AWOS-A -- how to use it?

NoHeat

NoHeat

Final Approach
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I landed today at an airport that supposedly broadcasts its weather using something called AWOS-A on 122.8, and not on a dedicated weather frequency. That's something that I've never seen before, and which is not mentioned in the FAA Aeronautical Chart Guide, which I had with me in flight, on Foreflight.

It's explained in the AF/D (excuse me, chart supplement) for this particular airport (KVLA Vandalia Illinois, which is a nice little airport by the way) that weather advisories require three clicks of the microphone. I tried it, and all that I accomplished was turning on the lights. Moreover, the ADSB weather was not updating for this airport either, while I was en-route to the airport. I ended up just relying on the weather from a nearby airport.

Is there something that I'm missing, to use AWOS-A 122.8 properly?
 
It’s automated, pilot controlled AWOS. Usually key the mic five times consecutively to activate it - the same process as turning on pilot controlled lighting.
 
Ok, but it didn’t work for me.

As I mentioned, the AF/D says “For WX advisory, 3 clicks CTAF” (I found that in Foreflight while en-route) and I tried that but I only managed to turn on the lights for the airport, runway and taxiway lights.

So that’s why I asked if there’s something I’m missing.
 
Depends on the chart supplement. Near me, Canton says you need 8 clicks.

KCTK chart.JPG

KCTK supplement.JPG
 
Is it possible that it’s just inop? Sounds like you did everything correctly.
 
Oh.,....My......


Gawd!


I learned something on PoA today.


I've never used one, and would be all ****ed that sumbeech was broken if I flew in there!
 
I have learned something new today as well!!
Question is how expensive is it to run the AWOS all the time vs Pilot controlled???
 
Unit74 said:
Oh.,....My......


Gawd!


I learned something on PoA today.


I've never used one, and would be all ****ed that sumbeech was broken if I flew in there!
Click to expand...

Add me to the list.
 
We have AWOS A. Our supplier, Digiwx, software needs to be reset once or twice a month for radio control.
 
I’m not following... What’s with all of the commotion?
 
5QK said:
We have AWOS A. Our supplier, Digiwx, software needs to be reset once or twice a month for radio control.
Click to expand...
The AWOS-A here used to be DigiWx too, but the airport discontinued the service about a year or two ago. Now, it’s quite useless. When you key the mic to activate it, just about every data point is ‘missing’. I haven’t been able to figure out why they don’t install something better.
 
You cant just do a quick jab of the mic button- you have to do a ‘slightly prolonged’ hold-down for each click.
Not sure how to put into words.... maybe hold down for 1/2 second each time?
In case that is the issue.
I was going to one with a ‘SuperAWOS’ like this, now removed. (besides causing an a/c incident, it was annoying)
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Depends on the chart supplement. Near me, Canton says you need 8 clicks.

View attachment 77486

View attachment 77487
Click to expand...
@NealRomeoGolf, they decommissioned that annoying b@st@rd at CTK last year, the NOTAM is still active for the decommissioning. I’m guessing it was because most fields in our area use 122.8 and it was always jamming up the frequency. I swear it activated on 5 clicks though. I do like that they still have a wind tee.
 
There's a SuperAWOS at my home field. While slightly annoying to have to be deliberate with the mic clicks and the usual second to third attempt to get it right, I kinda like it. I enjoy not having to change frequencies to get WX.

But it's in a rather rural area, so there's no much other radio traffic in range. I also like the heads up it gives me when I'm in the area and it starts broadcasting. Since that wasn't me, I know someone else is about to either takeoff or land.

I can see how annoying it might get in a busier traffic area however.
 
baboss said:
@NealRomeoGolf, they decommissioned that annoying b@st@rd at CTK last year, the NOTAM is still active for the decommissioning. I’m guessing it was because most fields in our area use 122.8 and it was always jamming up the frequency. I swear it activated on 5 clicks though. I do like that they still have a wind tee.
Click to expand...
Good to know. I haven’t been back there since my checkride.
 
Schokie said:
There's a SuperAWOS at my home field. While slightly annoying to have to be deliberate with the mic clicks and the usual second to third attempt to get it right, I kinda like it. I enjoy not having to change frequencies to get WX.

But it's in a rather rural area, so there's no much other radio traffic in range. I also like the heads up it gives me when I'm in the area and it starts broadcasting. Since that wasn't me, I know someone else is about to either takeoff or land.

I can see how annoying it might get in a busier traffic area however.
Click to expand...

Potomac Aviation who built the SuperAnnoyingAWOS lost their certification back in 2012. I'm surprised that there any out there in the world still being used.
 
It's a pain when you fly into one airport, turn on the PCL, and then start hearing the weather from another airport miles away that shares the same freq.
 
benyflyguy said:
I have learned something new today as well!!
Question is how expensive is it to run the AWOS all the time vs Pilot controlled???
Click to expand...

Well, it's the same frequency as CTAF. So you would either have to talk over it and try to listen to other pilots in the background, or get another frequency.
 
Ryanb said:
I’m not following... What’s with all of the commotion?
Click to expand...

The kids are all excited about clicking things that aren’t lights, like the cheapie AWOS boxes today and auto-phone-dialers to Center for clearance delivery back when we all didn’t have cell phones... :)
 
benyflyguy said:
I have learned something new today as well!!
Question is how expensive is it to run the AWOS all the time vs Pilot controlled???
Click to expand...

The data collection pack and the computer that generates the METAR is running all the time, doesn't matter if it's pilot controlled or not. The energy savings from not running a transmitter all the time would be very small.
 
Schokie said:
There's a SuperAWOS at my home field. While slightly annoying to have to be deliberate with the mic clicks and the usual second to third attempt to get it right, I kinda like it. I enjoy not having to change frequencies to get WX.

But it's in a rather rural area, so there's no much other radio traffic in range. I also like the heads up it gives me when I'm in the area and it starts broadcasting. Since that wasn't me, I know someone else is about to either takeoff or land.

I can see how annoying it might get in a busier traffic area however.
Click to expand...
That’s the biggest issue with AWOS-A. There might be several aircraft in the pattern and if someone keys the mic to activate AWOS, the frequency gets tied up. It can be nice having it on a single frequency, but it can also be a pain in the rear end.
 
Ryanb said:
That’s the biggest issue with AWOS-A. There might be several aircraft in the pattern and if someone keys the mic to activate AWOS, the frequency gets tied up. It can be nice having it on a single frequency, but it can also be a pain in the rear end.
Click to expand...

that's what I was thinking as well
 
Ryanb said:
That’s the biggest issue with AWOS-A. There might be several aircraft in the pattern and if someone keys the mic to activate AWOS, the frequency gets tied up. It can be nice having it on a single frequency, but it can also be a pain in the rear end.
Click to expand...

Timbeck2 said:
that's what I was thinking as well
Click to expand...

Yeah, me too. I fly out of everything between SYR (Charlie) and grass strips w/out a charted frequency, much less any automated weather. When I'm flying around outside Charlie w/out flight following, I hear traffic on 122.8 from at least four area airfields simultaneously. The thought of someone keying an AWOS on-frequency, if it was available, gives me the aforementioned frozen vampire chipmunk shivers. Thankfully, in our area there isn't one.
 
NoHeat said:
I landed today at an airport that supposedly broadcasts its weather using something called AWOS-A on 122.8, and not on a dedicated weather frequency. That's something that I've never seen before, and which is not mentioned in the FAA Aeronautical Chart Guide, which I had with me in flight, on Foreflight.

It's explained in the AF/D (excuse me, chart supplement) for this particular airport (KVLA Vandalia Illinois, which is a nice little airport by the way) that weather advisories require three clicks of the microphone. I tried it, and all that I accomplished was turning on the lights. Moreover, the ADSB weather was not updating for this airport either, while I was en-route to the airport. I ended up just relying on the weather from a nearby airport.

Is there something that I'm missing, to use AWOS-A 122.8 properly?
Click to expand...

I'm really glad you brought this up. Flew the wife to Maine a couple weeks ago (long flight!) and came across this same thing some how, I was lost as last year's easter egg....
 
There's often a note in the Chart Supplement (A/FD for you old guys). For example at Bethel:


- ACTVT AWOS-AV VIA PHONE OR KEY CTAF 3 TIMES.
 
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