P31 ASR-8 BEACON; ATCBI-5; TARGET/DATA BLOCK FAILURES.

Narrative

WE ARE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES WITH OUR ASR-8 BEACON SYS ON THE NSE ATCBI-5; WHICH IS PLACED AT NAVY WHITING FIELD. ACFT; IN PARTICULAR THE TRAINING HELICOPTERS; BELL JET RANGERS (B06) USED AT NAVY S WHITING (NDZ). THESE ACFT WILL SUDDENLY DROP OFF THE RADAR DISPLAY TOTALLY LOSING THE ASSOCIATED DATA BLOCK AND SECONDARY RADAR RETURN. TO COMPOUND THE PROB THIS ALL OCCURS WITHIN A SMALL AREA OF AIRSPACE WITH COMPLEX VFR AND IFR PROCS; WHICH IS ALSO ADJACENT TO EGLIN AIRFORCE BASE RESTRICTED AREA 2915. THIS AREA IS OFTEN ACTIVE WITH ALL TYPES OF ACTIVITY FROM BOMBING EXERCISES; LIVE FIRE MISSIONS; NIGHT MC130 OPS; FIGHTER ACFT ETC. THIS SEEMS TO BE A GROWING AND INTENSIFYING PROB MUCH LIKE THE RADAR ISSUES; WHICH WE'VE DOCUMENTED CONCERNING THE WEEKEND SERVICES P31 TRACON PROVIDES TO THE DESTIN AND EGLIN AFB AREA ARPTS. I WOULD CONSIDER THIS AN EXTREME/HAZARDOUS SIT WHICH REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION; BEFORE AN ACFT ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT OCCURS. THE MGMNT TEAM AT P31 TRACON IS AWARE OF THESE ISSUES; BUT CITES FUNDING AND PROCUREMENT PROBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR CLAIMS THAT THE CONTINUED BEACON LOSS PROB HAS PROMPTED SOME CTLRS AT HIS FAC TO REFUSE TO WORK THE POSITIONS SERVED BY THE SUBJECT ATCBI-5 EQUIP. HE CONTENDS THAT LOCAL AIRWAY FAC PERSONNEL INSIST THAT THE EQUIP IS WITHIN THE PUBLISHED SPECIFICATIONS. THE RPTR ALSO RELAYED THAT THEIR FAC IS SERVED BY TWO RADAR SENSORS. THE INFO FROM THE SUBJECT SENSOR IS TRANSMITTED VIA MICROWAVES AND TELEPHONE LINE. THE RPTR AGAIN EXPRESSED HIS SAFETY CONCERNS REGARDING THE LOST DATA; WHICH HE SAID WAS EXTREMELY CRITICAL BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF MILITARY AIRSPACE.