7 December – The MSF atomic radio time signal: bringing time to millions by Andrew Wilson, M6WSA
The presentation
Why is time important? It seems like a simple question, but behind it lies an interconnected world that helps bind modern society together. MSF has been broadcasting time from the UK since the 1940s, predating the advent of modern atomic timekeeping. So how has a service that began as a radio time signal remained relevant to millions of people today?
This talk explores the story of MSF, from its origins as a radio time signal to its role today as one of the UK’s most widely accessible sources of precise time.
MSF provides accurate time to millions of radio-controlled clocks, computers, industrial systems and other equipment across the UK and beyond. Its influence extends further than the clocks on our walls, forming part of the wider ecosystem of precision timing that supports modern infrastructure.
The webinar will explore how MSF works, how atomic clocks are used to generate and maintain the time signal, how that signal travels across the country, and what it takes to keep a service running continuously for decades.
Finally, it will look at why a technology conceived before the atomic era remains remarkably relevant in the 21st century — providing accessible, low-cost and traceable atomic time to professionals, industry and the public alike.
About the presenter
Andrew Wilson (M.Eng, MIET), M6WSA, has worked in R&D and instrumentation since 2010. A professional Electronic Hardware Engineer by trade, he has spent the past six years specialising in precision timing systems.
A radio amateur since 2015, Andrew has a keen interest in radio systems and hardware development, particularly sensors and wide-area connected systems.
Since joining the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Metrology Institute, in 2020, he has worked across the UK’s national timing infrastructure, most notably leading the engineering design of the UK’s latest generation of Primary Frequency Standards.
Since 2025, Andrew has also overseen the operation of the UK’s MSF Radio Time Signal, the UK’s national radio time signal, transmitted on 60 kHz from Anthorn, Cumbria.
Watch live
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