Automatic path delay corrections to GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites) satellite time broadcasts

In support of the environmental data collection by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), a time code has been incorporated into an interrogation message from these satellites by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). This message is directed to data-collection platforms engaged in seismic, tsunami, hydromet and other related monitoring activities. The NBS has developed this time-code system to serve environmental data users who require only a few tenths of a second accuracy as well as those who need a more accurate time reference. The time code is available continuously from two geostationary satellites and provides a coverage of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Basins as well as the North and South American Continents. The time code includes the necessary information to compensate for free-space propagation delays between the master clock located at Wallops Island, Virginia, and the user. Preliminary results indicate a timing resolution of 10 microseconds.