Newps wrote:
We have an ASR-11 and our mode S and TIS is fully functioning.

Interesting. According to my avionics rep, who spoke today with his
Garmin rep:

= I just had a long talk with my Garmin rep. Here is what they have
= been told. The FAA is upgrading some of the ATC facility terminal
= radar from ARTS8 to ARTS11 systems (model numbers may be wrong,
= I think that is what he said). In any event, when the older ARTS8
= were being speced, the FAA wrote into the spec the ARTS8 must be
= TIS compliant. The contactor building the ARTS8 designed TIS into
= the system, and all was right with the world....

= When the new ARTS11 spec was written the FAA either forgot to add
= the TIS requirement, or thought no one was using it and omitted
= it intentionally. So you had the ARTS11 system designed without
= the TIS feature. So.... As the older systems were replaced by
= the newer systems, TIS got lost.

= My Garmin rep said the majority (of the 22 lost TIS sites) were
= the North West USA, one in Minnesota (or Michigan), one in Maine.
= He did not remember any in our area [Ed Note: NY/NJ/PA]. I asked
= him if this was the impending death of TIS, and he did not know.
= He did say the FAA was working off some bad data that was showing
= almost no one was using TIS. Garmin did compile data and sent
= to them on 330 sales (about 10k 330's to date). So we will see...

So, there you have it. If you say you have an ARTS11 system and TIS is
functioning, someone is lying about the reason behind the
decomissioning. I call for a hanging. All in favor?

-Doug

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Doug Vetter, CFIMEIA

http://www.dvcfi.com
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