Reporter claims WX data sent from the RAPCON radar via the telephone line affects the operations of ...

Attributes
ACN	373470
Time
Date	199707
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : shv
State Reference	LA
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Daylight
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller military : 4 controller non radar : 11 controller radar : 4
ASRS Report	373470
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
ATC Facility	other physical facility

Narrative:

Shreveport tower is 12 mi away from the RAPCON (radar approach control), which is located on barksdale AFB. The tower has a d- BRITE radar display which is slaved off the RAPCON radar. The tower d-brite is used to provide for the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of traffic. The signal from the RAPCON radar is transmitted via telephone line, modem and video compression module. When WX moves into the area, it is visible on the radar screen as WX echoes. For the tower d- BRITE to see this WX, an enormous amount of data is sent over the telephone line. This extra data acts to 'clog' the d-brite and slow it down, sometimes where it slows down and is unusable, or to the point where it freezes up. On the date indicated above, the amount of data made it unusable.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR CLAIMS WX DATA SENT FROM THE RAPCON RADAR VIA THE TELEPHONE LINE AFFECTS THE OPS OF THE TWR D-BRITE SLOWING IT OR CAUSING IT TO FREEZE UP MAKING IT UNUSABLE.

Narrative: SHREVEPORT TWR IS 12 MI AWAY FROM THE RAPCON (RADAR APCH CTL), WHICH IS LOCATED ON BARKSDALE AFB. THE TWR HAS A D- BRITE RADAR DISPLAY WHICH IS SLAVED OFF THE RAPCON RADAR. THE TWR D-BRITE IS USED TO PROVIDE FOR THE SAFE, ORDERLY AND EXPEDITIOUS FLOW OF TFC. THE SIGNAL FROM THE RAPCON RADAR IS XMITTED VIA TELEPHONE LINE, MODEM AND VIDEO COMPRESSION MODULE. WHEN WX MOVES INTO THE AREA, IT IS VISIBLE ON THE RADAR SCREEN AS WX ECHOES. FOR THE TWR D- BRITE TO SEE THIS WX, AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DATA IS SENT OVER THE TELEPHONE LINE. THIS EXTRA DATA ACTS TO 'CLOG' THE D-BRITE AND SLOW IT DOWN, SOMETIMES WHERE IT SLOWS DOWN AND IS UNUSABLE, OR TO THE POINT WHERE IT FREEZES UP. ON THE DATE INDICATED ABOVE, THE AMOUNT OF DATA MADE IT UNUSABLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Reporter claims WX data sent from the RAPCON radar via the telephone line affects the operations of the tower d-brite slowing it or causing it to freeze up making it unusable.