Whistle ??? What Whistle ???
 

... includes forgetting to put the whistle in my mouth, and not having a whistle (leaving it in my jacket pocket at the table) on my person.

Yeah, hate to admit it, but I've done both.

For The Good Of The Cause ...
 

Definite Knowledge ...
 

... with no high school replay monitor, if I had a "spit my whistle out" (non-functioning whistle) episode, and I got a good look at the clock as I put my arm up, I would have no qualms about adding time to the clock as I had definite knowledge, this being not limited to, but especially in, an end-of-period situation.

Exactly the same, but different
 

NFHS Officials Manual

Violations: Give a sharp single blast of the whistle and fully extend one arm above the head with fingers extended to stop the clock.

Fouls: Sound the whistle with a single sharp blast while raising one hand, fist clenched, straight and high above the head.

Agree to both
 

I was actually just thinking of the chart but do agree that the whistle and the hand go up together according to the actual written section of the mechanics.

Be Sure To Put Up Hands/Fists ...
 

We often work games at the American School For The Deaf, and are always advised by the athletic director to be sure to put up our hands/fists, for both the players, and the timekeeper.

Working games at this site really forces one to concentrate on using good visual signals.

Five Senses ...
 

"Signals"?

It could be a tap on the shoulder. A physical touch. "Excuse me young man, that was a travel".

When I find an old hard boiled egg that rolled to the back of the refrigerator, a "signal" to me that it could be bad is its odor.

I'm trying to think of an odor that officials could emit as a signal, but choose not to bring that to a final conclusion.

How is this relevant? In the rulebook and mechanics manual, "signal" has a specific meaning. A signal is a specific movement of the hand(s) and/or arm(s), occasionally of a foot, to indicate a specific action related to the game (signalling a foul, violation, timeout, or other stoppage of play (held ball/jump ball)).

Rich1 is right that the signal and whistle happen, or at least ought to happen simultaneously. The reason is that the timer can react to the visual signal if he failed to hear the whistle (or the whistle fails to sound). If there is only the whistle, but no visual signal to stop the clock, it is possible that the timer may not stop the clock on time. The reason why this is a moot point at higher levels is because they have special technology allowing the game and shot clocks to stop when the whistle is blown.

At the NFHS and lower college levels, it is important for officials to signal that the game clock is to stop, to avoid such errors. At the Division 1 level, with precision timing, stopping the clock with a signal is important for redundancy, in case the whistle fails to sound, and for instant replay, to correct timing errors.

Signals ...
 

I contend that the word "signal" in the actual rule is used as a generic verb (as opposed to the NFHS and IAABO "signal" charts, in which case it's used as a specific noun), and can be a visual signal, and an audio signal (and I also joked about a physical touch, or an odor, as a signal).

NFHS 5-8: Time-out occurs and the clock, if running, must be stopped when an official: Signals a foul, held ball, violation, timeout.

While most high school timers may (note that I said "may") be real good at watching for officials to "chop in" time, I seriously doubt they all actually watch for visual signals to stop the clock.

This "special technology" is allowed in high school games (under certain conditions), but is almost never used.

Again, the word "signal" in the actual rule is used as a generic verb and can be a visual signal, and an audio signal.

Also, I agree fully with ilyazhito's statement about audio and visual signaling redundancy.

No signal needed for some violations in NCAAW. All levels.

11-2-1.c.1 d. Determine the correct time to be placed back on the game clock when the referee blows the whistle, signals for the game clock to be stopped, and in the official's judgment, time has elapsed before the game clock stopped. On an out of bounds violation, the official shall determine the elapsed time before the game clock stopped from the time the ball actually hit out-of-bounds.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

A.R. 313. As the official calls a five-second closely guarded violation, the official sounds the whistle and gives the signal to stop the game clock. The game clock was stopped, however, in the official’s judgment, time elapsed after the signal to stop the clock.

RULING: The official is permitted to go to the official courtside monitor to determine if a timer’s mistake has been committed. When it is determined that time did elapse, the official is permitted to correct the time. (Rule 11-2.1.c.1.c)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk