[LEAPSECS] Reliability (was Re: it's WP7A week in Geneva)

[Nero Imhard]

On 2009-10-03, at 23:56, Rob Seaman wrote:


> However, is it a true assertion that currently deployed GPS receivers

> return GPS time significantly more reliably (all those 9's) than they

> do UTC?  (Assuming a particular model supports both?)

>

> It's hard to see this as supporting a position that "Only UTC can be

> disseminated"...


It was not even clear how that phrase was meant, let alone how one would
arrive at such a conclusion.

Some possible interpretations:
- Only the time scale currently called "UTC" can be disseminated. (why??)
- It is not possible to disseminate a clean count of SI seconds (why not??)
- It is only practical to disseminate a time scale that has a simple
    relationship to legal time (i.e. UTC).
- whatever the disseminated time scale, it has to be called "UTC" (sounds
    like ITU's position)

etc.

Does anyone have a clue?

N