WX ASOS Question

[twengland]

How far away from an airport can the WX ASOS be heard or is it just a data signal?

 

[trafficdan]

I can hear my local airport from about a mile away. That is usually on the side of the house closest to the airport or on an outside antenna. Although I know if you are up higher (I am assuming it is directed up) you can hear it from further away.

 

[maus92]

In general, an ASOS or an AWOS can be heard 15-50 miles from the associated airfield, depending on altitude, weather, transmitter power, etc. It is designed to be received by aircaft on the ground at the airport, and by airborne planes inbound to land. Monitoring from the ground is difficult more than 1/2 a mile from the field. For those on the ground, the ASOS/AWOS have telephone numbers that you can call to hear the recording that is transmitted.

CA
Annapolis

 

[adkad]

In the AWOS listing for Colorado are included Centennial and DIA as ATIS broadcasts-is there a difference between AWOS and Atis? I can pick up the Atis recording from 50 miles with an antenna mounted 30 ft. But are AWOS broadcasts more limited than the ATIS or basically the same? Thanks, Adkad

 

[maus92]

ASOS/AWOS are airport automated weather stations that provide weather and sometimes a brief static message about local operations. ATIS stations transmit weather and more detailed airfield information, and are found at the busier airports. The controllers can ammend the information as needed, and the recording is "timestamped" with a letter. For example, a pilot listens to the ATIS transmission and notes the letter code. Then he calls up the tower and says something like "Baltimore Tower, Cirrus 345FU. 20 miles southwest at 2,000, inbound to land, with information Lima." "Infomation Lima" is the letter code that tells the tower controller that the pilot has listened to the most current ATIS broadcast.

CA
Annapolis

 

[crayon]

http://www.faa.gov/asos/map/map.htm