RevStar,
So, to recap so far...!
Winds are only mag near the runway (and then only round non-polar airports, I guess). Otherwise they are always given as true.
Winds are
not mag near the runway. All
written weather reports, including Surface Winds (METARS), are in degrees
TRUE. The only time you will hear magnetic wind direction is when it is
spoken (as opposed to written) i.e. ATIS, Tower, etc.
Hope above helps,
Stamatis