[AusNOG] EVERYONE should have a Stratum 1 time server, right?

[Mark Delany]

On 14Nov22, Chris Barnes allegedly wrote:
> Finally a timesource I can feel confident setting my watch to.

> On Mon, 14 Nov 2022 at 07:38, Rob Thomas <xrobau at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > The good news is, you now can!  After about 6 months of wrangling bits and
> > pieces together, "Honest" Rob's Used Car (and VoIP) Emporium has finally
> > managed to get a bunch of custom made GPS Shields built and they are
> > sitting right next to me here in Australia, suitable for lego-esque
> > construction of your own NTP server!

While I'm a big fan of all who run their own Stratum 1 time servers and Rob providing a
hat/shield to do so is fantastic news, but...

...be aware that the GPS signal is particularly weak and you almost certainly need to
connect to an external antenna with specialized cabling to have any hope of getting a
reliable signal.

I'm happy to be proved wrong, but this is not a device you can install in your office (or
home) server rack and expect to get signal. Ultimately it needs to see clear sky.

And if you're thinking of installing this in a data-centre, forgeddaboutit. They charge
crazy money to run a cable to an antenna on their roof.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely applaud the effort and I might buy one myself but just be
aware of the antenna requirements which seem to have been downplayed in the original
posts.


Mark.