NOTAM DISSEMINATION AND CANCELLATION PROCS.

Narrative

AS A RADAR CTLR; I HAVE BEEN AMAZED OVER THE YRS AT THE POOR DISSEMINATION OF NOTAMS. THIS HAS MADE ME MORE AWARE AND MORE ACTIVE IN RESEARCHING EXISTING NOTAMS. THIS EVENING (1 FRI; 94); I LOGGED ON (INFORMATION SERVICE X) AND DID A NOTAM SEARCH OF OUR TRACON'S AREA. I DISCOVERED 3 FDC NOTAMS (4/0135; 4/0536; 4/0535) AND ONE D-NOTAM (MCN 01/056) WHICH WE HAD NO RECORD OF. AS FAR AS I KNOW; THERE IS NO MANDATED PROCESS FOR AN AIR TFC FACILITY (OTHER THAN FSS) TO MAINTAIN RECORDS OF NOTAMS. I KNOW THAT AT ONE TIME; WE HAD THE MCN 01/056 NOTAM ON THE ELECTRONIC STATUS INFO AREA; AND THERE IS NO TELLING WHEN OR WHY IT WAS REMOVED. I WOULD GUESS THAT WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE 3 FDC NOTAMS; BUT IF WE WERE; WE HAVE NO RECORD-KEEPING MECHANISM TO PROVE OR DISPROVE IT. ALSO; ALTHOUGH I FOUND THESE NOTAMS THROUGH X; THERE IS NO ACCESS TO L-NOTAMS THROUGH X; SO MANY OF THESE MAY NOT BE DISSEMINATED PROPERLY. AT LEAST ONE ACR PLT ADVISED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE SEVERAL L-NOTAMS ON OUR ARPT HERE BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE COMPANY COMPUTER SYS DOES NOT GET L- NOTAMS. HE TOLD ME THAT HE ASSUMED THEY WOULD BE ON ATIS (THEY FREQUENTLY ARE NOT). I ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO NOTAMS THROUGH A PERSONAL ACCOUNT ON Y INFORMATION SERVICE. I HAVE FOUND THAT I CAN GET D-NOTAMS HERE; BUT NOT L- NOTAMS; FDC NOTAMS OR SOME MIL NOTAMS (LSF ATCT TO BE SPECIFIC). THERE NEEDS TO BE A UNIFIED SOURCE FOR NOTAMS; WHETHER IT BE AN FDC NOTAM; D-NOTAM; OR L-NOTAM. IN ADDITION; THERE SHOULD BE A REGULAR REVIEW OF EXISTING NOTAMS. PERHAPS THE FSS COULD DAILY FAX A LIST TO EACH APCH CTLR/TWR; OR AIR TFC FACILITIES COULD BE GIVEN A LEGITIMATE WAY TO ACCESS THESE ELECTRONICALLY BY MODEM FOR FREQUENT REVIEW.