[time] Is there a best orientation for a GPS receiver?

[Rob Janssen]

Philip M. White wrote:
> Today I looked at J-Track 3D[1] to determine where the satellites are,
> but to the best of my understanding, the satellites cover the entire
> world pretty evenly.  Is that correct?  If so, then any direction for a
> window should work equally well.  Or are there other aspects to
> consider?
>   
Yes, that is true.
However, what you want to consider is that a window in an office 
building usually
has metalized glass.  This is done to keep out (and in) the heat, and 
allow the light
to pass.  This can best be recognized when opening a window.  The glass 
will look
considerably darker than the open window (brownish, greenish).
Such a window will not pass radio signals very well, and the GPS 
reception will
be very poor when the antenna is mounted behind it.
So, at least mount the antenna outside.  When you use the typical 
magnetic antenna
meant to be stuck to a car roof, you can stick it to a strip of metal 
that you attach to
the window frame, which holds the antenna out maybe 30cm (1 foot).

Of course a location with all-around coverage is always best, but for 
time synchronization
it matters less than for positioning.

Rob