ATC EQUIP PROB RADAR ASR-9 DATA TAG DROP.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING MOORPARK RADAR AND RECEIVED A HDOF FROM WOODLAND SECTOR ON ACR X NEAR SMO HDG TO JOIN V23. I HANDED X OFF TO ZLA SECTOR 4 (VIA AUTOMATION) AND THEY ACCEPTED THE HDOF PRIOR TO 10 DME NW OF LAX. MOORPARK AND WOODLAND RADAR WERE BUSY AT THE TIME AND GETTING BUSIER. THE TAG DROPS OFF MOORPARK'S AND WOODLAND'S DISPLAYS AT ABOUT 8-10 MI NW OF LAX. I; VIA AUTOMATION; ATTEMPT TO FIND OUT WHO THE TARGET (PRIMARY) IS ON V23 NEAR CHATY INTXN. X TAG IS IN MY COAST LIST. I CALL X AND NO RESPONSE. THE INTERMITTENT BEACON RETURN ON V23 APCHING TWINE INTXN IS XX07 CODE THAT BELONGS TO AN ACR OFF SAN TO LAS. I CALL X AGAIN AND NO RESPONSE. SECTOR 4 CALLS AND ASKS IF I WANT HIGHER ALT FOR X APCHING CASTA. I ASK WOODLAND TO CALL X; AND X RESPONDS; X IS TURNED SW AND ISSUE CLB INSTRUCTIONS. AS X TURNS; HIS BEACON RETURNS ON CODE XX17. AFTER DISCUSSING THIS WITH THE LAX AREA THEY HAD A SOLID XX17 XPONDER RETURN UNTIL WELL NW OF TWINE WHERE THEY CANCELED THEIR TRACK. ZLA SECTOR 4 HAD SOLID XPONDER. THE BUR ASR9 HAS KNOWN SECONDARY RADAR BLIND SPOTS; IE; BUR (ASR9 SITE) 230-285 DEGS BEYOND 10 MI 3000 FT MSL TO 9500 FT MSL ON 10-20 PERCENT OF THE ACFT PROCEEDING TOWARD VNY VOR (ON THE ANTENNA). THESE ACFT ARE DISPLAYED 'LOUD AND CLR' ON THE LAX N AND S ASR 9'S. THERE ARE SERIOUS PROBS IN THE ASR-9 AT BUR THAT THE CTLR IS FORCED TO WORK WITH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADMITTED FORGETTING ACR X UNTIL REMINDED BY ANOTHER POS THAT HAD ACR X DISPLAYED ON RADAR SCOPE. RPTR STATED THIS PROB HAS BEEN ONGOING FROM THE TIME THE ASR-9 WAS INSTALLED AT BUR. 2 MAINT TIGER TEAMS HAVE LOOKED AT THE PROB AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO SOLVE. CTLRS HAVE LEARNED IF THEY TURN THE ACFT 20 DEGS L OR R; THE DATA TAG WILL STAY WITH THE TARGET.