Chester County (PA) Airport 40N, why not all-letter ID?

[Jamie Rogers]

This airport has weather reporting via an AWOS. Yet its
identifier is still 40N. Other airports have had their
identifier changed to a 3 letter (well 4 including the K
prefix) when they got weather reporting capability. So why
has Chester County G O Carlson Airport remained as 40N?
http://www.airnav.com/airport/40N

[GLPILOTSRV]

I believe (and as I have no sources to quote, believe is the operative word
here), the change of ID to the ICAO format is mandated only when the AWOS is
disseminated in the form of a Metar.

Coatesville, PA (40N), which by the way this month has installed a new AWOS
machine, transmits the weather information on 126.25 and is not available via
FSS or any other weather briefing medium. (At least, not yet.)

G. Lee

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Jamie Rogers" > wrote in message
...
>
> This airport has weather reporting via an AWOS. Yet its
> identifier is still 40N. Other airports have had their
> identifier changed to a 3 letter (well 4 including the K
> prefix) when they got weather reporting capability. So why
> has Chester County G O Carlson Airport remained as 40N?
> http://www.airnav.com/airport/40N
>

How long has it been since the AWOS was commissioned?

[Jamie Rogers]

GLPILOTSRV wrote:

> I believe (and as I have no sources to quote, believe is the operative word
> here), the change of ID to the ICAO format is mandated only when the AWOS is
> disseminated in the form of a Metar.
>
> Coatesville, PA (40N), which by the way this month has installed a new AWOS
> machine, transmits the weather information on 126.25 and is not available via
> FSS or any other weather briefing medium. (At least, not yet.)

My Jepp plates dated 3 MAR 2000 list an AWOS at Chester County G.O. Carlson [40N]
on 126.25. Does Jeppesen publish non-commissioned AWOS frequencies on instrument
charts? I would assume that a non-commissioned AWOS would include the word
"test" in its broadcast, but it seems odd that the plates would include a
non-commissionedb AWOS's frequency.

(Nearby Wings Field received a new identifier not long ago, KLOM. It was
previously known as N67. In addition to weather reporting, the storied airport's
new identifier coincided with the new runway extension (which also set a legal
precedent as an attempted legal attempt to block the runway improvement was
struck down).

[Jamie Rogers]

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

> "Jamie Rogers" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > This airport has weather reporting via an AWOS. Yet its
> > identifier is still 40N. Other airports have had their
> > identifier changed to a 3 letter (well 4 including the K
> > prefix) when they got weather reporting capability. So why
> > has Chester County G O Carlson Airport remained as 40N?
> > http://www.airnav.com/airport/40N
> >
>
> How long has it been since the AWOS was commissioned?

Not sure. Jepp was publishing the AWOS frequency at least 3 1/2
years ago, although perhaps they don't require the AWOS to
actually be commissioned and able to be used for official
weather. I would find that strange though in an IFR publication.

[EDR]

In article >, GLPILOTSRV
> wrote:

> I believe (and as I have no sources to quote, believe is the operative word
> here), the change of ID to the ICAO format is mandated only when the AWOS is
> disseminated in the form of a Metar.
> Coatesville, PA (40N), which by the way this month has installed a new AWOS
> machine, transmits the weather information on 126.25 and is not available via
> FSS or any other weather briefing medium. (At least, not yet.)

Check this site:

http://www2.faa.gov/asos/map/map.htm

[GLPILOTSRV]

In article >, EDR >
writes:

>Check this site:
>
>http://www2.faa.gov/asos/map/map.htm
>

Thanks for the post.

G. Lee

[GLPILOTSRV]

In article >, Jamie Rogers
> writes:

>My Jepp plates dated 3 MAR 2000 list an AWOS at Chester County G.O. Carlson
>[40N]
>on 126.25. Does Jeppesen publish non-commissioned AWOS frequencies on
>instrument
>charts? I would assume that a non-commissioned AWOS would include the word
>"test" in its broadcast, but it seems odd that the plates would include a
>non-commissionedb AWOS's frequency.

Chester County Airport (40N) has had a commissioned AWOS for many years. The
newly installed machine has not yet been commissioned and is transmitting with
the test designation at the beginning of the broadcast.

The current notam, "!IPT 10/177 40N AWOS OTS", has been issued while the new
system is being tested.


G. Lee