Probably about 50% at best assuming my phone works as well as the next guys. YMMB to YECH at 6,000ft last weekend I waited 30 mins just to send an SMS let alone load up the weather.

I can't remember the last time I didn't have reception at altitude. Spot on out this way at least.

..........

Reminds me of the days of yore when a pilot could ask ATC to provide a surveillance approach to a runway. It was a very useful fall back approach if the pilot was experiencing navaid problems in IMC. It was mentioned in AIP as an alternative method of doing an instrument approach using a ATC talk-down of distance from runway with desired altitude. Rather like a poor man's GCA.

Is this service still available in Melbourne (Essendon or Melbourne airport)?

I recall asking for a practice surveillance approach into Essendon on several occasions when instructing pilots for their instrument ratings. The usual answer was a not tonight, Josephine reply by ATC. Too busy, or can't be bothered I thought at the time.

Why was this very useful service discontinued by ATC all those years ago?

Latency is an issue. However, the trending images give a better idea if what you are looking at is intensifying. Food for thought, you only need five mobile stations to contact to provide full coverage in the FLs between ML and SY.

I would hazard a guess there would be a demarcation issue if AirNoServices positioned dedicated wx radars alongside their SSR sites and ADS-B ground stations. May have saved the Spud King.

Centaurus: Surveillance Radar Approaches were part of the tool set until sometime in the late eighties (or perhaps earlier). They were intended mainly for emergency use. My memory is failing, but I think that they were available at Melbourne only for RWY 16, but I could be wrong on that. A unique SRA radar map had to be loaded, with distances and altitudes marked along the approach at frequent intervals. Before an approach could be conducted for real, the controller must have performed a practice SRA within the previous (can't remember - x) months. Very similar to GCA in performance, with higher minima because of the lack of height finding radar (we're talking Primary). Because of the requirement for constant chatter to the aircraft concerned, it had to be done on a discrete frequency, or at a very quiet time, hence your knock-back. We would get requests from pilots occasionally, which we would try to accommodate, and alternatively a controller might offer an SRA in the hope of gaining some practice, or as part of a check.

TAAATS (EUROCAT) was optioned with an on-screen weather radar overlay, but it was a bit kludgy and tended to hide the aircraft returns. It was shown to us in the SIM and the Centre in the early days. There was also an interpretation problem because the controller had no knowledge of the beam angle, etc, hence no real idea of tops, etc. I think it was traded for a better quality mouse pad, or some-such.