PROB WITH THE FACILITY RADAR AFFECTING ARTS DATA BLOCKS AND TARGET CORRELATION RELATIVE TO SECTOR PULSE FAULTS. THE RADAR WAS OTS FOR OVER 2 DAYS.

Narrative

THERE IS CONCERN ABOUT THE UNRELIABLE PERFORMANCE OF THE ASR-8 RADAR AT TWR/TRACON. IN THE 72 HRS PRIOR TO JUL/SUN; THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SECTOR PULSE FAULTS. IN LAYMAN TERMS; THIS MEANS THAT THE AUTOMATED RADAR TERMINAL SYS (ARTS) APPEARS TO SHUT OFF THEN COME BACK ON WITH DATA BLOCKS AND TARGETS UP TO 180 DEGS OUT OF PHASE. IT WILL THEN SHUT DOWN AGAIN AND THE DATA BLOCKS WILL REAPPEAR IN THEIR ORIGINAL POS. THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT BY MGMNT TO TAKE THE RADAR OTS UNTIL JUL/SUN; WHEN THE UNION INTERVENED. THE SAME TYPE OF EVENT OCCURRED 2 WKS PRIOR TO THE SUNDAY; AND AGAIN THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO TAKE THE RADAR OTS UNTIL THE UNION REPRESENTATIVE INTERVENED. HE HAD BEEN ON VACATION FOR 10 DAYS AND THE FACULTY HAD BEEN HAVING RADAR PROBS FOR 7 DAYS. A UCR HAS BEEN FILED BECAUSE OF THIS RECURRING PROB. ON JUL/SUN/96 THE TWR WAS WITHOUT RADAR FOR NEARLY 6 HRS. DURING THE INCIDENT 2 WKS PRIOR; THE FACILITY WAS WITHOUT RADAR FOR 2 DAYS. AS OF THIS WRITING; AIRWAYS FACULTIES HAS TEMPORARILY FIXED THE PROB BY LIMITING HOW THE RADAR INFO IS SENT TO THE TWR. WE ONLY USE 1 PATH FROM THE RADAR SITE TO THE TWR. WE HAVE 2; A PRIMARY AND A BACKUP. THE RADAR IS LOCKED TO ONE AZIMUTH PULSE GENERATOR. WE HAVE 2; A PRIMARY AND A BACKUP. AIRWAYS FACULTIES SHUT DOWN THE EQUIP THAT AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHES THE AZIMUTH PULSE GENERATOR FROM THE PRIMARY TO THE BACKUP WHEN A PROB OCCURS. THEY FEEL THE PROB IS THE SWITCHING EQUIP CALLED DANTELL. SINCE THIS WAS DONE WE HAVE NOT HAD A SECTOR PULSE FAULT; WHICH IS GOOD. HOWEVER; WHAT I SEE AS THE PROB NOW IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A READILY AVAILABLE BACKUP SYS IF THE AZIMUTH PULSE GENERATOR OR THE PATH FAILS. THERE IS A HISTORY OF APG AND PATH PROBS HERE. I DO NOT BELIEVE AIRWAYS FACULTIES KNOWS WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE RADAR. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME; WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PROB WAS IN THE MICROWAVE LINK FROM THE RADAR SITE TO THE TWR. NOW IT'S THIS DANTELL THING. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS EQUIP IS PROBABLY 20-30 YRS OLD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE PROB WAS FIXED BY REMOVING RADAR EQUIP SURGE PROTECTORS.