Narrative:

I was working the north sector in the san diego area of southern california TRACON. The miramar sector was combined with north. Facsfac, W291 control, handed off an F18 to me. The procedure in the san diego area is for the accepting controller to point out the aircraft to the west sector before the aircraft enters the san diego area of jurisdiction. This must be done because of the miramar sector, designated the F sector, is given away to the west sector without advising the surrounding facilities. Occasionally west sector will have an aircraft that will be in conflict with the arriving fighters. This was just such a time. I accepted the handoff from facsfac on aircraft X at 16000 ft and attempted to point out the flight to the west sector. West sector did not accept the pointout because of the conflict with a C130 that was climbing out of 15000 ft. The controller had already switched communications to ZLA sector 21. Aircraft Y was requesting a higher altitude and was climbing out of 15200 ft. This put me in a difficult situation which I had very little control over and is where my problems began. My desire was to communicate with facsfac immediately to ask them to turn aircraft X to the south and to advise them of the close proximity to the C130. When I looked for the button to press on the rdvs (rapid deployment voice switching) system to communicate to facsfac, I could not find it. The reason I could not find it was 2-FOLD. For one, I was in a hurry. The main reason, however, is because the rdvs system are all set up differently for each sector. They need to be consistent at each sector so that a controller can find the button they are looking for without hunting for it. We have 8 sectors in the san diego area, 7 that we continually use. At each sector the rdvs is set up differently. In conclusion, the san diego area should fix the rdvs system to be consistent between the sectors. The area should also modify the procedure to where facsfac is not entering someone's airspace that they do not know about. Either facsfac should handoff to west sector, or the F sector should not be given away to the west sector without the outlying facilities being made aware of it.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SCT CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING INTRAFAC COORD PROC AND RDVS (RAPID DEPLOYMENT VOICE SWITCHING) COM EQUIP LAYOUT.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING THE N SECTOR IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRACON. THE MIRAMAR SECTOR WAS COMBINED WITH N. FACSFAC, W291 CTL, HANDED OFF AN F18 TO ME. THE PROC IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA IS FOR THE ACCEPTING CTLR TO POINT OUT THE ACFT TO THE W SECTOR BEFORE THE ACFT ENTERS THE SAN DIEGO AREA OF JURISDICTION. THIS MUST BE DONE BECAUSE OF THE MIRAMAR SECTOR, DESIGNATED THE F SECTOR, IS GIVEN AWAY TO THE W SECTOR WITHOUT ADVISING THE SURROUNDING FACILITIES. OCCASIONALLY W SECTOR WILL HAVE AN ACFT THAT WILL BE IN CONFLICT WITH THE ARRIVING FIGHTERS. THIS WAS JUST SUCH A TIME. I ACCEPTED THE HDOF FROM FACSFAC ON ACFT X AT 16000 FT AND ATTEMPTED TO POINT OUT THE FLT TO THE W SECTOR. W SECTOR DID NOT ACCEPT THE POINTOUT BECAUSE OF THE CONFLICT WITH A C130 THAT WAS CLBING OUT OF 15000 FT. THE CTLR HAD ALREADY SWITCHED COMS TO ZLA SECTOR 21. ACFT Y WAS REQUESTING A HIGHER ALT AND WAS CLBING OUT OF 15200 FT. THIS PUT ME IN A DIFFICULT SIT WHICH I HAD VERY LITTLE CTL OVER AND IS WHERE MY PROBS BEGAN. MY DESIRE WAS TO COMMUNICATE WITH FACSFAC IMMEDIATELY TO ASK THEM TO TURN ACFT X TO THE S AND TO ADVISE THEM OF THE CLOSE PROX TO THE C130. WHEN I LOOKED FOR THE BUTTON TO PRESS ON THE RDVS (RAPID DEPLOYMENT VOICE SWITCHING) SYS TO COMMUNICATE TO FACSFAC, I COULD NOT FIND IT. THE REASON I COULD NOT FIND IT WAS 2-FOLD. FOR ONE, I WAS IN A HURRY. THE MAIN REASON, HOWEVER, IS BECAUSE THE RDVS SYS ARE ALL SET UP DIFFERENTLY FOR EACH SECTOR. THEY NEED TO BE CONSISTENT AT EACH SECTOR SO THAT A CTLR CAN FIND THE BUTTON THEY ARE LOOKING FOR WITHOUT HUNTING FOR IT. WE HAVE 8 SECTORS IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA, 7 THAT WE CONTINUALLY USE. AT EACH SECTOR THE RDVS IS SET UP DIFFERENTLY. IN CONCLUSION, THE SAN DIEGO AREA SHOULD FIX THE RDVS SYS TO BE CONSISTENT BTWN THE SECTORS. THE AREA SHOULD ALSO MODIFY THE PROC TO WHERE FACSFAC IS NOT ENTERING SOMEONE'S AIRSPACE THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT. EITHER FACSFAC SHOULD HDOF TO W SECTOR, OR THE F SECTOR SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN AWAY TO THE W SECTOR WITHOUT THE OUTLYING FACILITIES BEING MADE AWARE OF IT.

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.