ATCT LCL CTLR OBSERVED LEVEL 6 WX ON HIS BRITE RADAR SCOPE AND WAS SURPRISED WHEN A B727 WAS VECTORED THROUGH THAT AREA. B727 WHEN QUESTIONED SAID THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT WX IN THAT AREA. WHEN CTLR RPTED TO MAINT TECHNICIAN HE WAS TOLD IT WAS ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION THAT IS NORMAL WITH THE ASR9 RADAR.

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ASSUMED DUTIES OF LCL CTL AT XA00; JUL/XX/96. WX CTL BOX FOR ASR9 INDICATED UP TO AND INCLUDING LEVEL 6 WX AVAILABLE. LOOKED AT D-BRITE; SAW A NASTY LINE OF TSTMS ORIENTED NNE-SSW ON CHS 260 DEG RADIAL THROUGH CHS 330 DEG RADIAL (APPROX). TO MY SURPRISE; I SAW AN ACR CARGO B727 BEING VECTORED THROUGH THE LINE. ONCE HE CHKED-ON TO MY FREQ; I ASKED HIM FOR A PIREP CONCERNING THE LINE OF TSTMS. HIS REPLY? 'WHAT TSTMS?' I INFORMED HIM OF WHAT I SAW ON MY D-BRITE. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WX OF THAT NATURE OUT THERE; ONLY HAZE. I THEN CALLED THE NATIONAL WX SVC AND THEN CONFIRMED THAT NO TSTMS EXISTED NW OF CHS. LATER; WHEN I WAS ON BREAK; I SAW THE AIRWAYS FACILITIES SECTOR SUPVR AND I INFORMED HIM OF WHAT I SAW VERSUS WHAT WAS THERE (OR NOT THERE; MORE SPECIFICALLY). HIS REPLY? 'GET USED TO IT. LET ME GIVE YOU A TIP: IF IT'S NOT MOVING; IT'S AP (ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION). IF IT'S MOVING; IT'S REAL.' I WAS DUMFOUNDED. HERE WAS 'THE HEAD OF THE TECHNICIANS;' TELLING ME I HAD TO DISCERN IF A WX ECHO WAS MOVING OR NOT TO TELL IF IT WAS REAL. WOULD YOU WANT TO BE THE PLT I 'EXPERIMENTED' WITH? THIS IS NOT ONLY UNSATISFACTORY -- IT'S UNSAFE. THE DIGITAL ASPECT OF ASR9 IS FANTASTIC -- IT'S A GREAT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE ASR4; HOWEVER; THE FALSE WX ECHOES AND THE 'PARTY-LINE' ANSWER BY THE AF SECTOR SUPVR IS UNACCEPTABLE.