Narrative:

Unable to understand digital ATIS at phx. Time: XA30 local. ATC frequency: not applicable. ATC facility: phx approach. Location: phx 060/80. The ATIS at phx and at selected other cities is extremely hard to understand due to the digital voice. I had to listen several times to the ATIS to play all the way through to understand what was being said. During this time I was off the air from ATC leaving the first officer to fly and talk to ATC during which time the first officer was given several directions by ATC that I didn't hear because I was trying to copy ATIS. This is potentially dangerous since both pilots were not in the loop. The computer/digital type voice on the ATIS is to blame. Reception was not a problem and I had to turn the volume of the radio up to an uncomfortable level and listen several times to decipher what was being transmitted. If it was a real human voice there would not have been a problem. Phx is not the first time I have had this problem. Please return the real voice to the broadcast of ATIS before this causes an incident or worse. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: captain of flight tried several times to understand digitized voice transmission from phx ATIS. He never did get all of the ATIS information. He is greatly concerned that his concentrating on obtaining the ATIS took too much time away from supporting his flying first officer who was left alone to follow heading and altitude changes from approach control. He objects to having the aircraft being flown by 1 pilot instead of a flight crew because of the time it takes to understand the ATIS. Reporter stated that most all other digitized voices he understands, such as AWOS. He is only reporting that the phx ATIS is unacceptable. Reporter theorizes that part of the problem may be the mountains interfering with the transmission signal when descending from the east. Nevertheless, as he got closer to phx the understanding of the voice did not improve much.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR PLT UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND DIGITIZED ATIS INFO AT PHX.

Narrative: UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND DIGITAL ATIS AT PHX. TIME: XA30 LCL. ATC FREQ: NOT APPLICABLE. ATC FACILITY: PHX APCH. LOCATION: PHX 060/80. THE ATIS AT PHX AND AT SELECTED OTHER CITIES IS EXTREMELY HARD TO UNDERSTAND DUE TO THE DIGITAL VOICE. I HAD TO LISTEN SEVERAL TIMES TO THE ATIS TO PLAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS BEING SAID. DURING THIS TIME I WAS OFF THE AIR FROM ATC LEAVING THE FO TO FLY AND TALK TO ATC DURING WHICH TIME THE FO WAS GIVEN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS BY ATC THAT I DIDN'T HEAR BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO COPY ATIS. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SINCE BOTH PLTS WERE NOT IN THE LOOP. THE COMPUTER/DIGITAL TYPE VOICE ON THE ATIS IS TO BLAME. RECEPTION WAS NOT A PROB AND I HAD TO TURN THE VOLUME OF THE RADIO UP TO AN UNCOMFORTABLE LEVEL AND LISTEN SEVERAL TIMES TO DECIPHER WHAT WAS BEING XMITTED. IF IT WAS A REAL HUMAN VOICE THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB. PHX IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD THIS PROB. PLEASE RETURN THE REAL VOICE TO THE BROADCAST OF ATIS BEFORE THIS CAUSES AN INCIDENT OR WORSE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPT OF FLT TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO UNDERSTAND DIGITIZED VOICE XMISSION FROM PHX ATIS. HE NEVER DID GET ALL OF THE ATIS INFO. HE IS GREATLY CONCERNED THAT HIS CONCENTRATING ON OBTAINING THE ATIS TOOK TOO MUCH TIME AWAY FROM SUPPORTING HIS FLYING FO WHO WAS LEFT ALONE TO FOLLOW HDG AND ALT CHANGES FROM APCH CTL. HE OBJECTS TO HAVING THE ACFT BEING FLOWN BY 1 PLT INSTEAD OF A FLC BECAUSE OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO UNDERSTAND THE ATIS. RPTR STATED THAT MOST ALL OTHER DIGITIZED VOICES HE UNDERSTANDS, SUCH AS AWOS. HE IS ONLY RPTING THAT THE PHX ATIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. RPTR THEORIZES THAT PART OF THE PROB MAY BE THE MOUNTAINS INTERFERING WITH THE XMISSION SIGNAL WHEN DSNDING FROM THE E. NEVERTHELESS, AS HE GOT CLOSER TO PHX THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE VOICE DID NOT IMPROVE MUCH.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.