MSF transmits on 60kHz from Athorn in Cumbria (latitude 54° 55' N and longitude 3° 15' W) with signals traceable to an atomic clock at the National Physical Laboratory. DCF transmits on 77.5kHz from Mainflingen, near Frankfurt/Main in Germany with signals derived from the Physikalish-Technische Bundesanstalt, Lab. Zeitenheit.
In theory the signals are receivable at a range in excess of 1000km from the transmitter, subject to the effect of a wide range of variables such as time of day, atmospheric conditions and the degree of screening between the transmitter and receiver. In practice increasing levels of noise pollution, particularly from mobile radio systems, result in a reduction of reception reliability and we now recommend GPS time synchronisation for time and reliability critical applications.
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