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Downloads Product Features FAQ RMA Request Form
Meinberg USA Inc.
Last Update: 2024-03-18
© 2003 - 2024,

Frequently Asked Questions



Question: MEINBERG is in Germany. Do I have to deal with US Customs?
Answer: No. Meinberg USA Inc. is a whole owned subsidary of Meinberg Funkuhren GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. We take care of getting the product into the US, and that means taking care of any Import Duties and Freight expenses. Typical freight terms are FOB Origin, Santa Rosa, CA
Question: Once I've decided what I want, how do I pay? and what are the terms?
Answer: Meinberg USA Inc. accepts corporate purchase orders, credit cards (MasterCard and VISA), prepaid check, COD, or, if you want to make a trip to glorious Northern California, we'll take cash (all in US funds, of course). Standard payment terms on approval of credit for purchase orders is Net 30 days. If you prefer that we be your bank for payment terms beyond 30 days, then 1.5% per month is assessed. Credit card orders are not processed until product has been shipped to you.
Question: What is the "Evaluation Unit" Policy and Procedure?
Answer: Meinberg USA Inc. stands behind our products! Because of the technical nature of the equipment some customers may wish to confirm for themselves the equipment will perform as stated before committing to a large order or purchase.

To provide assurance to our customers we offer the following “Evaluation Unit” policy: Meinberg USA Inc. offers a money-back guarantee on standard/stock products during the first 30 days upon receipt by the customer **.

**For each individual unit that was purchased for evaluation "specified at time of order". The product must be returned in its original condition and packaging within 30 days of receipt. This offer does not apply to "special" or "custom" orders.

In the event the "Evaluation Unit" does not meet customer acceptance and specifications and is returned AFTER 30 DAYS of receipt, the unit will be subject to a minimum 15% handling charge.

RMA Procecure for Evaluation Units:

  1. E-mail your request to Contact Support and/or call +1-877-PTP-1588. Advise us that the evaluation unit is not acceptable and is to be returned. Request a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number and fill in the RMA Request Form and attach the form to an E-mail.

  2. Send the item, along with a copy of the RMA Form and original invoice and all of the original packaging and materials (including manuals, cables, brackets, etc. as applicable). The Customer is responsible for freight costs to return the unit to Meinberg USA Inc.

    The address to ship to is:
    Meinberg USA Inc.
    111 Santa Rosa Ave, Suite 401
    Santa Rosa, CA 95404
    ATTN: RMA # _______________
    TEL +1-877-PTP-1588

Remember to write the RMA number on the top and at least one side of the shipping package. The item is subject to full inspection by Meinberg USA Inc. upon receipt. Physically damaged items that are not in re-sellable condition are not refundable.

Credit and check refunding can take up to 10 business days to confirm and complete after receipt of the item. In the case of credit card orders, only a credit to the credit card account is permitted.

If the order is via Company Purchase Order, the order will be adjusted to reflect the return, with no net amount due.

Question: Why do you need your own time server although there are time servers available on the internet?
Answer: In principle it is possible to synchronize your computers with time servers on the internet.

However, a lot of our customers rely on their own time server in their network environment for security and/or maintainability reasons:

  • Particularly in the case of our LANTIME you or a responsible person can be notified by mail or SNMP trap if there is a malfunction in your time synchronisation.
  • The clients on the network do not depend on an active internet connection.
  • The clients on the network do not depend on the availability of an external time server.
  • A test of other freely available time servers reported that many NTP servers distributed a significantly wrong time, although they were classified as stratum-1 time servers. This is the responsibility of the server's administrators.
  • If an internet connection is working properly then NTP can determine and account for the packet transmission delays quite reliable. However, if the internet connection is at its capacity limit, time synchronization can be significantly degraded due to high dispersion in packet transmission delays. Reasons for this may be hacker attacks, which must not address your own network, or new viruses causing a huge flood of emails, like it has already happened in the past.
  • An own time server can not easily be compromised out of the internet.
Question: What's this DCF77 stuff?
Answer: DCF77 is a 77.5 KHz radio signal which is the German equivalent of the WWVB 60 KHz timing reference that NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) transmits in the United States. The transmitted frequencies and signals of DCF77 are derived from the atomic clocks of PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) - the highest technical authority of the Federal Republic of Germany for the field of metrology and physical safety engineering in Germany.

The signal from DCF77 can be received throughout most of Europe - unfortunately, it is not a signal that is applicable to the United States. GPS is the choice for radio reception of precise time in the United States.

For more informations visit the MEINBERG DCF77 Info-Page