DURING THE ATTEMPTED AUTOMATED HDOF OF ACFT #1 BTWN APCH AND THE CTR; THE CTR RADAR CTLR USED RESPONSES THAT THE RPTR FELT WERE CONFUSING AND WERE OPEN TO INTERP.

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THE ACFT HAD DEPARTED PIM; CROSSED LGC AND WAS ESTABLISHED ON V243; LEVEL AT 4000 FT. WE HAD INITIATED AN AUTOMATED RADAR HDOF TO ZTL; SECTOR 4. WHEN THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 5 NM FROM THE AIRSPACE BOUNDARY; THE CTR SECTOR HAD NOT ACCEPTED THE AUTOMATED RADAR HDOF. I CALLED THE SECTOR BY LANDLINE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE THE ACFT ON RADAR; SO NON RADAR WAS APPROVED. ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER; THE ARTS IIA DATA BLOCK BEGAN TO FLASH; INDICATING THAT THE CTR SECTOR HAD ACCEPTED THE AUTOMATED RADAR HDOF. I CALLED THE SECTOR BY LANDLINE AGAIN AND SAID 'I UNDERSTAND THE ACFT IS NOW IN RADAR CONTACT.' SHE SAID 'NO; NON RADAR IS APPROVED.' I TOLD HER I WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE SHE TOOK THE HDOF. SHE SAID 'I JUST GRABBED THE DATA BLOCK.' THE RADAR CTLR THAT I WAS WORKING WITH AGREED THAT THIS WAS A CONFUSING PROC AND THAT WE HAD BOTH SEEN IT BEFORE. THE CTR CTLR SEEMED TO SEE NO PROB WITH IT. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A PROC IN FAA HANDBOOK 7110.65 'GRABBING A DATA BLOCK.' IT LOOKED VERY MUCH LIKE THE PROC THAT IS DEFINED AS AN AUTOMATED XFER OF RADAR IDENT (HDOF). I THINK THIS IS UNSAFE BECAUSE IT LEAVES A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THE ACFT IS RECEIVING RADAR SVC OR NOT. I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME THING FROM CTLRS IN OTHER SECTORS; AREAS AND CTRS. IT STRIKES ME AS A GOOD REFRESHER/REVIEW ITEM FOR THE AIR TFC BULLETIN.