1. A video time inserter for the times
IOTA-VTI
A video time inserter for the times

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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

8. Occultation timings from 2008
KIWI system withdrawn
No readily-available commercial alternative
Repairs of existing KIWI’s not always possible.

9. Occultation timings from 26 May 2011
IOTA-VTI system becomes available

10. 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.

11. IOTA-VTI To 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

12. 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.