Seems a weird topic title but let me explain

I listen to the Dutch radio sometimes online and before a news broadcast starts I hear beep beep beeeeeeeep sometimes it varies in the beeps but it always ends with the long beep.

Now I thought it was a dutch thing until I heard it on a few BBC radio stations and on the French radio station too.

So
1. What does it mean / do
2. What is the proper name
3. Anyone have a sample I can download. It would be an awesome tone whe I receive a voicemail (I like indiscreet beeps).

Thank you all

It's the clock. The long beep is the beginning of the hour.

it's morse code

Pff, you two dont know anything They are giving you a warning that a truck is going to reverse over you

Yea, its meant to be the "official" time from some atomic clock somewhere.

lol


so anyone have a clip yet or something?

its secret broadcasts to an underground communist movement

I will give you a little history into these sounds. They originate from the BBC. They are called "the bbc pips" because before everyone could afford accurate clocks, people needed a way of telling the time acuratly. As someone previously said the last pip is the beggining of the hour

The 'pips' come from an atomic clock in the basement of BBC Broadcasting House which is fed directly from greenwitch meridian time observitary.

It is an age old tradition and if the bbc news reader (the pips always come before the news) talks over or "crashes the pips" it is considered VERY VERY bad practice.

there you go

I think us British have become so accustomed to the bbc pips... its like 2nd nature.. you hear the pips - you know its the next hour

Yeah

i never hear any pips on the BBC?

listen just before the hour on radio4

Oh, on the radio, sorry i thought the TV

google is always your friend. Clickity!! --> The BBC pips

lol.. u can get it on bbc arabic..

doesn't the tv also has it, cause sometimes when watching the bbc news the beeps will carry on, sometimes they will hardly last long.