Greenwich Time Signal Greenwich Time Signal The Greenwich Time Signal (GTS), popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations. The pips were introduced in 1924 and have been generated by the BBC since 1990 to mark the precise start of each hour. Their utility in calibration is diminishing as digital broadcasting entails time lags. There are six pips (short beeps) in total, which occur on each of the 5 seconds leading up to the hour and on the hour itself. Each pip is a 1 kHz tone (about halfway between
BBC Radio Ulster January 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4 (previously the BBC Northern Ireland Home Service) and as a result of the BBC's widely regarded under-reporting of the UWC Strike in May 1974. An opt-out of the station exists in Derry BBC Radio Foyle, carrying alternative programming and news for much of the time between 7:30am and 5:00pm weekdays and a few hours at the weekend. The station is also broadcast on DAB Digital Radio, digital television and on the internet. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Ulster simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live programming (weekdays from 12:00am-6:30am,