A80 CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING FACILITY'S SPECIAL EVENT PROCS; CLAIMING LIMITED RADAR COVERAGE; LACK OF WX INFO AND PROC/AUTOMATION ISSUES.

Narrative

DURING THE ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENT; AGS TAKES MORE AIRSPACE FROM ZTL AND CHANGES THE PROCS FOR ACFT ENTERING THEIR AIRSPACE. A80'S LINKS AND MCN SECTORS HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR PROCS FOR THIS WK AND RERTE ALL OVERFLTS AROUND AGS AIRSPACE. THE LINKS AIRSPACE WAS GIVEN TO A80 FROM ZTL OVER 2 YRS AGO. WE HAVE TERMINAL CTLRS USING ENRTE RADAR AND PROCS WITHOUT ANY WX RADAR DEPICTED. MOST OF THE TFC IN THE LINKS AIRSPACE IS GA WHICH WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE ASSISTANCE AROUND WX. DURING THE WK IN QUESTION; WE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WHICH MADE THE OP MORE DIFFICULT. THE LINKS AUTOMATION HAD PROBS WHERE ACFT WERE NOT ABLE TO HAND OFF AND WE HAD TO VERIFY THE FLT PLANS BECAUSE THE NAS COMPUTER DIDN'T SHOW THE CORRECT ROUTING WHICH THE ACFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN. THIS ADDITIONAL COORD ADDED TO THE WORKLOAD ON A WORK FORCE WHICH IS ALREADY OVERWORKED. THE LINKS AIRSPACE USED A DIFFERENT SECTORIZATION IN ORDER TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASE IN TFC. UNFORTUNATELY; THIS WAS DONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WK AND THE FREQ COVERAGE DIDN'T WORK FOR THE FREQ WHICH IS USED FOR THE LOW SECTOR. SO THE HIGH AND LOW SECTORS HAD TO SWAP FREQS WHICH LED TO SEVERAL ACFT ON THE WRONG FREQ. CONCLUSIONS: 1) A80 SHOULD NOT HAVE THE LINKS AIRSPACE UNTIL THERE IS ADEQUATE RADAR COVERAGE PROVIDED BY TERMINAL RADAR WITH WX DEPICTION. OR THEY SHOULD ONLY HAVE THE PORTION WHICH IS COVERED BY THE LZU RADAR. 2) THE PROCS AND AUTOMATION SHOULD BE TESTED AND CORRECT PRIOR TO THIS ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENT IN ORDER TO DECREASE WORKLOAD AND AVOID ERRORS. 3) ADD TOGETHER THE AIRSPACE CONFIGN; FREQ PROBS; AUTOMATION PROBS; AND OVERWORKED AND OFTEN JUNIOR WORKFORCE; THEN YOU HAVE A COMPOUNDED SITUATION WHICH LEADS TO ERROR DURING ONE OF THE HIGHEST VOLUMES OF TFC.