Narrative:

I would like to submit a report on the ATIS broadcasts which are in wide use at major terminals across america. By talking to our tower ATCT manager, I was informed that the towers buy broadcast programs from comrdo to accompany automated WX system and place these programs in use instead of the voice messages which were created by tower personnel in the past. I had called to complain that the voice used in the broadcast was from a low pitched male and defied comprehension by pilots of propeller aircraft when at distances consistent with obtaining ATIS before descent clearance. We fly a king air equipped with collins receivers and use headphones. At the distance of 100 mi or more, we are often forced to begin descent because of stars and special procedures to get propellers out of the way of jet arrs. If we try to get ATIS while in level cruise, the broadcast is more faint and will have more side noise. Not only that, there will often be interfering broadcasts from aircraft talking to someone 500 mi away on the ATIS frequencys. It is quite common to have to listen to the broadcast 2 or 3 times to get what we need from it for several reasons: 1) the low automated voice does not modulate well. 2) the recorder is unnatural in its phraseology, so defies the average person's ability to pick up key words out of the sentence. Delta, for instance is pronounced 'detta.' 3) there is too much junk in the broadcasts which is of no interest to pilots. For instance the ATIS at gso always includes the remarks from the automated report which do not even apply to pilots. Pilots must listen to this junk every time they try to recopy the items in the report which they needed to make decisions and preparations for the arrival. You tune in the ATIS hoping to get the essentials the first time and it is in the middle of the 'junk' portion of the broadcast, so you are stuck on the frequency until the necessary items you want come around. It is exactly like having to wait out the commercials to see the WX on the WX channel. To make matters worse, if you miss something you need the first or second time around, you may have to go back through ATIS again to get one thing. Somebody has to make a decision to cut the ATIS broadcasts to a minimum for arrs and departures. Somebody needs to tell comrdo to put on a higher pitched voice, such as a female controller. Some controllers speak clearly in a voice that is easily verbalized and have no trouble getting instructions out to pilots. Why pick tones that growl and pronunciations that are foreign to most americans? Could someone please make this an issue, after all, comrdo is a vendor and should charge the government nothing to make it better. There are good, clear broadcasts all over the country from ASOS and manmade reports.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A BEECH KING AIR EXPERIENCES DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THE ATIS INFO DUE TO LACK OF VOICE CLARITY OF THE VOICE XMISSION. IN ADDITION, THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT TOO MUCH INFO WAS NOT NECESSARY FOR THEIR ARR TO THE ARPT.

Narrative: I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT A RPT ON THE ATIS BROADCASTS WHICH ARE IN WIDE USE AT MAJOR TERMINALS ACROSS AMERICA. BY TALKING TO OUR TWR ATCT MGR, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE TWRS BUY BROADCAST PROGRAMS FROM COMRDO TO ACCOMPANY AUTOMATED WX SYS AND PLACE THESE PROGRAMS IN USE INSTEAD OF THE VOICE MESSAGES WHICH WERE CREATED BY TWR PERSONNEL IN THE PAST. I HAD CALLED TO COMPLAIN THAT THE VOICE USED IN THE BROADCAST WAS FROM A LOW PITCHED MALE AND DEFIED COMPREHENSION BY PLTS OF PROP ACFT WHEN AT DISTANCES CONSISTENT WITH OBTAINING ATIS BEFORE DSCNT CLRNC. WE FLY A KING AIR EQUIPPED WITH COLLINS RECEIVERS AND USE HEADPHONES. AT THE DISTANCE OF 100 MI OR MORE, WE ARE OFTEN FORCED TO BEGIN DSCNT BECAUSE OF STARS AND SPECIAL PROCS TO GET PROPS OUT OF THE WAY OF JET ARRS. IF WE TRY TO GET ATIS WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE, THE BROADCAST IS MORE FAINT AND WILL HAVE MORE SIDE NOISE. NOT ONLY THAT, THERE WILL OFTEN BE INTERFERING BROADCASTS FROM ACFT TALKING TO SOMEONE 500 MI AWAY ON THE ATIS FREQS. IT IS QUITE COMMON TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST 2 OR 3 TIMES TO GET WHAT WE NEED FROM IT FOR SEVERAL REASONS: 1) THE LOW AUTOMATED VOICE DOES NOT MODULATE WELL. 2) THE RECORDER IS UNNATURAL IN ITS PHRASEOLOGY, SO DEFIES THE AVERAGE PERSON'S ABILITY TO PICK UP KEY WORDS OUT OF THE SENTENCE. DELTA, FOR INSTANCE IS PRONOUNCED 'DETTA.' 3) THERE IS TOO MUCH JUNK IN THE BROADCASTS WHICH IS OF NO INTEREST TO PLTS. FOR INSTANCE THE ATIS AT GSO ALWAYS INCLUDES THE REMARKS FROM THE AUTOMATED RPT WHICH DO NOT EVEN APPLY TO PLTS. PLTS MUST LISTEN TO THIS JUNK EVERY TIME THEY TRY TO RECOPY THE ITEMS IN THE RPT WHICH THEY NEEDED TO MAKE DECISIONS AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE ARR. YOU TUNE IN THE ATIS HOPING TO GET THE ESSENTIALS THE FIRST TIME AND IT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 'JUNK' PORTION OF THE BROADCAST, SO YOU ARE STUCK ON THE FREQ UNTIL THE NECESSARY ITEMS YOU WANT COME AROUND. IT IS EXACTLY LIKE HAVING TO WAIT OUT THE COMMERCIALS TO SEE THE WX ON THE WX CHANNEL. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, IF YOU MISS SOMETHING YOU NEED THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME AROUND, YOU MAY HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH ATIS AGAIN TO GET ONE THING. SOMEBODY HAS TO MAKE A DECISION TO CUT THE ATIS BROADCASTS TO A MINIMUM FOR ARRS AND DEPS. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL COMRDO TO PUT ON A HIGHER PITCHED VOICE, SUCH AS A FEMALE CTLR. SOME CTLRS SPEAK CLRLY IN A VOICE THAT IS EASILY VERBALIZED AND HAVE NO TROUBLE GETTING INSTRUCTIONS OUT TO PLTS. WHY PICK TONES THAT GROWL AND PRONUNCIATIONS THAT ARE FOREIGN TO MOST AMERICANS? COULD SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE THIS AN ISSUE, AFTER ALL, COMRDO IS A VENDOR AND SHOULD CHARGE THE GOV NOTHING TO MAKE IT BETTER. THERE ARE GOOD, CLR BROADCASTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FROM ASOS AND MANMADE RPTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.