MSF Outages
The MSF Annual Maintenance Periods for 2008 and 2009
The MSF 60 kHz standard-frequency and time signal, broadcast by VT Communications on behalf of NPL, is occasionally taken off-air to allow maintenance work on the masts and antennas at Anthorn Radio Station to be carried out in safety.
The annual 48-hour shut-down of the MSF service will take place over the period:
From 08:00 BST, Tuesday 22 July 2008
until 08:00 BST, Thursday 24 July 2008
The service is expected to remain off-air continuously during the work, but normal operation may be restored before the end of the period.
The dates and times of the scheduled maintenance periods for 2008 and 2009 are as follows:
- 11 September 2008 from 10:00 BST to 14:00 BST
- 11 December 2008 from 10:00 UTC to 14:00 UTC
- 12 March 2009 from 10:00 UTC to 14:00 UTC
- 11 June 2009 from 10:00 BST to 14:00 BST
- 10 September 2009 from 10:00 BST to 14:00 BST
- 10 December 2009 from 10:00 UTC to 14:00 UTC
The duration of each outage period will be kept to a minimum, and the signal may be back on-air prior to the times given above.
In addition to these dates, the signal is likely to be taken off-air for a 2-day period during July or August each year, remaining off-air overnight.
Unscheduled Breaks in the Service
Short unscheduled breaks in transmission occur occasionally in addition to the scheduled breaks for maintenance. NPL provides a recorded message service, tel: +44 20 8943 6493, which announces planned maintenance periods and, during working hours, prolonged unscheduled outages. Contact NPL for further information.
If you wish to be kept informed about planned outages, please complete and submit the E-mailed Notifications of Scheduled Maintenance Periods form.