&publicatiAs AVweb told you a couple of years ago, it's possible to listen to AWOS broadcasts via a toll-free telephone number through a company called anyAWOS. The idea was to have a short commercial message from sponsors to pay for the system but it apparently hasn't worked out that way. In a note on its Web site, anyAWOS has announced that it will be charging subscription fees for using the system effective Feb. 6. "...anyAWOS is a private business and like any business, it has to make money to survive. We have received no funds from any external source to date. We have tried various means of subsidizing access to anyAWOS, but so far none has been successful."
In a nifty new service for pilots, a quick toll-free phone call can now connect you to any AWOS in the U.S. -- if you don't mind having to listen to a short advertisement before you get to the weather. The service, aptly called "anyAWOS," is a new product offered by Mackinac Software. One of the co-creators of the system, Bill McUmber, told AVweb: "Although my company is a software company, I am an active IFR pilot and thought it would be useful to be able to check conditions on the fly -- hence this system." After dialing the toll-free number (877-any-AWOS, or 877-269-2967), callers can enter any three-digit airport ID and -- after choosing from a list of possible matches, and listening to a word from their sponsors -- they will be connected to that airport's AWOS or ATIS.
