Chapter 5. Radar

Section 1. General

5-1-1. PRESENTATION AND EQUIPMENT PERFORMANCE

  1. Provide radar services only if you are personally satisfied that the radar presentation and equipment performance is adequate for the service being provided.
  2. Notify the OS/CIC of any radar malfunctions or unexpected outages. Advise adjacent facilities when appropriate.

5-1-2. ATC SURVEILLANCE SOURCE USE

Use approved ATC surveillance sources. TERMINAL. When operating in FUSION mode, the provisions of 5-1-2a are not applicable, unless required by facility directive.

  1. Secondary radar may be used as the sole display source as follows:
    1. In Class A airspace.
    2. Outside Class A airspace, or where mix of Class A airspace/non-Class A airspace exists, only when:
      1. Additional coverage is provided by secondary radar beyond that of the primary radar, or
      2. The primary radar is temporarily unusable or out of service. Advise pilots when these conditions exist, or
      3. A secondary radar system is the only source of radar data for the area of service. TERMINAL. Advise pilots when these conditions exist.
  2. TERMINAL. Do not use secondary radar only to conduct surveillance (ASR) final approaches unless an emergency exists and the pilot concurs.
  3. Targets derived from ADS-B and WAM may be used for the provision of all terminal services when operating in STARS Fusion, STARS FMA, and STARS Multi‐Sensor Mode, including those associated with any published instrument procedure annotated “radar required.”

5-1-3. ELECTRONIC ATTACK (EA) ACTIVITY

  1. Refer all EA activity requests to the appropriate center supervisor.
  2. When EA activity interferes with the operational use of radar:
    1. EN ROUTE.Request the responsible military unit or aircraft, if initial request was received directly from pilot, to suspend the activity.
    2. TERMINAL.Request suspension of the activity through the ARTCC. If immediate cessation of the activity is required, broadcast the request directly to the EA aircraft on the emergency frequency. Notify the ARTCC of direct broadcast as soon as possible.
  3. When previously suspended activity will no longer interfere:
    1. EN ROUTE.Inform the NORAD unit or aircraft that it may be resumed.
    2. TERMINAL.Inform the ARTCC or aircraft that it may be resumed. Obtain approval from the ARTCC prior to broadcasting a resume clearance directly to the aircraft.
  4. In each stop request, include your facility name, type of EA activity (chaff dispensing- “stream”/“burst” or electronic jamming- “buzzer”), radar band affected and, when feasible, expected duration of suspension.

5-1-4. MERGING TARGET PROCEDURES

  1. Except while they are established in a holding pattern, apply merging target procedures to all radar identified:
    1. Aircraft at 10,000 feet and above.
    2. Turbojet aircraft regardless of altitude.
    3. Presidential aircraft regardless of altitude.
  2. Issue traffic information to the aircraft listed in subparagraph a whose targets appear likely to merge unless the aircraft are separated by more than the appropriate vertical separation minima.
  3. When both aircraft in subparagraph b are in RVSM airspace and vertically separated by 1,000 feet, and either pilot reports they are unable to maintain RVSM due to turbulence or mountain wave, use vectors to prevent the targets from merging.
  4. If the pilot requests, vector their aircraft to avoid merging targets with the previously issued traffic.
  5. If unable to provide vector service, inform the pilot.

5-1-5. HOLDING PATTERN SURVEILLANCE

Provide radar surveillance of outer fix holding pattern airspace areas, or any portions thereof, shown on your radar scope (displayed on the video map or scribed on the map overlay) whenever aircraft are holding there. Attempt to detect any aircraft that stray outside the area. If you detect an aircraft straying outside the area, assist it to return to the assigned airspace.

5-1-6. DEVIATION ADVISORIES

Inform an aircraft when it is observed in a position and on a track which will obviously cause the aircraft to deviate from its protected airspace area. If necessary, help the aircraft to return to the assigned protected airspace.

5-1-7. MANUAL FIX POSTING

EN ROUTE

Manually record the observed or reported time over a fix at least once for each controlled aircraft in your sector of responsibility when the flight progress recording components of the EAS FDP are not operational.

5-1-8. POSITION REPORTING

If necessary, you may request an aircraft to provide an estimate or report over a specific fix. After an aircraft receives the statement “radar contact” from ATC, it discontinues reporting over compulsory reporting points. It resumes normal position reporting when ATC informs it “radar contact lost” or “radar service terminated.”

  1. When required, inform an aircraft of its position with respect to a fix or airway.

5-1-9. RADAR SERVICE TERMINATION

  1. Inform aircraft when radar service is terminated.
  2. Radar service is automatically terminated and the aircraft needs not be advised of termination when:
    1. An aircraft cancels its IFR flight plan, except within Class B airspace, Class C airspace, TRSA, or where basic radar service is provided.
    2. An aircraft conducting an instrument, visual, or contact approach has landed or has been instructed to change to advisory frequency.
    3. At tower‐controlled airports where radar coverage does not exist to within 1/2 mile of the end of the runway, arriving aircraft must be informed when radar service is terminated.
    4. TERMINAL.An arriving VFR aircraft receiving radar service to a tower‐controlled airport within Class B airspace, Class C airspace, TRSA, or where basic radar service is provided has landed, or to all other airports, is instructed to change to tower or advisory frequency.
    5. TERMINAL.An aircraft completes a radar approach.