Broadcast Loop Timing: Currently, when tuning into an ATIS or AWOS frequency, the broadcast always starts at the beginning. In real-world operations, these broadcasts are continuous loops, and pilots tune in at any point in the cycle. This discrepancy affects the realism of the simulation.
Voice Technology: The current system uses a uniform voice for all ATIS and AWOS broadcasts. In reality, some recordings use automated technology with distinct, synthetic voices, while others are recorded by air traffic controllers, resulting in a variety of voice characteristics.
Proposed Enhancements:
Continuous Broadcast Loop: Implement a continuous loop for ATIS and AWOS broadcasts so that tuning into a frequency will not always start at the beginning of the broadcast. This change would enhance the realism and immersion for users.
Diverse Voice Recordings: Introduce a mix of automated and human-recorded voices for ATIS and AWOS broadcasts. AWOS is typically a robotic sounding voice and ATIS has a variety of voices. This variety would better mimic real-world conditions and add to the authenticity of the flight simulation experience.
Accurate Recordings - Remove language that is typically not recorded in these broadcasts such as “VFR aircraft say direction of flight” and add language that is more common “Readback all runway assignments, hold short instructions, and altitude assignments” Wind rounded to the nearest 10 degrees
Region Specific Recordings - Use region specific terminology and/or region specific accents in AWOS and ATIS broadcasts
Introduce NOTAMs - Introduce some interesting NOTAMs on ATIS recordings that can be supported by the simulator
ATIS AWOS Realistic Reception Ranges - Receiving broadcasts should be determined by altitude/distance from plane and perhaps any other obstacles such as terrain that would impact reception.
As we can see, they should segregate this into a couple different regionalities, which I’m all for. There are a lot of differences between the automated broadcasts in the US and other regions.
My common observations with OP’s list:
For AWOS in the US I’ve never heard anything other than a male voice (sometimes deeply robotic). ATIS is either the deep robotic voice or whoever records/augments it.
It should definitely be on a continuous loop. Unfortunately, I think it’s a triggered script, so I don’t know how they’d make it not so - it would be a major rewrite.
Other observations:
There is currently a bug that’s adding two decimals behind the two decimals of inches of mercury in the altimeter setting. Ex “altimeter two niner eight five decimal two three.” The decimals are already implied behind the first two numbers, so now we have xx.xx.xx and the last two are extremely confusing because what is currently the middle two are what we really listen for. This has been reported as a bug elsewhere
Pacing of the voices is very off
“Readback all runway assignments, hold short instructions, and altitude assignments” is very common in ATIS recordings in the US. You might also commonly hear “birds in the vicinity of the airport.”
As the above poster said, “VFR aircraft say direction of flight” might be heard at some airports, but it is not common these days.
Also as the above poster said, the wind should be rounded to the nearest 10°
ATIS (and sometimes even AWOS) will often carry certain NOTAMs. Getting a NOTAM API ought to be in a future plan somewhere - we just need to ask for it in a way that’s mutually understood and implementable.
The rest of the above observations are region-specific to ATIS, which probably should be differentiated as such. But there’s no reason there shouldn’t be better regionation. As I said, comms in general needs to get away from the legacy scripting and will need a major lift, especially considering how integrated it is with the ATC system.