and serves as the principal focus within the executive branch for the development of Federal standards for automatic data processing equipment, techniques, and computer languages. The Institute consists of the following divisions: Computer Services — Systems and Software — Computer Systems Engineering — Informa- tion Technology. THE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION PROGRAMS promotes optimum dissemination and accessibility of scientific information generated within NBS and other agencies of the Federal Government; promotes the development of the National Standard Reference Data System and a system of information analysis centers dealing with the broader aspects of the National Measurement System; provides appropriate services to ensure that the NBS staff has optimum accessibility to the scientific information of the world. The Office consists of the following organizational units: Office of Standard Reference Data — Office of Information Activities — Office of Technical Publications — Library — Office of International Relations — Office of International Standards. 1 Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, Maryland, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, DC. 20234. - Located at Boulder, Colorado 80302. Report On the 1975 Survey of Users of the Services of Radio Stations WWV and WWYH (o7^» ATIOHAL BUUEAl' Cnr BTANCAKDH UBSABT DEC 3 1 1975 H J.A. Barnes QtlOO R.E. Beehler no. ^r-y Time and Frequency Division Institute for Basic Standards National Bureau of Standards Boulder, Colorado 80302 *ti»^ \ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Rogers C. B. Morton, Secretary John K. Tabor, Under Secretary Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology WS NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Acting Director 1 1 Issued October 1975 NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS TECHNICAL NOTE 674 Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Tech Note 674, 91 pages (Oct. 1975) CODEN: NBTNAE For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office , Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. 013.46:674) $1.50 Contents Page 1. Introduction 1 2. General Features of Results 6 3. Specific Results 14 4. Some Frequently Expressed Suggestions/Comments 16 Appendix - Responses from Users of WWV/WWVH Al Figures Figure 1 Letter from Time & Frequency Div. Transmitting Questionnaire . 2 Figure 2 Questionnaire, side 1 3 Figure 3 Questionnaire, side 2 4 Figure 4 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSES 8 Figure 5 NUMBER OF RESPONSES FOR EACH USER CATEGORY 9 Figure 6 USE OF FACILITIES 10 Figure 7 WEEKLY CALLING RATE TO (303) 499-7111 11 Figure 8 FRACTIONAL USE OF TELEPHONE (303-499-7111) BY GEOGRAPHICAL REGION 12 Figure 9 USE OF THE BROADCAST FREQUENCIES 13 Figure 10 USE OF SERVICES FOR EACH USER CATEGORY 15 111 . REPORT ON THE 1975 SURVEY OF USERS OF THE SERVICES OF RADIO STATIONS WWV AND WWVH J. A. Barnes R. E. Beehler stations of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) radio The users The ques- WWV and WWVH were surveyed by means of a questionnaire. distributed to the station mailing list, published tionnaire was sta- periodicals, and its availability was announced on the in some than themselves and publicized in other periodicals. More tions which revealed, 12,000 completed questionnaires were returned, transmissions were am^ng other things, that the 5, 10, and 15 MHz used frequencies; 25 MHz was the least used. Of the the most time-of-day information contained on the broadcasts, the voice was the most important, and the DUTl values the announcement of important. In general the returns were very supportive least responses advo- the services, with only two of the more than 12,000 cating a complete shutdown of the broadcasts. frequency and time broadcasts; Key Words: Frequency; questionnaire; standard time. , ^ ^ , 1. Introduction For over 50 years now the National Bureau of Standards has broadcast from its standard frequency and time signal station, WWV, and for over 25 years from station WWVH. Since 1966, WWV has been located near Ft. Collins, Colorado, and broadcasts on the frequencies of 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 MHz, while WWVH has been located on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, since 1971 and broadcasts on the frequencies of 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. In addition to providing standard time and frequency information, radio stations WWV and WWVH provide weather announcements, propagation forecasts, geophysical alerts, and other information. A detailed description of the services provided can be found in reference [1] With the advent of the energy crisis in the fall of 1973, the monthly costs of electricity to power the Hawaiian radio station more than doubled in the course of a few months. In early 1974, power costs were estimated at about $100,000 per year for WWVH alone. As a consequence of this state of affairs, it was proposed to reduce the power radiated from WWVH by 50 percent on the frequencies of 5, 10, and 15 MHz. These frequencies were selected because the greatest savings could be realized with them—not because they were the least used. Comments concerning this proposal were solicited by inserting announcements on the broadcasts themselves. There were several hundred responses purporting to represent "hundreds of thou- sands" of users of the broadcast services, and many letters were sent directly to U. S. Congressmen and Senators. Almost every letter received objected strongly to the proposed power reduction. As a result of this exercise, two decisions were made: (1) We would not (at that time) reduce power by 50 percent at WWVH on 5, 10, and 15 MHz; and (2) we would explore more broadly the question of cost and energy savings at both stations WWV and WWVH. In order to understand what parts of our services were used and who was using them and for what purposes, it was decided to sample the users by means of a questionnaire. By this means it was hoped that it would be possible to identify some parts of the services which could be discontinued at a net savings in both cost and energy and yet

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