SDR Common View on Generic Signals for Time Transfer Applications

Abstract

This paper presents a new time transfer system that works with any radio signal with sufficient bandwidth, regardless of its content and modulation, by adopting the common view approach. This system, based on a network client-server architecture with SDR receivers offers a number of advantages. It can compare remote atomic clocks or disseminate reference time scales to end users with precision at the level of tens of nanoseconds. Its improved features in terms of flexibility, robustness, reliability, and security will potentially make positive contributions in the field of time transfer, as an alternative or complement to existing methods.