VICTORIA, BC, Canada – June 23, 2014. STR-SpeechTech has completed the delivery and training of a technologically advanced ATIS System which has been installed in the Air Traffic Control Tower at Enrique Jiménez International Airport, in Colón, Panama. The ATIS system was installed by Comtel S.A., a local Panamanian company.
ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) broadcasts inform pilots of noncontrol information including runways in use and conditions, notices to airmen, and weather information. The Digital ATIS (D-ATIS) is received digitally in text form, on ACARS-equipped aircraft. This means that controllers and pilots do not have to rely strictly on voice frequencies, particularly when these frequencies are congested.
The StarCaster® ATIS system includes two Dual-Hot Standby Redundant Servers along with separate maintenance and operator workstations. This generates ATIS broadcasts in English and Spanish over a single VHF radio transmitter. Optionally, the StarCaster® system can also create a text version of the ATIS message for transmission to aircraft via Datalink.
The system also interfaces with an existing Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS), which provides current weather data for inclusion with ATIS messages.