CTLR AT DAB RPTS ASOS OBSERVATIONS ARE INACCURATE AND SYS DOES NOT KEEP UP WITH CHANGING ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS.

Narrative

THE ASOS WX SYS IS UNSATISFACTORY. IT IS TOO SLOW FROM THE TIME THE WX IS OBSERVED TO THE TIME IT IS DISSEMINATED. IN CHANGING CONDITIONS THE ASOS CANNOT KEEP UP. THE ASOS IS ALSO UNRELIABLE AT THIS FACILITY DURING TSTMS. AT TIMES UNRELIABLE AND UNREADABLE DATA IS DISPLAYED AT THE OID POS. TODAY I WAS IN THE TWR CAB WITH LEVEL 4 WX AT THE ARPT. THE TWR VISIBILITY WAS 1/2 MI. THE ASOS WAS RPTING 9 MI. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO AUGMENT THE ASOS IT WENT INTO ITS HRLY UPDATE PHASE AND SOMEHOW DIDN'T GET THE VISIBILITY CORRECT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS. WHEN LIGHTNING STRUCK NEAR THE FACILITY; THE DISPLAY AT ONE TIME WAS UNREADABLE WITH CHARACTERS AND SYMBOLS UNRELATED TO WX OR ATC. AT ANOTHER TIME THE FORMAT WAS DISPLAYED IN AN UNUSUAL SEQUENCE MAKING ITS PERFORMANCE QUESTIONABLE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST UNABLE TO CONTACT RPTR BUT CALLED FACILITY TO INQUIRE WHAT THE OID POS WAS IN THE TWR CAB. OID STANDS FOR OPERATOR INPUT DEVICE AND IS THE POS WHERE THE ASOS DATA IS DISPLAYED IN THE CAB. IT ALSO IS THE PLACE WHERE ASOS IS AUGMENTED; WHEN NECESSARY. ANALYST WAS ADVISED THAT NWS CONTRACT PERSONNEL HAVE TAKEN OVER THE AUGMENTATION DUTIES AS OF OCT/XX/96.