AN MD80 CREW LANDED AT SGF WITH SOME TREPIDATION GIVEN THE RPTED VISIBILITY OF ATIS ONE HALF MI; RVR 1400 FT; AND TWR UNLIMITED.

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ATIS AT SGF RPTING 1/2 MI VISIBILITY IN FOG. APCH CTLR SAYS RVR RWY 2 WAS 1400 FT; BUT FIELD VISIBILITY WAS UNLIMITED. CLRED US FOR THE VOR RWY 20 APCH. I SAID WE NEEDED 1 1/2 MI VISIBILITY TO SHOOT VOR RWY 20. SHE REITERATES VISIBILITY UNLIMITED. I REMINDED HER THAT THE ATIS RPTS 1/2 MI VISIBILITY. IN THE MEANTIME SHE WOULD NOT ALLOW A VFR ACFT INTO THE CTL AREA BECAUSE THE FIELD WAS IFR (CEILING WAS UNLIMITED WITH PATCHY GND FOG). I COULD SEE THE WHOLE RWY AND VASI FOR RWY 20. I CONSULTED WITH OUR DISPATCH WHO SAID HE CALLED THE SGF TWR. THEY (DISPATCH) INFORMED ME AFTER DISCUSSION BTWN THEMSELVES AND THE CTLRS THAT I COULD LEGALLY SHOOT VOR RWY 20 AT SGF BUT NOT THE ILS RWY 2 BECAUSE IT HAD AN RVR RPT OF 1400 FT. I REQUESTED A VISIBILITY RPT PRIOR TO XING THE FAF. I AGREED WITH THE DISPATCH DECISION AND COMPLETED THE VOR RWY 20 APCH. AFTER WE LANDED; THE ATIS WAS STILL RPTING 1/2 MI. ALL THROUGH THE APCH; I COULD SEE THE ENTIRE RWY LIGHTING SYS AND THE ENTIRE ARPT. TWR CONTINUED TO RPT UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. TWR RPTED UNLIMITED VISIBILITY PRIOR TO US XING THE FAF FOR VOR RWY 20. I BELIEVE THE PROB HIGHLY LOCALIZED FOG.