Manchester ATIS
 

Is there a procedure for reporting interferrence on the Manchester ATIS (both arrival and departure) from a French station. It is almost impossible to obtain the Arrival ATIS when arriving via OCK, Hemel, TNT until we are already decending from FL360,FL370 etc.

Kind regards

managp

Ring the NATS systems engineers at the airport.I dont know the extension number but if you ring 0161 499 5320 that will put ypu through to ATC who should give you the number to ring

Also make sure you are trying to listen to it within the Designated Operational Coverage (DOC) range. Outside those parameters then there is no guarantee that other stations will not be using the same frequency.

Unfortunately the AIP only seems to give these DOCs for Navaids and not for voice frequencies. A European general standard for Arrival ATIS seems to be up to 20,000' and within 60NM of the ATIS facility.

Maybe someone at MAN can provide us with the specific info for their frequencies ??

Another small point of irritation with the ATIS is that its format changes depending on who is recording it.

Some read scattered at two thousand two hundred feet which is easy to write down in standard format ie S022

And another one says scattered two two zero zero feet. Which is a pain in the arse because you don't know if its S220 S022 or S002 after the first number you have to wait until the end to complete the value then you have to remember what it is as well as writing it down and listening for the next group. Is there any set method for doing it?. I have never heard a automated ATIS reading it in numerals?

And why do they report cloud over 10K?

Not meaning to have a go personally at the persons in question its meant as feedback of a very reg. user of Manky ATIS

MJ

Mad Jock

I shall pass your posting to the relevant people to try an get the ATIS standardised.

Cheers much apperciated.

Give me a pm if any one at Manchester wants free fam flights. The ops manager says he has sent a letter offering fam flights but its been over 6 months with no takers. I don't know if its just the offer hasn't filtered down to the troops, or fark that i am not going up in one of them noisy bastards.

MJ

The ATIS at 'CC is about to be overhauled anyhow with a new, standardised voice doing the broadcast. Not quite a "metal mickey" job thankfully but nonetheless, improvements are definitely on the way on that front :)

Ahhh, does that mean that Mavis will disappear ? Her whispy, breathless voice sounding like she is very apologetic for saying that it is wet, wet, wet was rather refreshing.

You haven't sold your soul to Denvil and gone for Metcom have you ?

We, the ATSAs will be providing a "Personal" ATIS until at least [AFAIK] until November. The it becomes "SAMOS"...Semi Automated Met 'Orrible Service.
What this means is that instead of gettin "Mavis" or me saying "Good Morning, this is....
It will be a "Fully" Automatic [robotic] Terminal Information Service
Sort Of :rolleyes:
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

I don't think the new ATIS is in any way robotic though. It's actually a recording of a very well spoken chap, so I hear ;)

Oh and don't worry - from what I hear on the ol' grapevine there'll still be a bit to be manually added on the end of the recording for any other information (taxiway closures etc) by the VCR assistants.

to be honest I don't have a problem with the voice recordings its just the format of them. If it was consistant no probs.

If its the first sector of the day on monday again no probs.

Friday afternoon last sector in a 28 hour flying week no auto pilot all week anything which is against the norm just provokes 2 much work.

I have every respect for every one at manch. Everyone on twr and approach seems pleasant enough with the work load they have to do. And it always suprises me how pleasant GMC is when we cock it up again. It annoys us as much as you all when we cock up a taxi clearance and it never seems a problems and its always dealt with humour. Although please stop setting us up with "follow the packi down leema" please.

Just remember if its north bound and turbo prop early turn procedure is good. We can't ask for them but I can't think when we wouldn't accept. And any intersection departures are not a problem.

MJ

I noticed a NOTAM that Manchester's ATIS will be off the air from 1300-1400z tomorrow (28th), and when restored it appears that both Departure and Arrival will be H24.

Is this the introduction of the new system that Niteflite01 refers to?

Scottie Dog

Yes it is :)

The new system, SAMOS (Semi-Automated Met Observation System) goes live any time now. So it's bye bye to the Met Office at the airport and their little hut over by the fire station.

Basically the fantastic new kit detects cloud bases, estimates visibility, records pressure and does all manner of wonderful things just as the real met man did although, as the name would suggest, the thing isn't entirely automated.

The Assistants up in the tower are now responsible for making the accurate half hourly observations and ensuring the quality and more importantly, accuracy of thew new kit, is never below 100%, always.

I think too, although I'm not entirely sure, that the actual broacasts themselves will then be a recorded voice (not Metal Mickey though thankfully) and opposed to the weird and wonderful accents that go out at the moment :) Additional data will then be tagged onto the end of the broadcasts manually by the assistant at the time.

Thanks Niteflite01
 

Cheers Niteflite - appreciate the rapid response. I was uncertain whether it would be you or Chiglet (depending upon shifts!) to reply.

It will be interesting to hear the difference.

By the way, I note that some controllers use 'hold short of 24R/06L - departing traffic' and others just 'hold short of 24R/06L'. Is there a definative wording, or is it individual? The former definately sounds far clearer and emphatic.

Thanks

Scottie Dog

edited for clarity

All sounds very clear except there is no gap from finish of one transmission to start of another

Golf India Bravo

Sounds nice

No differences, very clear.

cheers

All done from deepest Yorkshire by a chap at LBA - getting about a bit now. Good system, not quite as good as Spanish Volmet but close :ok:

Niteflite01 - check your PM's. Thanks.

This is from memory so don't shoot me If i'm wrong ( please!)

DOC for ATIS is 40NM upto FL200

TIO