liveaboard

So here's a curious observation;
The clock in my car sets itself to an external signal. As far as I know, it can't be disabled except by removing the car radio [found out by removing my car radio].
So the time is correct on the west coast, it's correct in Lisboa, it changes time zone when I cross into Spain and stays correct as I drive through Europe.

But when I travel to the southern Algarve, my clock always resets to some random time between 2 and 3 hours in error.

And when I get home to the west coast, it corrects itself again [after a while].

Has anyone else experienced this phenomena? Has anyone got an explanation?

MrBife

Its a longwave RF Transmission and I think the nearest source for us is somewhere in Germany. See list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_clock

The Algarve seems to be pretty much at the extremity of the range of the nearest transmitter. My bedside alarm clock has similar issues for the same reason unless facing one particular direction.

liveaboard

But in the absence of a signal, the clock time won't change; and it does, every time I go to Guia.
There must be some signal there that does it, I'm just curious if it only affects my car clock or if it happens to others as well.

liveaboard

I drove to Lisbon yesterday, and while there my clock switched back to winter time. When I left Lisbon, it switched to summer time again.

I guess they're behind the times there.

gedscottish

Sell your Delorean and buy a normal car!

liveaboard

Actually, I think I figured it out today on the way to Guia; my clock gets the time signal from radio stations it seems, and some stations are broadcasting spurious signals. If the radio is switched off, as normal, it apparently tunes into one at random.
If I keep the radio on and tuned to antenna 3, the clock switches to the correct time and stays correct.
Anyway, it did today.

macliam

As me auld Da would say, "Automatic - all-to-buggery".......