ATC EQUIP PROB RADAR ASR 9 ONGOING FAILURES.

Narrative

MUCH WX IN THE AREA; JUST CAME OUT OF HOLDING DUE TO UNSUITABLE WX AT THE ARPT FOR APCHS; CONSEQUENTLY; VERY BUSY. I WAS WORKING APPROX 15 ACFT IN THE TERMINAL AREA AT MY SCOPE. THE MIAMI ASR-9 RADAR FAILED; AND IT TOOK MORE THAN 1 MIN AND 30 SECONDS FOR THE BACKUP (FLL) RADAR TO COME UP AT MY SCOPE. THIS WAS VERY SCARY AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES. AS OF THIS DATE THE MIA RADAR SYS (ASR-9) HAS FAILED 11 TIMES SINCE MAY/95. THE FLL SYS HAS FAILED 3 TIMES. IF MIA AND FLL FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY AT A VERY BUSY AIR TFC TIME; IMAGINE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES! NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS; WE ARE NOT PREPARED TO GO INTO AN EMER NON-RADAR SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF RADAR FAILURES AN FAA INVESTIGATIVE TEAM WAS BROUGHT IN. FAILURES WERE HAPPENING DURING INCLEMENT WX. PROB WAS FOUND TO BE THE MODE S. MODE S HAS BEEN DISABLED AND TO THE RPTR'S KNOWLEDGE THE MIA ASR 9 HAS NOT FAILED. RPTR WAS TOLD THE REASON FLL RADAR WOULD NOT COME UP WAS TOO MANY POS WERE MAKING KEYBOARD ENTRIES AND HIS WAS BEING REJECTED. CENRAP IS NOW AVAILABLE BY KEYBOARD ENTRY.