No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 24.5
Workload; Troubleshooting; Time Pressure; Distraction; Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
Primary false target 20 miles west of LAX traveling at 280 knots. These false targets are a sign of a bigger problem in that they are occurring on a daily basis and that we as controllers are becoming used to seeing them. This particular target appeared to be a reflection off of the LAX south radar and I filed a local trouble report on this. There have been over 4000 trouble reports filed on the STARs automation platform at SCT and yet these types of issues still arise on an almost daily basis. I believe that these types of distractions cause an immediate safety concern.Please conduct an independent operational analysis on the STARs automation platform at SCT.
Reporter stated the 4000 trouble report number is all issues relating to STARS and FUSION Radar; not just the false target problem. Reporter made it clear that the problem has increased from C-ARTS (Common ARTS) and is more prevalent in STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System). False and jumping targets; the Controllers feel they do not have a good enough tool to use and are not doing their job correctly because they have to evaluate the problem first then possibly act on it. Reporter would like an independent operational analysis on the ATC STARS automation platform at SCT to evaluate if it can be made better and to have the problems fixed. Controllers do not like the system being used today.
SoCal TRACON Controller reported false targets appearing on the scopes on a daily basis and thinks it might be related to a STARs problem.