DAB CTLR CONCERNED WITH CENRAP-PLUS (CENTER RADAR ARTS PRESENTATION/PROCESSING-PLUS) AND COF RADAR FEED FOR DAB PRIMARY RADAR SYS TRACKING. SEE ACN 494560 AND 449223 FOR ADDITIONAL INFO.

Narrative

GPN 20 RADAR DATA FEED TO DAYTONA UNACCEPTABLE. FORCES DAYTONA TO USE BACKUP SYS; CENRAP-PLUS. FAA IS AWARE OF PROB; BUT WON'T RELEASE FUNDS TO FIX IT. DURING THIS SESSION; FIVE RADAR TARGETS COMPLETELY LOST. FORCES CTLR TO USE NON-RADAR IN A RADAR SYS. WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE THIS PROB IS FIXED? NEAR MISS; OR SOMETHING ELSE. SEND IN THE EXPERTS TO REPAIR THE SYS OR SHUT IT DOWN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH PRTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ALLEGES THAT RADAR RELIABILITY PROBS HAVE EXISTED DURING THE LAST 16 TO 18 MONTHS. DAB'S PRIMARY RADAR FEED IS FROM THE GPN-20 AT COF (PATRICK AFB); APPROX 60 MI TO THE S OF DAB. THE RPTR STATES THAT HE IS AWARE OF A RECENT 'TIGER TEAM' EVALUATION OF THE COF-DAB RADAR LINK. EVIDENTLY; RADAR RETURNS AT COF ARE OF GOOD QUALITY; BUT AT DAB; THE PRESENTATION HAS DETERIORATED SIGNIFICANTLY. ONE PROB HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH THE DATA COMPRESSION FEATURE OF RADAR XMISSION. THE CTLR STATES THAT CENRAP IS PROVIDED BY ZMA. THE ZMA RADAR SITE IS NW OF MLB ARPT. THE CTLR ALLEGES THAT THERE IS AN APPROX 10 MI CIRCUMFERENCE OF POOR TO NON-RADAR COVERAGE BELOW 2500 FT FROM THIS RADAR SITE; THAT THIS POOR/NON-RADAR COVERAGE ENCOMPASSES ALL DOWNWIND; RADAR PATTERN TFC; VECTORED W OF MLB FOR TURN ONTO THE RWY'S 9 FINAL APCH COURSES; AS FAR OUT AS 20 MI. BECAUSE OF THIS POOR; INTERMITTENT RADAR COVERAGE AREA; THE CTLR ALLEGES THAT HE MUST UTILIZE SOME NON-RADAR PROC'S; REQUIRING ACFT TO RPT ALT/DME CHANGES IN ORDER TO TIME TURNS TO FINAL.