8600 Time Server

Alan

I would like to try using the built in 8600 Time Server.

First question, is there, yet, a hardware manual for the 8600 that likely contains time server information?

If not yet, could someone post the necessary instruction to use the time server?

Alan. WA9WUD

KD0RC

HI Alan, here is a link to the new 8000 series hardware manual:

https://www.flexradio.com/documentation/flex-8000-hardware-reference-manual/

See page 133 for NTP info.

Edit: Sorry I accidentally sent this before I finished…

Go to Control Panel and select Clock and Region:

Click Set the time and date and select the Internet Time tab.

Click Change Settings. In the Server: box, enter the IP address of your Flex 8000 series radio. In my example below, change time.nist.gov to the IP address.

Erik Carling EI4KF

Easiest is just use the radio time server but if keeping accurate time when the radio is off is important then I do not favour this method personally i.e. using Control Panel / Clock & Region / …… and then using a backup utility for when the radio is off. I cannot get my head around the fact the backup utility, whether Meinberg or D4 or whatever, must always be running and cannot be programmed to function only when the radio is offline. If it is not as accurate, does it spoil the accuracy of the 8600 time server? Actually, it can do and if a backup is used the best practice is to have 3 time servers: the radio and 2 backups. Windows will use the two closest in time and discard a server if it is wayward. Getting 3 active servers out of the control panel and a utility such as D4 or Meinberg is not straightforward. So instead I use multiple servers in Windows which includes the radio and two backup servers, the fastest (least lag) at my location being 0.pool.ntp.org and 1.pool.ntp.org

Open an administrative command prompt

ensure the Windows time service is running (if you have been using a 3rd party program, it probably isn't) so put these commands into the command window, having first made sure that the Windows Time Service is not disabled (use the Services applet to check)

net stop w32time 
net start w32time

add your list of addresses with your 1st preference, the radio, first and follow with a space and then the backup servers all within quotes and note the important suffixes of 0x8 and the sync command at the end - an example follows (yours will be different of course)

w32tm /config /update /manualpeerlist:"192.168.68.102, 0x8 0.pool.ntp.org, 0x8 1.pool.ntp.org, 0x8" /syncfromflags:MANUAL

lastly, instruct Windows to re-synchronise and use the configuration and then check your work

w32tm /resync

the response will be: 'Sending resync command to local computer
The command completed successfully'.

w32tm /query /peers

the response will be your list of peers, an extract of mine is:

PS C:\Users\Erik> w32tm /query /peers
#Peers: 3

Peer: 0.pool.ntp.org,0x8
State: Active
Time Remaining: 838.8537793s
Mode: 3 (Client)
Stratum: 2 (secondary reference - syncd by (S)NTP)
PeerPoll Interval: 10 (1024s)
HostPoll Interval: 10 (1024s)

Having set your 8000 series NTP server and your backup, you will not see these entries in the internet time configuration of the Time and Date section of the Control Panel and neither should any change be made there as it will over-write the command window entries.

The radio will keep the computer time correct when on and the backups will take over when the radio is off.

Erik.

Bill NE1B

I have found the information in the FLEX-8000 Hardware Reference Manual is inadequate for setting it up as an NTP Server.

If I setup the Windows PC based on the Windows Internet Time, the reference is time.windows.com or time.nist.gov

All are Internet time based, Stratum 3. The FLEX 8000 having a GNSS receiver is a Stratum 1 clock, therefore better. So, if I change the reference setting on my PC to the IP address for the FLEX I get a message from TIME.IS that my time is exact and the majority of FT8 decodes are 0.0 to a maximum of .3 seconds differential. That is great! But I would like to know:

1. What happens if I turn off the radio?
2. What happens if the radio fails, my GPS reception fails?
3. Is there a backup hierarchy?

Some hams recommend using Meinberg, others recommend using Dimension 4 for more flexibility.

I find Meinberg confusing to setup. I am not a Linux programmer.

Dimension 4 is easy to setup as having a Windows GUI. What are the PROS and CONS?

Bill NE1B

Thanks Erik. Interesting thought. I will try that!

73,

Bill