B767 ON NORTH ATLANTIC RTE AT FL350 WITH NEW MINIMUM ALT SEPARATION GOT A TCASII TA ON ANOTHER B767 AT FL340 ON SAME RTE. RPTR LEARNS FROM CONTACT WITH OTHER ACFT THAT THEY ALSO HAVE TA AND ARE FLYING AT MACH PT 80. RPTR REQUESTS AND RECEIVES APPROVAL FOR MACH PT 81. ADVISORIES STOPPED WHEN RPTR'S ACFT GOT AHEAD OF THE OTHER ACFT. RPTED THAT THE ADVISORIES LASTED FOR ABOUT 30 MINS. RPTR STATED THE OTHER ACFT WAS GOING TO OR ALREADY HAD TURNED OFF THE TCASII TO KEEP FROM GETTING THE CONSTANT ADVISORIES.

Narrative

NEW MINIMUM ALT SEPARATION ON NORTH ATLANTIC RTES AND TCASII ROUTING: STEAM OYSTR 55N 050W 57N 040W 58N 030W 57N 020W 56N 010W MAC. FL350 MACH .80 B767-300. APPROX 12 MINS PRIOR TO STEAM; OBSERVED ANOTHER ACFT APCHING STEAM FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE (10 DEGS OR SO); BELOW OUR ALT. APPROX 10 MINS PRIOR TO STEAM; RECEIVED VERBAL 'TFC' AND YELLOW TCASII TA. CHKED OUR ALT AT FL350. TCASII HAD TFC AT FL340. TALKED TO OTHER ACFT (ANOTHER B767) AND FOUND HE HAD SAME ROUTING AND ASSIGNED MACH .80. ALSO; HE TOO WAS RECEIVING TCASII TA. AFTER APPROX 15 MINS OF CONTINUOUS YELLOW TA AND OCCASIONAL VERBAL 'TFC;' REQUESTED AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO MAKE XING AT MACH .81. ONCE WE GOT AHEAD OF OTHER B767; THE TCASII TA VERBAL AND YELLOW ADVISORIES STOPPED. TOTAL TIME OF CONTINUOUS TCASII TA YELLOW WAS APPROX 30 MINS. WHILE TALKING TO OTHER ACFT; HE INDICATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO OR ALREADY HAD TURNED OFF HIS TCASII TO KEEP FROM GETTING CONSTANT ADVISORIES. A POTENTIAL PROB EXISTS: SOMEBODY IS GOING TO TURN OFF THIS SAFETY EQUIP AND JEOPARDIZE HIS AND OTHER ACFT. ALSO; HAS ANYONE SERIOUSLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE GETS AN RA? THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A LOT OF ACFT TO BE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT A LOT OF ALTS OUT THERE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED A RPT TO THE UNION AND TO THE COMPANY ABOUT THE TCASII TA'S. RPTR STATED HE HAD HEARD THAT THERE WILL BE SOFTWARE CHANGE NEXT YR TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROB. RPTR SAID HE WAS SCARED THAT PLTS MIGHT TURN OFF THEIR TCASII AND INDICATED THIS COULD BE MORE OF A PROB FOR ACFT AVOIDANCE. RPTR HAS NOT HAD THE PROB RECUR BUT HAS TALKED TO OTHERS THAT HAVE.