Customer Reviews

Equity by La Crosse SkyScan 86709 Atomic Wall Clock

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I received a similar (but not identical) SkyScan clock from Sams Club about 1.5 years ago. It's worked great up until last week. The outside temperature sensor stopped working. I replaced the batteries and that didn't seem to help. After contacting Eddie at Impact Merchandising (the distributor of SkyScan products) he emailed me with a fix. What you have to do is take out the batteries from both the clock and the temp sensor. Leave them out for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Then make sure you place new fresh batteries in the temp unit first. Then place new batteries in the clock. (DO NOT TRY TO SET THE TIME OR PRESS ANY BUTTONS ON THE CLOCK). Place the two units 3-5 feet apart. You should get a signal within 15 minutes. If not repeat the process once. If that doesn't fix the clock you can purchase a new temp sensor for $5 directly from them. Their contact info is :
Equity Time
6262 Patterson Pass Rd. Suite C
Livermore Ca 94550
(925) 373-9700

The feature of never having to set this clock is, needless to say, pretty cool. The date and day of the week are also helpful. The indoor temperature is less helpful -- my heading and A/C pretty much take care of that.

The one thing I find irritating about this clock is that it has a very small viewable angle. That is, if you look at it from more than, say 25 degrees off the normal, all of the digit segments are about equally dark, making the time impossible to read. I'm sure the clock would be nice on a desktop, but on the wall it's not so helpful.

I have bought three of these clocks.
Two have been good. Once set up and synched up, they have been hands-off, reliable instruments for accurate time and temp.
However, the third clock has been a big bust. I bought it as a gift for my father-in-law, of all people. It died after a few months. The display flickers, making it unreadable. It cannot be reset and will not sync to the signal. It will not find the outdoor temp signal.
I contacted SkyScan at the web address on the back of the clock; there is no other contact info that I can find! They responded at first, after some time. Their response was that they no longer make that particular model and, therefore, cannot replace it. After several emails back and forth, they adamantly refuse to make good on the warranty and now do not respond to emails.
As an Engineer, I find it hard to imagine that someone would think that their obligation to honor the warranty on a product ends when they decide to stop making that model.
It is a neat product, but other people make similar ones and I would recommend buying from a manufacturer with more integrity.

I received a SkyScan clock as a gift a year ago. It was the only clock that I don't have to change to adjust for Daylight Savings time (it automatically adjusts). The features of the day, date and temperature have also come in useful. My family likes the fact that it tends to be the most accurate clock in the house. I have never had any problem with it picking up a signal to assure the time is correct . . and the clock is in an inner room of our home. The alarm feature is sort of awkward though (I probably wouldn't keep it at my bedside). Altogether, it has been a gift that I have enjoyed.

I just bought this clock and it works just great!
Once with the batteries it took only 10 minutes to have it automatically set to the right time, date and temperature!! (celsius or Farenheit).
You do not have to do anything, just find a good place to hang it and let it work!
Do not hesitate and buy it!

JC from Ohio

You can ignore what Mr Appleton, WI says because he's wrong! I live in southern CA, and as soon as I installed batteries in this, within 2 minutes I saw the radio icon flash when it established radio contact, and 15 minutes later the time and date set itself like magic.

Also it does NOT just try making radio contact once a day, it does it several UNLESS a person has the clock within 10' of a TV set, computer or monitor or any other source of A/C interference such as a flurescent light. The instructions are clear on that if a person reads them.

This is THE most accurate and dependable clock you will ever own, HANDS DOWN! And you'll never adjust for daylight savings time again either!

I'm a clock and watch freak! I had no trouble with the clock setting itself. It was fast and I am impressed with that as I live in the mountains near Lake Tahoe CA. I assume it to be accurate but really have no way of knowing how accurate it is. It was interesting to read another review that said there were two clocks 30 seconds off from each other? On mine the thermometer does not work. There is no reference in the insructions to setting the thermometer. I am returning it for replacement and hope the new one works correctly. I tried emailing the company but received no reply so I have to go through the small hassle of returning it.

I got this clock one week back. I installed the batteries and within 2-3 minutes I got the correct time. I know now I can trust atleast one clock in my house.

Our SkyScan has worked great since I first put a battery in it. It's kinda freaky watching it fast forward up to then stop at the current time. So neat, that we have repeated it a couple times for our kid and guests (yeah, we're geeks).

I thought at first that there might be a problem getting a signal since we're not close to CO (south of Chicago), and we live in an aluminum-sided house, but it worked the first time, and has continued to work.

BTW, Costco has GIANT 18" SkyScan clocks for $38. We bought one of these, too, and put it in our kitchen and can see it throughout the first floor of our open-plan house.

Now, I want to get a bunch of these for work so people will be on time to meetings - no excuses.

FWIW, the http://www.equitytime.com/atomic/ Web site noted in another review does NOT carry the entire SkyScan product line. They only appear to have the digital clocks.

One of the reviews for this product misled us into thinking the clock would have an outdoor temperature sensor... it doesn't. So that was a disappointment but no fault of the manufactures (maybe Amazon's a little at fault, but "say la vie" as the French c'est). The packaging for the clock is mysteriously complicated. We had to use a miniature Philips screwdriver from our eyeglass kit to unscrew the back of the packing material from the clock. Once out of the box the clock has been a real fun and practical treat! It sets itself. It displays the inside temperature. It is easy to read from across a crowded room. We really like it. You probably will too!