ARTCC RADAR CTLR COMPLAINT ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FLT PROGRESS STRIPS GENERATED BY THE COMPUTER AND THE DISTR IT CAUSES THE CTLRS IN RIPPING OFF THE UNNECESSARY STRIPS. RPTR ALLEGES THIS CAUSED A SYS ERROR.

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DUE TO THE INABILITIES OF THE SOFTWARE AND ALSO THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS THE RADAR TEAM CONCEPT DESCRIBED IN THE AIR TFC PROCS HANDBOOK (7110.65 PARAGRAPH 2-10-1); DOES NOT AND CANNOT EXIST. DURING PERIODS OF MODERATE TFC LEVELS IN THE ENRTE ENVIRONMENT THE RADAR ASSOCIATE CTLR IS SPENDING THE MAJORITY OF HIS TIME RIPPING STRIPS GENERATED BY THE HOST COMPUTER PRINTED AT EACH SECTOR. BY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE PRINTED STRIPS ARE NOT NEEDED AND DISCARDED. ON SUN EVENING AN OPERROR OCCURRED AT THE DANBURY SECTOR IN ZBW. THE RADAR CTLR WAS MODERATELY BUSY. UNFORTUNATELY THE RADAR ASSOCIATE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY RIPPING MOSTLY UNNEEDED FLT PROGRESS STRIPS. HAD HE BEEN ABLE TO CONCENTRATE HIS EFFORTS MORE ON THE RADAR SCOPE HELPING THE RADAR CTLR THIS OPERROR MAY VERY WELL HAVE BEEN AVERTED. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. SEVERAL REQUESTS HAVE BEEN MADE DURING THE LAST FEW YRS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF UNNEEDED STRIPS WITH VERY LITTLE SUCCESS. THE MOST RECENT REQUEST WAS FOR MORE THAN 30 UNNEEDED STRIPS THAT SHOULD HAVE OCCURRED ON THE OCT CHART CHANGE DATE. ONLY ONE OF THESE UNNEEDED STRIPS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED.