Many of us obtain our weather briefings from DUATS on the Internet because using a state relay service to call 1-800-WX-BRIEF can be frustrating. TTY relay agents sometimes are agonizingly slow at handling the pilot lingo given by the briefer.

Still, some pilots prefer using their state's TTY relay service to talk to a live weather briefer because the briefer may offer greater insight into local weather conditions than the automated DUATS. However, this assumes that the pilot is in a state that operates its own relay service within the state, therefore reaches a nearby Automated Flight Service Station when it calls 1-800-WX-BRIEF.

Many if not most state TTY relays use out-of-state agents who, unless you specifically request a "regional" call to 1-800-WX-BRIEF, will call one in their own area code. For example, the Illinois state relay service employs an agency located in North Carolina, meaning a relay call to 1-800-WX-BRIEF will go to the Raleigh, N.C., AFSS instead of the AFSS at Kankakee, Ill. Many agents are unfamiliar with the procedure for this special regional request. Of course, you can ask for a supervisor to place the call, but this naturally takes even more time.

Now, however, you can ask your relay service to call an AFSS near you using a 1-866 toll-free number and perhaps get a briefer with special knowledge of the weather over the area you will be flying through. Courtesy of AOPA Pilot, here is a list of AFSS toll-free numbers throughout the United States. Cut it out and carry it in your flight bag.

Facility	Number
Albuquerque, NM	866-449-5390
Altoona, PA	866-708-9987
Anderson, SC	866-225-2172
Anniston, AL	866-609-8684
Bangor, ME	866-295-3835
Boise, ID	866-258-9068
Bridgeport, CT	866-293-5149
Buffalo, NY	866-678-2759
Burlington, VT	866-847-1846
Casper, WY	866-227-7498
Cedar City, UT	866-667-3858
Cleveland, OH	866-780-8261
Columbia, MO	866-223-4352
Columbus, NE	866-288-3448
Conroe, TX	866-689-5992
Dayton, OH	866-505-6163
Denver, CO	866-751-7021
Deridder, LA	866-401-5659
Elkins, WV	866-656-2661
Fairbanks, AK	866-248-6516
Fort Dodge, IA	866-300-2858
Ft. Worth, TX	866-272-7915
Gainesville, FL	866-523-7229
Grand Forks, ND	866-306-6931
Great Falls, MT	866-527-7601
Green Bay, WI	866-845-4888
Greenwood, MS	866-245-6109
Hawthorne, CA	866-879-8252
Honolulu, HI	866-766-0820
Huron, SD	866-732-1331
Islip, NT	866-365-5019
Jackson, TN	866-840-1051
Jonesboro, AR	866-520-8890
Juneau, AK	866-297-2236
Kankakee, IL	866-450-6593
Kenai, AK	866-864-1737
Lansing, MI	866-879-4066
Leesburg, VA	866-225-7410
Louisville, KY	866-412-7968
Macon, GA	866-276-0243
McAlester, OK	866-269-0189
McMinnville, OR	866-833-7631
Miami, FL	866-347-0316
Millville, NJ	866-225-7920
Nashville, TN	866-890-1348
Oakland, CA	866-469-7828
Prescott, AZ	866-226-3763
Princeton, MN	866-841-6469
Raleigh, NC	866-663-3354
Rancho Murieta, CA	866-272-7525
Reno, NV	866-281-2737
Riverside, CA	866-838-2250
San Angelo, TX	866-300-3867
San Diego, CA	866-682-2175
San Juan, PR	866-822-8537
Seattle, WA	866-384-7323
St Louis, MO	866-671-6176
St Petersburg, FL	866-295-3983
Terre Haute, IN	866-224-9906
Wichita, KS	866-672-5145
Williamsport, PA	866-655-6434