International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS)
announced there will be an extra second added to the end of this year, so clocks will read 23:59:60 on December 31, 2016. Such leap seconds are occasionally needed to ensure Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the official measure of time, stays in sync with changes in the Earth’s rotation. Additional details can be found here.
We have been working hard to provide a firmware solution assuring Sokkia receivers are not impacted. Without this firmware update users may experience issues acquiring or sustaining a fixed solution. In some cases position solution may resolve itself after a new almanac & ephemeris are downloaded however we strongly recommend you provide your customers a firmware update.
This leap second addition is global, effecting all GNSS receivers and should be addressed as quickly as possible. Please take the time to direct your customers to www.sokkia.com and access the Sokkia Care site to download the latest firmware for their GNSS receivers. Receivers that are not on the list will not be effected by the leap second event, however it is important to update these receivers to the latest firmware available for that model.
Receivers requiring firmware updates include:
Sokkia GNSS Receivers
GCX2
GRX2
GHX2
In addition, previous generation products such as GSR2700 ISX may also encounter similar issues. We have provided firmware 3.907 for these receivers, which can also be found on the Sokkia Care site.