WX RPTING EQUIP PROB AWOS.

Narrative

IN AN AREA LIKE GUNNISON WHEN HIGH WINDS EXIST; BLOWING SNOW AND SNOW SQUALLS CAUSE THE AWOS CEILING AND VISIBILITY TO CHANGE ON EACH CYCLE. THAT CHANGE COUPLED WITH THE BUILT-IN TIME DELAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE IF MINIMUMS ACTUALLY EXIST TO CONTINUE AN INSTRUMENT APCH. THE SOLUTION AT GUNNISON IS ALREADY IN PLACE BUT IS NOT USED - A QUALIFIED NATIONAL WX SVC OBSERVER. ACR; HOWEVER; CAN ONLY USE AWOS AS THE OFFICIAL WX SOURCE. IF THE NWS OBSERVER COULD BE USED OFFICIALLY; HIS FIRST-HAND UP-TO-THE-MINUTE RPT WOULD BE A MORE REALISTIC WAY TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO ATTEMPT AN APCH. THE ALTERNATIVE OF CONTINUOUS AWOS MONITORING TO DETERMINE A TREND (NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IN VARIABLE WX CONDITIONS WITH THE TIME DELAY) CAN INTERFERE WITH ESSENTIAL COCKPIT COMS WHICH CAN BE ESPECIALLY CRITICAL ON AN APCH IN IMC IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. SUGGESTION: WHERE AVAILABLE ALLOW QUALIFIED NWS OBSERVER RPTS TO BE USED AS AN OFFICIAL WX SOURCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANM 200 PROCS SPECIALIST FOR GUC STATED A LOA HAS BEEN SET UP BTWN THE ARPT AND AIRLINES FOR AN ENHANCED UNICOM AT GUS. THE UNICOM OPERATOR IS OBSERVER QUALIFIED AND CAN AUGMENT THE AWOS. RPTR WAS CALLED AND ADVISED OF THIS FACT AND TO HAVE HIS COMPANY CALL FSDO PROCS SPECIALIST FOR DETAILS.