APCH CTLR AT MSN WORKING WITH NEW SOFTWARE PATCH ON ARTS IIE BELIEVES THE NEW UPGRADE IS UNSAFE.

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A RECENT ARTS IIE UPGRADE HAS ENABLED A VFR FEATURE TO THE ARTS THAT IS CONFUSING AND UNSAFE. THE NEW PATCH ALLOWS THE CHANGING OF AN IFR DATA BLOCK TO SHOW A VFR DATA BLOCK BY TYPING 2 DOTS AND SLEWING ON THE TARGET DESIRED. THE PROB RESULTS WHEN A CTLR INADVERTENTLY HAS 2 DOTS TYPED IN AND THEN SLEWS ON A TARGET TO TAKE A HDOF FOR INSTANCE. THESE 2 DOTS CAN APPEAR BY ACCIDENT QUITE EASILY IF THE SLEW ENTER BUTTON IS DEPRESSED IN THE HOME POS. I AM AWARE OF 2 INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 7 DAYS. IN BOTH CASES; MUCH CONFUSION AND EMBARRASSMENT RESULTED WHEN AN ACFT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS MISTAKEN FOR A VFR ACFT RECEIVING RADAR SVCS. NO BRIEFINGS TOOK PLACE ON THE ENABLING OF THIS FEATURE. CTLRS LEARNED BY ACCIDENT HOW IT WORKS. THIS IS AN OPERROR JUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE TO HAPPEN. A UCR IS BEING FILED CONCURRENT TO THIS RPT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE HAS NOT SEEN OR HEARD OF THE PROB OCCURRING SINCE WRITING HIS RPT. HE SAID A UCR WAS FILED WITH THE FACILITY MGR AND THAT PROMPT ACTION WAS TAKEN TO REVIEW THE COMPLAINT. HE SAID THE PATCH WAS PUT IN ABOUT 2 OR 3 MONTHS AGO AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE. HE HAD NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EQUIP.