<HTML>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
List, I too have been wondering just what is accurate. My SAT reads
my Bechstein fork at approx. 1 1/2 cents flat. I assumed that the
fork that went with such an expensive instrument would be accurate.
And my SAT was calibrated and re-worked with new boards less than 1 year
ago.
<BR>Clark Sprague
<BR>Greenwich, Ohio
<P>Brian Trout wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>Hi,</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>I
have been tuning aurally for most of the time I've tuned. When I
first started out, I got a chrome plated steel tuning fork. It's
not very loud, but it seems to be pretty stable. I've heated it up
to well over 100 degrees, and put it in the freezer to cool it down, and
measured as best I could in both extremes. It doesn't move much,
perhaps 1 or 1 1/2 cycles from one end of the extreme to the other.
(It's hard to measure, because it starts changing back to room temperature
before I can really get some good "listens".)</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>At
work amongst the tuners, we have 3 tuning forks, and 3 "machines", none
of which are over about $200 machines. My personal observations to
date lead me to believe that the forks are all very close to each other.
However, the machines are quite different, one of which actually tunes
a piano sharp enough to hear audible beating when played with another piano
tuned with a fork. (This is when you're trying to set the pitch at
A-440.)</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>My question
is, how does one determine which A-440 is right? Is there an easy
way to do that without finding an electronic frequency counter? I
can't think of anyone who has one. I'm just trying to figure out
if real tuning fork accuracy is possible in a real world. To what
do we pay homage as the "ultimate" standard measuring device? Who's
"ultimate" standard measuring device is right if they don't agree???
If I find one person with an SAT and one with an RTC and the A-440's aren't
the same, who's right?</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>I'm
not trying to be obnoxious here, but I've been reading about the "big test",
and what's involved. It all starts with the basic premise that we
start at A-440. It's been worrying me a bit. Who's A-440?</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>Any
thoughts out there?</FONT></FONT> <FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>Brian
Trout</FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1>Quarryville, Pa.</FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000"><FONT SIZE=-1><A HREF="mailto:btrout@desupernet.net">btrout@desupernet.net</A></FONT></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE>
</BODY>
</HTML>