We looked at using these in a previous job that had a very tight tolerance on RF frequency tolerance. Vibration tolerance makes the use of crystals difficult.
Unfortunately, the phase noise of this device wasn't good enough to be the frequency source for the radio itself, so we would have had to use the CSAC to discipline a tcxo. By the time we did that, it really wasn't that advantageous.
It looks like they have a low-noise option that includes a tcxo now, but (no surprise), it doesn't appear to have a operating vibration spec.
At the heart of any atomic clock is a quartz crystal clock that is steered to match the resonance dip of the atom. It is that oscillator that actually outputs the 10Mhz, gets divided to 1PPS, etc.
Perhaps it would be possible to have a pair of identical crystals tied together but electrically opposite in phase so that external vibrations tended to cancel. (Like a differential signaling pair in a cable)
Comments
We looked at using these in a previous job that had a very tight tolerance on RF frequency tolerance. Vibration tolerance makes the use of crystals difficult. Unfortunately, the phase noise of this device wasn't good enough to be the frequency source for the radio itself, so we would have had to use the CSAC to discipline a tcxo. By the time we did that, it really wasn't that advantageous. It looks like they have a low-noise option that includes a tcxo now, but (no surprise), it doesn't appear to have a operating vibration spec.
At the heart of any atomic clock is a quartz crystal clock that is steered to match the resonance dip of the atom. It is that oscillator that actually outputs the 10Mhz, gets divided to 1PPS, etc.
Perhaps it would be possible to have a pair of identical crystals tied together but electrically opposite in phase so that external vibrations tended to cancel. (Like a differential signaling pair in a cable)