Sunday, March 02, 2008

Automatic Information Terminal Service

Do you ever wonder what you can do with your 2m rig beside having QSO with fellow hams on 2m? Most of the rigs in the marketl have a range of 137 MHz ~ 174 Mhz. Some include the airband as well and so, the range is from 108 Mhz to 174 Mhz. I haven't met anyone who is stupid enough to utter words like "You are not supposed to listen to those frequencies outside of 144 Mhz ~ 148 Mhz". Idiots exist no matter where you are, but some are just trying to portray the holier-than-thou image. Anyway, airband monitoring is something fun to do.

One very interesting broadcast on the airband is the ATIS (Automatic Information Termnal Service). Here in Penang, you will be able to listen to 2 ATIS stations. Here are the samples.

122.750 MHz AM / 230.100 MHz AM:
Butterworth terminal information Hotel
Time 0400 UTC
Runway 36 open VFR
Wind 310 degree 03 knot
Visibility 10 kilometer
Present weather hazy
Cloud scattered 2000 broken 28000
Temperature 29
Dewpoint 24
QNH 1011 hectopascal or 29.85 inches
On first contact Butterworth ground approach acknowledge received information Hotel.

126.400 MHz AM:
This is Penang terminal information X-ray
Time 1130
Duty runway 22
Surface wind 230 degree 07 knot
Visibility more than 10 kilometer
Weather hazy
Few charlie bravo 1700 direction northeast and east scattered 14000 broken 27000
Temperature 28
Dewpoint 24
Humidity 77 percent
QNH 1008 hectopascal or 29.79 inches
Be advised 63 hotel closed due to construction work

The above were just what I heard and might not be accurate. Anyway, enjoy yourselves monitoring the airband. You are encouraged to monitor the airband and you might save many lives someday, who knows? The aircraft emergency frequency is 121.500 MHz AM.

73.