You still seem to be missing the point that CS was making. Being able to see it on the radar, and knowing where it physically was with regard to the ground, ie an exact Latitude and Longitude, are different things and the second is not possible with their system.
This is a candidate for a Stundie.
I have no clue to what you mean by "where it physically was with regard to the ground," but seeing it on radar is all anybody needs to know where a craft is and therefore how to find it. NEADS may have wanted a Lat/Long, instead of a radial distance from a fix, and Boston may have been slow to get it-- but so what? NEADS did not need to see the aircraft on their radar just to get the fighters up in the air!
NORAD wanted the Latitude and Longitude. Boston wasn't able to determine that, only a vector which was useless to NORAD. It took them time to figure out a way to convert their data to something NORAD could use and until NORAD had that data, they weren't going to launch the fighters because they didn't have a position the of their target, a target that at that point in time wasn't a threat anyway.
Absolutely ridiculous. I think you're just throwing words around, but have no understanding of their meaning in this context. Why is a vector useless to NORAD? Are you saying a fighter plane is not capable of flying a 240 heading?
Our friend Cheap Shot first called at about 8:30 and reported AAL11 20 miles south of Albany heading south at a high rate of speed. Then he called at 8:40 and reported the plane 35 north of JFK. Why not just launch the fighters in the general direction of NYC, then get better position reports from Center while in the air? Why does anyone need a lat/long? Are you seriously suggesting NEADS does not know where Albany and JFK airport are?
This is just common sense, guys. You're making it harder than it is.