// Broadcast
ATIS: Prestwick Information 121.130
What the Prestwick ATIS on 121.130 MHz is, what goes into a broadcast, how an ATIS message is made (recorded or synthesised), and the letter code pilots read back.
What it is
- ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) is a continuous, repeating broadcast of the current weather, runway in use and other routine information, so the controller doesn’t have to read it to every aircraft (CAP 670 COM05.2).
- Prestwick’s ATIS callsign is “PRESTWICK INFORMATION” on 121.130 MHz, H24 (UK AIP AD 2.18).
How controllers use it
- Each message gets the next letter of the phonetic alphabet (Information Alpha, Bravo…) and is updated at once when something significant changes (CAP 670 COM05.13–15). Arriving pilots quote the letter on first contact.
- A message can be recorded with a microphone, or made automatically from synthesised or pre-recorded words; either way it should be under 30 seconds and in English (CAP 670 COM05.38–43). The weather comes from the local met system (COM05.33).
- If the ATIS fails, the controller reads the information on the control frequency or opens another frequency (COM05.26). At Prestwick, low-visibility procedures are announced by RTF or ATIS (AIP AD 2.20).
UK rules and practice
- ATIS is only broadcast while the ATC watch is open, and only with an ATC service (COM05.16–17). It must not be carried on an ILS (COM05.24).
At Prestwick
- 121.130 MHz, H24, callsign PRESTWICK INFORMATION (AIP).
Typical UK practice: How Prestwick’s ATIS is produced (a controller recording or an automated system) is not public. Automated ATIS built from the met system is common in the UK.
// Through the eras
| Era | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s–40s | Not in use | No ATIS; weather and runway were passed to each aircraft by radio or by signals. |
| 1950s–60s | Not known | When ATIS started at Prestwick was not found. |
| 1980s–90s | Not known | When ATIS started at Prestwick was not found. A recorded voice broadcast would be typical of the period. |
| Modern | At Prestwick (sourced) | PRESTWICK INFORMATION on 121.130 MHz, H24 (AIP). |