IOTA-VTIA video time inserter

for the times

Occultation timings in the 1600’s

• Accurate clocks not available• Times recorded by measuring the

altitude of a known star at the time of an event

• Accuracy – several minutes

Occultation timings in the 1700’s & 1800’s

• Accurate pendulum clocks and chronometers in observatories

• Clocks set by transit observations• Visual recording of events• Accuracy – around 1 second

Occultation timings in the early 1900’s

• Accurate pendulum clocks and chronometers in observatories

• Radio transmission of time• Visual recording of events• Accuracy – around 0.1 second, but

affected by Personal Equation.

Occultation timings in the mid 1900’s

• Atomic clocks• Radio transmission of time – eg WWV• Visual, and some photoelectric,

recording of events• Accuracy – around 0.1 second, but

affected by Personal Equation.

Occultation timings in the late 1990’s

• Atomic clocks• Radio transmission of time – eg WWV• Video recording, but with audio time

signal• Accuracy – around 0.1 second, but no

Personal Equation.

Occultation timings in the early 2000’s

• Atomic clocks• Time from GPS system• Video recording• KIWI system developed to insert the time

into the video• Accuracy – around 0.03 second, and no

Personal Equation

Occultation timings from 2008

•KIWI system withdrawn•No readily-available commercial alternative• Repairs of existing KIWI’s not always possible.

Occultation timings from 26 May 2011

• IOTA-VTI system becomes available

IOTA-VTI• Developed by Tony Barry of Western

Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group (WSAAG), with the assistance of Dave Gault (also of WSAAG)

• Manufactured in the US by Walt Morgan (VideoTimers) with the assistance of Sandy Bumgarner.

IOTA-VTITo ensure continued availability at minimal cost:•Exclusive perpetual royalty-free licence to IOTA (US)•IOTA (US) has granted a 5-year exclusive sub-licence to VideoTimers for the manufacture and sale

On behalf of Tony Barry, Dave Gault, Walt Morgan, and Sandy Bumgarner, we proudly ‘launch’ the IOTA-VTI : the next generation of video time inserter for occultation observations.