Why are NOTAMS so obscure?

[hvogt]

Originally Posted by Koan

Q) KZOA/QLPAS/IV/BO/A/000/999/3737N12223W005
B) FROM: 13/07/06 22:19C) TO: 13/07/08 22:19 EST
E) RWY 28L PAPI U/S

• KZOA: the relevant FIR
• QLPAS: The NOTAM code group. This always begins with the letter Q. LP stands for PAPI and AS stands for unserviceable.
• IV: IFR and VFR
• BO: letter B for "NOTAM selected for PIB entry" and letter O for "NOTAM concerning flight operations"
• A: Scope indicator. A stands for aerodrome.
• 000 and 999: Lower and upper limit in FL. No specific height information given in this case, hence 000 and 999.
• 3737N12223W005: co-ordinates and radius of 005 NM

Originally Posted by Koan

Q) KZOA/QIGAS/I/NBO/A/000/999/3737N12223W005
B) FROM: 13/06/01 14:00C) TO: 13/08/22 23:59
E) ILS RWY 28L GP U/S

• KZOA: the relevant FIR
• QIGAS: The NOTAM code group. This always begins with the letter Q. IG stands for glide Path (ILS) and AS stands for unserviceable.
• I: IFR
• NBO: letter N for "NOTAM selected for the immediate attention of aircraft operators", letter B for "NOTAM selected for PIB entry" and letter O for "NOTAM concerning flight operations"
• A: Scope indicator. A stands for aerodrome.
• 000 and 999: Lower and upper limit in FL. No specific height information given in this case, hence 000 and 999.
• 3737N12223W005: co-ordinates and radius of 005 NM

Originally Posted by Koan

FAA has a 500 plus page document with no info on the Q line. ICAO 8126 looks like a big one too, crashed my browser googling it.

All you need is Appendix 6 of ICAO Annex 15 and DOC 8400.