PBI CTLRS CONCERNED WITH FLT STRIP GRAVITY TRANSFER TUBE SYS BTWN TWR AND TRACON AND PROBS WITH REPLACEMENT EQUIP; AN ELECTRONIC FLT STRIP TRANSFER SYS WITH AUTOMATION ADAPTATION PROBS.

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CONTINUOUS GRAVITY DROP TUBE MALFUNCTION CAUSING TREMENDOUS WORKLOAD INCREASE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 542399: PALM BEACH FORWARDS DEPARTURE INFORMATION BTWN TWR AND APCH CTL VIA GRAVITY TUBE. TUBE HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR MONTHS WITH PROMISE OF NEW EQUIP. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. THREE ERRORS ALMOST OCCURRED TODAY BECAUSE OF IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THE GRAVITY TRANSFER TUBE BTWN THE TWR AND THE TRACON WAS MODIFIED SEVERAL YRS AGO TO ACCOMMODATE A DISTRIBUTION DROP TO THE N AND S RADAR CTL POSITIONS (THE TWR IS APPROX 100 FT ABOVE THE TRACON). ORIGINALLY; THERE WAS JUST ONE GRAVITY TUBE THAT DEPOSITED FLT DATA STRIPS AT THE FLT DATA POS. THE FLT DATA CTLR WOULD DISTRIBUTE THE STRIP TO THE APPROPRIATE DEP RADAR CTL POSITION BASED ON AN ESTABLISHED DEP RTE STRUCTURE. AS TFC VOLUME INCREASED; A DETERMINATION WAS MADE TO INSTALL A NEW GRAVITY TUBE TO ACCOMMODATE BOTH RADAR CTL POSITIONS. THE RPTR ADVISED THAT A NUMBER OF MONTHS AGO; THE GRAVITY TUBE TO S RADAR WAS DAMAGED. SINCE THEN; STRIP HOLDERS GET STUCK IN THE TUBE. MAINT PERSONNEL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE BLOCKAGE; AND HAVE RECENTLY ADVISED AIR TFC THAT THERE IS NO FUNDING TO REPLACE OR FIX THE PLASTIC TUBE. APPROX FIVE YRS AGO; PBI RECEIVED THE ELECTRONIC FLT STRIP TRANSFER SYS FROM ATL TWR WHEN ATL TWR MODERNIZED AS A REPLACEMENT SYS FOR THE GRAVITY TUBE. ONLY ONE PRINTER CAME WITH THE EQUIP. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EACH DEP RADAR POSITION SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN PRINTER. THE RPTR WAS ADVISED THAT AUTOMATION ADAPTATION CHANGES WERE REQUIRED TO MEET PBI'S NEEDS; BUT COULD NOT BE ADAPTED DUE TO REGIONAL FISCAL RESTRS. THE RPTR STATES THAT THEIR TFC NEEDS REQUIRE ONE GOOD OPERATING DATA TRANSFER SYS.