wrote:

Yes, but I found it interesting that the AIM specifically says that a
pilot may request a contact approach (flight viz 1) in conditions
when the controller may not approve it (ground viz 1). I suppose
that wording is left over from the days when the controller had more
access to weather observations than the pilot?

That could also be in there because these new Super AWOS machines do not
normally report the weather. We have an airport in our airspace with
one of these machines and I have no idea what the machine is reporting.
But even though I don't know what it is it is legal weather for the pilot.