View source for Orolia

{{Short description|Manufacturer of precision time and frequency instruments}}
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'''Orolia, Inc.''' (formerly '''Spectracom Corporation''') was a global manufacturer of precision time and frequency instruments and network-centric equipment used in a wide range of industries.
Spectracom was founded in Rochester, New York USA in 1972. Its first product was a [[WWVB]] Receiver-Comparator, an instrument used to calibrate oscillators with traceability to national standards. Other early products included WWVB frequency and time standards which offered [[atomic clock]] accuracy at a fraction of the cost. This led to widespread use of these products in vital communications networks, such as two-way police radio simulcast systems, and master clocks for accurate time stamping of data and events within emergency call centers (such as [[9-1-1]] public safety answering points). When [[GPS]] signals became publicly available in the 1990s, Spectracom began offering its time and frequency products with embedded GPS receivers. These products are known by the registered trademarks Ageless and NetClock, the second being a popular brand of [[Time server|network time servers]] and [[master clock]]s.
In 2005, Spectracom acquired the KSI line of bus-level timing products. These plug-in computer or instrument chassis cards provide precise timing within dedicated applications using GPS or [[IRIG timecode]].
In 2007, Spectracom was acquired by the [[Orolia Group]] and operated as part of its Timing, Test & Measurement group.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.orolia.com/spectracom-corporation-acquired-by-orolia/| title=Spectracom Corporation Acquired by Orolia| date=2007-08-28 }}</ref> The Spectracom brand has been applied to other Orolia acquisitions: Temex Sync, France (2007),<ref>ThomasNet News: http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/529261 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010020902/https://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/529261 |date=2021-10-10 }}</ref> Rapco Electronics, UK (2008),<ref>Euronext News: http://www.euronext.com/trader/companynews/companyNews-4380-EN-FR0010501015.html?selectedMep=1&page=2&docid=647121 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616052029/http://www.euronext.com/trader/companynews/companyNews-4380-EN-FR0010501015.html?selectedMep=1&page=2&docid=647121 |date=2011-06-16 }}</ref> and [[Pendulum Instruments]], Sweden (2009).<ref>Euronext News: http://www.euronext.com/trader/companynews/companyNews-4380-EN-FR0010501015.html?selectedMep=1&docid=773572 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616052002/http://www.euronext.com/trader/companynews/companyNews-4380-EN-FR0010501015.html?selectedMep=1&docid=773572 |date=2011-06-16 }}</ref> Facilities in all these locations now operate as the Navigation & Timing division of [[Safran|Safran S.A]].
==WWVB changes affect early products==
In 2012, the [[NIST]] made changes to the WWVB broadcast signal, which was used for synchronization within, among others, early Spectracom devices.<ref>Spectracom informational item: https://spectracom.com/sites/default/files/document-files/Pending%20Changes%20in%20the%20WWVB%20Radio%20Signal%20Affects%20Precision%20Frequency%20and%20Timing%20Reference.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804005837/http://spectracom.com/sites/default/files/document-files/Pending%20Changes%20in%20the%20WWVB%20Radio%20Signal%20Affects%20Precision%20Frequency%20and%20Timing%20Reference.pdf |date=2016-08-04 }}</ref> While the signal changes were compatible with more recent equipment using those broadcasts, Spectracom has provided a list of older equipment, unsupported since 2005, which will no longer function properly as a result of the WWVB change:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Model  !! Product Name/Type
|-
| 8160   ||  Frequency Standard Receiver/Oscillator
|-
| 8161  ||    Frequency Standard Receiver/Oscillator
|-
| 8163  ||   WWVB Receiver/Phase Comparator
|-
| 8164  ||   Ageless Master Oscillator
|-
| 8165  ||   Ageless Master Oscillator
|-
| 8170  ||   Synchronized Clock
|-
| 8171  ||   Synchronized Clock
|-
| 8182  ||   NetClock/2 Master Clock
|}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
* [https://safran-navigation-timing.com Safran], formerly Orolia and Spectracom
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121014075842/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=21853201] Company information includes $3M contract with US Air Force in January 2011.
[[Category:1972 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:2007 disestablishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1972]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1972]]
[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies based in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Defunct networking companies]]
[[Category:Instrument-making corporations]]
[[Category:Networking hardware companies]]
[[Category:Timekeeping]]