Unlike the automated airport weather stations which are located at nearly every airport large and small, RAWS stations are often located in remote areas, particularly in national forests. Because of this, they usually are not connected to the electrical grid, but rather have their own solar panels, and a battery to store power for overnight reporting. Some instead run on an generator. In both cases, data important to operating the station itself, such as battery voltage or fuel level, is often included in the hourly reports.
Also because of the remote locations, most communicate with a modem via telephone, or via a VSAT connection to a GOESsatellite. Some stations are also portable.
