BendixKing KMD 540 - Addendum System KMD 850 - Manual (Page 21)

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Revision 6 Feb/2009 KMD 550/850 FIS Addendum
Refer to the section on METARs for an explanation of the elements. The
element sequence and content will be the same as those in a METAR
report with the exception of the first element denoting report type.
“SPECI” will be seen in place of “METAR”. The KMD 550 provides a
translated version of the SPECI data. This is a readable version of the
SPECI data derived from the actual SPECI. The raw SPECI data is
played at the end of the translated version.
NOTE: When a specific element of SPECI data is not available, it is
omitted from the report. The user must know the sequence of data to
recognize omissions. SPECI observations older than 120 minutes will be
discarded.
Basic service SPECIs are offered in the encoded textual format.
See Appendix A for instructions on decoding textual METAR/SPECIs.
TAF
A TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) is a statement of expected meteorolog-
ical conditions at an airport during a specified period of time. Many
aspects of the TAF are the same as a METAR. Abbreviations are the
same as in a METAR with addition of a few more discussed later. Many
of the data elements are formatted as those in a METAR report. A TAF
will contain elements in the following order:
1. Type of report
2. ICAO station identifier
3. Date and time of issue
4. Date and time valid
5. Wind
6. Visibility
7. Weather phenomena
8. Sky conditions
9. Wind shear (as required)
10. Forecast weather change indicator
TAFs available within the selected range of the selected area will be dis-
played up to a maximum of 25 reports. These reports are displayed in an
encoded textual format.
NOTE: TAFs older than the forecast validity period are discarded.
Amended or corrected TAFs generated within the issuance period are
provided as soon as they are available, and the previous outdated TAF
is no longer transmitted.
See Appendix A for instructions on decoding textual TAFs.
Basic Service Weather Products