What Type of Information is Displayed in the Atomic Clock Telemetry Log?

The Atomic Clock telemetry log displays internal oscillator's status that can be used by our Customer Support team for diagnostics, including disciplining status, oven temperature, alarms, errors, etc.

The optional built-in Chip-Scale Atomic Clock telemetry (CSAC's status) log displays the following information:

Although most of them are for internal use only, there are a few that may be of interest to end users, if the frequency, phase or time measurements are not giving the expected values.

Status: 0 (zero) indicates that the atomic oscillator is working correctly, with its frequency locked, as it has achieved its stable frequency, as calibrated.

Alarm: If this field shows any value other than 0x0000, it indicates that there is a problem with built-in Atomic Clock. Power cycle the test set, wait 5-10 minutes and if there is no alarm code, continue with the test. If the alarm code shows up again, contact Customer Support.

Mode: Indicates the current mode of operation for the bulti-in Atomic Clock

  • 0x0000 Free running.
  • 0x0010 Discipline enabled.

Temperature: Indicates the temperature of the atomic oscillator. This value should stabilize after warming up and stay below 40C. (Actual values depend on the environmental conditions.)

Steer: When disciplining against GNSS, this value represents the current frequency correction, in parts per trillion or x1E-12, applied to the free-running frequency of the Atomic Oscillator to keep 1PPS aligned to the standard second. During the initial disciplining process, this value would change a significantly. Once the Discipline Lock is achieved, it should stabilize within a small range. This value is displayed over time in the Phase Graph so users can track the converging trend of the phase error.

Phase Error: Displays the current relative phase error between the 1PPS output of the Atomic Clock and its 1PPS reference (input). During the disciplining process this value should converge close to zero and become stable.

Discipline Status: When the Atomic Clock is being disciplined, the decode of this value is available in the Atomic Clock Status screen (Acquiring, Discipline Lock, Holdover, etc.). 

  • 0 = Acquiring (initial disciplining)
  • 1 = Lock
  • 2 = Holdover
  • -- = Discipline disabled

ToD: Time of Day, in seconds.

Lock Time: Time in seconds since the atomic clock achieved discipline lock.

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