Keeping the clock accurate on MacOS

FT8 and similar modes require the PC clock (Windows, MacOS, Pi, etc) to be accurate within 2 seconds - and ideally better than that.

I have found that Windows 10 and Raspberry Pi seem to be capable of doing this themselves without further intervention, but my MacOS clock can drift out by a few seconds.

The solution is to periodically synchronise the clock to an NTP server, via a scheduled cron job. These instructions worked for me:

Set the time on an Apple Mac running macOS Mojave for FT8/WSPR | QSO365

...except that the first part of the instructions required a "sudo" in front of the command:

sudo sntp -sS pool.ntp.org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Building a basic codeplug for DMR (DMR Part 2)

Image
What is a "codeplug"?  Confusingly, a codeplug is neither code, nor a plug! The term originates from a time when a physical plug was used to configure a radio's parameters. Nowadays it refers to a configuration file, which is typically prepared on an external PC and then uploaded to the radio. Overview This blog post continues from  Part 1 , and it assumes that you already have: A callsign A DMR ID A DMR rig - I will be using a Retevis RT3S for this example The programming software and cable for your rig. For the RT3S, the Windows software can be found here:  RT3S Software The example described below assumes that you are within reach of a DMR repeater on the Phoenix network, and that you know the details of that repeater (transmit and receive frequencies, color code). For now will configure the rig to access the DMR+ (Phoenix) network via a repeater. Subsequent posts will explain how to add analogue repeaters and simplex channels, hotspots, other networks, etc. The steps
Read more

Adding Brandmeister to the Hotspot (DMR Part 4)

Image
So far in this series of articles we have: Built a codeplug for the Retevis RT3S, enabling it to operate on the Phoenix (DMR+) network via a local repeater. Built a Hotspot and added a new zone to the codeplug, so that the RT3S can access the Phoenix (DMR+) network using the Hotspot. I chose Phoenix initially, because that is the network that my nearest repeater uses. Whilst this gives worldwide coverage, it is not the only DMR network. Confusingly, there are quite a few networks out there - including Brandmeister, TGIF, FreeDMR and probably others. Each has its own layout of talkgroups and timeslots. Sometimes these are similar, and there are links between networks so that some talkgroups are accessible on more than one network, but each has its own quirks and so they are different and mainly incompatible. With a Hotspot, it is possible to join more than one DMR network simultaneously - up to four networks - using functionality known as DMR Master. In this blog we will look at buildin
Read more

D-STAR, Pi-Star and IC-705

Image
Having got D-Star working via a local repeater, how about using a hotspot? It is pretty straightforward to activate. Firstly, turn on D-STAR in the MMDVM Host Configuration: Next, set your callsign and registered D-STAR password in the D-Star Configuration section. "B" is the suffix for a 70cm hotspot, and "G" because you are an internet gateway. You can set a default reflector, although I find this is of limited value (discussed later). I have left Time Announcements, Callsign Routing and D-Plus turned off mainly because I don't really understand them! Something for future experimentation. On the IC-705, now is the time to program in your hotspot as a digital repeater. Got to Menu / DV Memory / Repeater List - and choose an empty Repeater Group. Name this "Pi-Star" (or "hotspot", or whatever you prefer), and within the Group create a single entry as follows: Type: DV Repeater Name: Pi-Star (or whatever you prefer) Sub Name: Pi-Star (or whate
Read more