WWVB Improvements: New Power From an Old Timer

In response to advancements in receivers and increased emphasis of traceability of frequency to the national standard, the time-and-frequency radio station, WWVB, of the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST recently underwent numerous improvements, including a 7 dB boost in radiated power, resulting in significantly greater signal availability throughout North America. This paper describes the history of WWVB, the improvements recently made to the station, theoretical coverage, and consumer-oriented receivers projected to number in the millions of units in the next few years.