Setting pitch with a fork for exam

[Phillip Ford]

>One thing to keep in mind here is that the original post had to do with 
>setting pitch to exam standards.  As an examiner I have seen too many 
>decent tunings failed because the pitch was too far outside tolerance. The 
>point multiplier for setting pitch is huge. If you are outside 2 cents you 
>blow it. That's about 1/2 a beat.
>
>This may seem fairly generous, but it also assumes that the fork is 
>calibrated. It's amazing how many people don't bother to calibrate their 
>forks before the exam. I have seen people fail pitch who would have passed 
>if their fork had been properly calibrated.
>
>
>Ryan Sowers, RPT Puget Sound Chapter

I have to confess that I've never calibrated my tuning fork (and I've had 
the same one for more than 20 years), and don't (or didn't) know how to do 
it.  Checking the fork against a standard is one thing, calibrating it is 
another.  Here's a link about calibration:

http://www.tunelab-world.com/calforks.html

Out of curiosity, to what reference standard do you check your fork?

I also notice that the above referenced page says that a steel fork will drop in pitch
one cent for every 8 degree F rise in temperature.  So, the habit that some tuners
have of keeping the fork in their pocket to keep the temp stable seems a good idea.

Phil Ford