CTLRS CLAIM THAT THE ASR-8 ARTS 3 PT 05 SOFTWARE PROGRAM IS FAILING SEVERAL TIMES A SHIFT.

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I WAS WORKING THE N DEP SECTOR AT ATL TRACON. THE ARTS FAILURE ALARM SOUNDED. I WAS WORKING 4-6 ACFT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DEP PUSH. THIS SYS HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES IN 1 SHIFT OVER THE PAST FEW WKS. THE ARTS 3.05 PROGRAM POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE SOFTWARE PROBS HAVE BEEN FIXED AND THAT THE RADAR IS PERFORMING SATISFACTORY. APPARENTLY WHEN THE RPTS WERE SENT; THEY WERE STILL LOOKING FOR THE PROB. RPTR SAID THAT THEIR AIR TFC AUTOMATION STAFF WAS WORKING HARD TO FIND THE PROB AND FELT THAT THEY WERE DOING ALL THEY COULD. RPTR ALSO STATED THAT THERE WERE NO DEALS OR UCR FILED. THEY ARE SCHEDULED FOR A NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAM NEXT SUMMER. FACILITY HAS 1 ASR-8 RADAR SYS. THE ASR-9 SYS WILL BE INSTALLED NEXT YR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 247391: THE ARTS 3.05 AT ATL APCH IS FAILING ON A ROUTINE BASIS AND IN SOME CASES DURING HVY TFC PERIODS. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED BEFORE AN UNSAFE SIT BECOMES A DISASTER! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 247559: THE ATL APCH ARTS VERSION 3.05 HAS FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE IT CAME ON LINE APPROX 2 MONTHS AGO. TODAY WAS THE MOST RECENT. THE PROGRAM SCATTERED TWICE IN A 10 MIN PERIOD; LEAVING ALL THE CTLRS WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF DIGITAL READOUT ON NUMEROUS ARRS AND DEPS AT HARTSFIELD. THIS PUTS UNDUE STRESS ON AN ALREADY STRESSFUL POS. 'ON LINE TESTING' SHOULD NOT BE DONE WITH THE VOLUME OF TFC ATL HAS.