What Am I Listening To?! Aircraft Weather Radio?!

[Saul Trabal]

I happen to own a Grundig shortwave radio. At about 3.4 mhz, there is a BARELY audible male voice, which repeats the following, which I will try to paraphrase:

Temperature, three-two. Altimeter-Zero-three-niner, visibility four zero...

It almost sounds like a form of weather radio designed for pilots. Can anyone here tell me what it is??

:shock: :? :shock:

 

[Bill Tabor]

I'm a pilot but it's been a long time since I was flying. However as I recall VOR's and Vortacs (which I assume are still in existance) would transmit some of this data. Individual airports do as well. I don't recall the frequency though.

 

[Saul Trabal]

Originally posted by Bill Tabor
I'm a pilot but it's been a long time since I was flying. However as I recall VOR's and Vortacs (which I assume are still in existance) would transmit some of this data. Individual airports do as well. I don't recall the frequency though.

I assume the "three-two" figure is Celsius, since it's in the upper 90s here (Newark, NJ got up to 102 F.)

It's similar to a weather radio broadcast in that it repeats the data: temperature, altimeter readings, visibility. It was VERY hard to make out, though. :?

 

[Ben Cotton]

Many airports broadcast the ASOS/AWOS observations, although they are broadcast around 125 MHz. What is broadcast is generally the same or similar to what you'd hear is when you call up the ASOS via telephone. To look up frequencies for airports, go to http://www.airnav.com. To call an ASOS, dial 1-877-ANY-AWOS.


Ben

 

[Saul Trabal]

Hmmm....

Bill, a Google search says Vortacs broadcast at 122.2 mhz. And from what I've just read about VORs, that doesn't seem like what I'm describing.

Interesting.

 

[GPhillips]

Selected ASOS and AWOS observations sites broadcast their observations continuously. For example for the KTOP ob site, the broadcast is on 121.275

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KTOP

Other Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service broadcasts occur at VORs. For example this site lists some in Kansas.

http://www.ictafss.faa.gov/hiwas.htm

 

[Saul Trabal]

Originally posted by Ben Cotton
Many airports broadcast the ASOS/AWOS observations, although they are broadcast around 125 MHz. What is broadcast is generally the same or similar to what you'd hear is when you call up the ASOS via telephone. To look up frequencies for airports, go to http://www.airnav.com. To call an ASOS, dial 1-877-ANY-AWOS.


Ben

Okay: this link seems to be the right one.

Here, it says- Frequency: 347

If that's in megahertz, then perhaps that's right (3.47 mhz)-and that's what I'm hearing on shortwave.

 

[GPhillips]

Originally posted by Saul Trabal
Okay: this link seems to be the right one.

Here, it says- Frequency: 347

If that's in megahertz, then perhaps that's right (3.47 mhz)-and that's what I'm hearing on shortwave.

On that one it says no voice, but there is a list here, which may not contain the site you are listening to, but has some in the right megahertz range.

http://vmfs.com/ssbvoice.htm

 

[Saul Trabal]

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ost/asostech.html

Okay-thanks folks. This seems to be what I'm listening to-although is 3.4 mhz an accurate frequency? I assume that the Paterson broadcast-assuming it's at 3.47 mhz-is an ASOS broadcast.

Pretty cool. I learn something new every day. I just wish the signal wasn't so weak.

 

[GPhillips]

Looks like it might be the first one in the list from

http://vmfs.com/ssbvoice.htm

24 Hour aviation weather, NY at 3.485 MHz...or is it only the observations from one station?

 

[Saul Trabal]

Originally posted by GPhillips+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GPhillips)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Saul Trabal

Okay: this link seems to be the right one.

Here, it says- Frequency: 347

If that's in megahertz, then perhaps that's right (3.47 mhz)-and that's what I'm hearing on shortwave.

On that one it says no voice, but there is a list here, which may not contain the site you are listening to, but has some in the right megahertz range.

http://vmfs.com/ssbvoice.htm[/b]

We're getting closer to solving the mystery:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/volmet.htm

The following info is New York:

Frequency: 3.485
Type: VOLMET
BC H+: 00 , 30
Call Sign: WSY 70
State: USA
Station: New York
Latitude: 39 44 N
Longitude: 74 14 W

 

[Saul Trabal]

Originally posted by GPhillips
Looks like it might be the first one in the list from

http://vmfs.com/ssbvoice.htm

24 Hour aviation weather, NY at 3.485 MHz...or is it only the observations from one station?

I believe that's it. And yes-it's aviation weather. 8)

 

[Saul Trabal]

I was able to tune this in a little better last night. In addition to what I mentioned above, the transmission also mentioned weather at different airports on the east coast. It not only mentioned thunderstorm activity, it also mentioned cloud structures-I heard "cumulonimbus" mentioned a few times. It mentioned lightning and rain activity in said storms.

REALLY cool stuff. 8) I can't understand why the signal is SO poor, though. What would I need to get a stronger signal? I'm fascinated by this transmisson, and I'd like to be able to hear it better.

By the way-did I mention that short-wave is cool??

 

[MClarkson]

they are basically a metar in voice form. Sometimes they contain extra info like "land and hold short operations in effect runway 27 left." or something non-weather related like that.

 

[Saul Trabal]

Originally posted by MClarkson
they are basically a metar in voice form. Sometimes they contain extra info like \"land and hold short operations in effect runway 27 left.\" or something non-weather related like that.

New terms-cool. 8)

METAR definitions off Google :

Acroymn for METeorological Aerodrome Report. It is the primary observation code used in the United States to satisfy requirements for reporting surface meteorological data. Minimum reporting requirments includes wind, visibility, runway visual range, present weather, sky condition, temperature, dew point, and altimeter setting.

Yup-and more info on this particular station, from this link:

3.485 mhz -> J.F.K -> New York -> U.S.A

So, this transmission is coming out of John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens. Hmmm.

But I wonder why the transmission is so weak, though.