How do I get an AWOS?

I fly out of O61 (near Sacramento). Because our airport is 1000 feet
above Sacramento our weather (fog) tends to be different from
Sacramento. My partner and I end up driving up to the airport sometimes
just to find the weather isn't what we expected. What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a purchase?
-Robert

At SSQ (Shell Lake WI) the WiAero Dept last Friday tossed out a AWOS
number to us of about $100K plus $20K/yr to maintain it. It has to be
recertified every 5 years as I recall too. I didn't take any written
notes once the 100K number came out. There is I understand
considerable federal money available (like 80%) to help with the
intital purchase, but the maintenance cost to us was prohibitive.

At any rate, it is a pretty big deal.

(Others) - Did I get the numbers right - or is there a lower cost
method available? We have an immediately adjacent lake with ground fog
possibilities.

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:
What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a
purchase?
-Robert

There's certified ones, and noncertifieds. But even the cheaper ones
aren't cheap. Our airport considered it, and I recall a price of
$50-some thousand, like anything else manufactured in extremely low
volumes. And there's probably sticker shock associated with future
maintenance.

Fred F.

Robert M. Gary wrote:
I fly out of O61 (near Sacramento). Because our airport is 1000 feet
above Sacramento our weather (fog) tends to be different from
Sacramento. My partner and I end up driving up to the airport sometimes
just to find the weather isn't what we expected. What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a purchase?
-Robert

you might want to try here
http://www.allweatherinc.com/pdf/awos_purchase.pdf
It lists costs of between 15 and 60K.

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...

I fly out of O61 (near Sacramento). Because our airport is 1000 feet
above Sacramento our weather (fog) tends to be different from
Sacramento. My partner and I end up driving up to the airport sometimes
just to find the weather isn't what we expected. What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a purchase?


I don't know what an AWOS costs but I'll bet it's more than you want to
spend. If all you want to know is the fog situation a phone call to the FBO
should do fine.

our local airport 61B (Boulder NV) has an "automated Unicom" system, on the
CTAF freq, it calls out winds and altimeter setting, not sure it could do
visibility or cloud height. But it has to be activated by a radio
transmission on the CTAF freq. If it hears radio transmission activity, it
jumps in periodically with the wind information.

BT

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
I fly out of O61 (near Sacramento). Because our airport is 1000 feet
above Sacramento our weather (fog) tends to be different from
Sacramento. My partner and I end up driving up to the airport sometimes
just to find the weather isn't what we expected. What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a purchase?
-Robert

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:njKxd.4997$iD.211@fed1read05...
our local airport 61B (Boulder NV) has an "automated Unicom" system, on
the
CTAF freq, it calls out winds and altimeter setting, not sure it could do
visibility or cloud height. But it has to be activated by a radio
transmission on the CTAF freq. If it hears radio transmission activity, it
jumps in periodically with the wind information.

BT

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
I fly out of O61 (near Sacramento). Because our airport is 1000 feet
above Sacramento our weather (fog) tends to be different from
Sacramento. My partner and I end up driving up to the airport sometimes
just to find the weather isn't what we expected. What does it take to
get an AWOS? Has anyone on this group been involved in such a purchase?
-Robert


I imagine you could make a home grown station like this using a PC, a PC
interfaced weather station, and a voice synthesizer interfaced to the
radio... maybe someone already markets one like that.

It's not an AWOS, not FAA Approved, and not even located
on the airport I fly out of - but about a mile away there
is a webcam that is user-controllable. I have found it to
be quite useful in determining what the weather is like
there when at a distance. I'd guess that a similar device
could be installed for $2-3,000 plus the cost of an internet
connection - less if you scrounge or have someone who will
donate space/power/connectivity. Every airport should have
one IMHO.

David Johnson

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...

I don't know what an AWOS costs but I'll bet it's more than you want
to
spend. If all you want to know is the fog situation a phone call to
the FBO
should do fine.

What FBO?

That's not a bad idea. One of the oddities of our airport is that its
owned by the people that live at the airport. The apron area is divided
up and owned by several people. It's not unsual for the guy next to you
to pay a different owner for his tie down fees than you. The runway
itself is divided up into slivers, which are then owned by the home
owners at the airpark. As a result, the only way to shut down the
airport would be if the state changed the zoning out from under us
(very unlikely). Cal trans could (in theory) take our operating permit
but they only have authority to do that if the airport itself is out of
compliance with safety requirements. Since there is no county or city
board that operates it, we have some protection. However, we've never
taken AIP funds, and I suspect that we may not be able to because of
the private ownership. We did recently get state funds though because
we are public use. We used it to level the tie down areas. Now you can
preflight and not fall down.

It's interesting that so many small, little airports have AWOS's now,
it can't be totally prohibitive.

-Robert