Mogwi - Seem to remember the same after 9/11. No on paid any attention to it.

Haven't listened to an HF VOLMET for 17 years, but I'm going to today. Am on a trip with an FO who says he's never used HF. He's in for a treat!

Not just the 70s. That voice went on well into the 80s :)

Since it was my job getting weather when in the South Atlantic, I found the HF with Artichoke and Haven difficult . . .

The amazing thing was Portishead Radio was clear as a bell and they could get the weather . . . hmmm. Then we were told to stop using it as it cost money.

Money well-spent when MPA weather was dog-pooh and Monte Video was the alternate !!

Never had any comeback using other services. Sometimes it is critical to get the Wx and if the company service was unworkable, just get it where you can. :ok:

OAP

Haven and Viper were both very weak. Speedbird London were great, as was Canadian MACCS. USAF Global was a bit....variable.

Phonepatch to Artichoke to request Wx for somewhere not on VOLMET meant that the operator would have to write out the request message, hand it to someone else who would then ask the MetO to fax the information back...so it could take ages to get the info. Whereas Speedbird would simply type the ICAO into their system and read it out to you.

But it was easier to communicate with the dead than with Cyprus FW!

Surely all this is in the past now, though? Isn't it all sent via ACARS or similar to RAF aircraft these days?

Looks like Fallon has resigned ... Apparently the Defence Contractors have shafted the Secretary of State, into believing all is AOK... Could this be Volmetgate...?

Ha ha ha, might as well be, we've had every other form of 'gate' (says he naively). :)

Ha! Good one.

Shiney 'PPI funded' Voyager gets CPDLC but the rest of us still get to listen to the delights of VOLMET.