Definition
A continuous, recorded weather broadcast that was transmitted over selected low-frequency (190-535 kHz) navigation aids and some VOR stations, providing pilots with current weather reports and forecasts for a specific area. The service has been discontinued in the United States but the term may still appear in older publications and references.
Plain English
A pre-recorded weather report that played on a loop over certain navigation radios, so pilots could tune in and listen to the latest weather while flying. It is no longer in service in the U.S.
Context Anchor
Seen in weather information and radio communications discussions, especially when a pilot is checking available weather broadcasts before or during a flight.
Derivation
Transcribed means written or recorded for later playback. The name simply describes what it was: a weather broadcast that had been recorded ahead of time and played back continuously, rather than read live by a person.
Why Pilots Care
Gives pilots ready access to current weather along a route without using the radio to call flight service.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “transcribed” means the pilot reads a written transcript. In this term, it means the weather information has been prepared or recorded and then broadcast by radio.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor mentioned the Transcribed Weather Broadcast in passing, noting that it had been retired and replaced by more modern weather sources.
Example Sentence 2
Before takeoff she checked the Transcribed Weather Broadcast on the local navigation aid for en route visibility and cloud heights.