ACR HVT WITH TCAS SYSTEM INSTALLED FOR EVALUATION INCURRED ALT EXCURSION BECAUSE OF ATTENTION TO TCAS ALERT.

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MY COMPANY IS EVALUATING A COLLISION THREAT DEVICE. BASICALLY; BY USING A SPECIAL ANTENNA WHICH CAN DISSEMINATE A BEARING IT CAN DISPLAY SYMBOLS UPON A SCREEN WHICH REPRESENT OTHER ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF OWNERSHIP. USING THE RETURNS OF ALT RPTING TRANSPONDERS AND A SPECIAL COMPUTER IT CAN CALCULATE FLT PATHS AND GIVE VISUAL AND AURAL WARNINGS IF THESE FLT PATHS WOULD COME CLOSER THAN AN AGREED MINIMUM. AND; QUITE FRANKLY; THIS EXPERIENCE IS TERRIFYING. ALL OF US FEEL WE KEEP THE BEST LOOK OUT THAT WE CAN; ARE PERHAPS AWARE IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS IT SHOULD BE; BUT FEEL THAT WE WOULD SEE A THREAT IN TIME. THIS DEVICE DISPLAYS ALL THE TRANSPONDERS IT CAN FIND WITHIN THE VICINITY OF OWNERSHIP; AND EVEN BEFORE IT TELLS YOU WHAT IT THINKS YOU OUGHT TO DO; THE BARE DISPLAY OF TFC IS A TREMENDOUS SHOCK. ONE CAN SEE ATC'S RESPONSIBILITIES AND HOW IT DEALS WITH THEM. IN THIS INSTANCE; THE COPLT; WHO WAS FLYING; HAD BEEN CLRED TO LEVEL OFF AT 9000'; AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO DO SO WHEN THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYS GAVE A TFC ALERT. WE WERE SO BUSY TRYING TO FIND THE CONFLICTING TFC; AND WERE CONFUSED BY THE ADDITIONAL AURAL AND VISUAL WARNINGS THAT THE ACFT DIPPED ABOUT 300' OR SO BELOW THE CLRED FLT LEVEL (THIS WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE WARNING; WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE AN ARR CLBING AWAY FROM US AND BEHIND US). WE RECOVERED AT ONCE; BUT AGAIN WE HAD BROKEN THE OLD RULE; 'SOMEBODY HAS TO FLY THE AEROPLANE.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR EXPLAINED THAT TCAS SYS THEY ARE TESTING GIVES ALL TARGETS WITHIN 20 MI; BUT CUTS OFF ANY 2500' ABOVE OR BELOW OWNERSHIP. COMPUTER THEN FIGURES FLT PATHS AND COMES UP WITH WHICH WAY TO EVADE. PROB IS THAT ALARM RIGHT NOW IS TO CLOSE TO ALT ALERT SIGNAL SOUND SO IF HAPPEN TO GET MORE THAN 1 WARNING AT TIME COULD MISS ONE. THINKS ONCE CREWS ARE USED TO IT AND PROBS WORKED OUT IT WILL BE GREAT.