In an automated handoff environment, my computer starts 'tracking' an airplane that will be entering my airspace from another facility. The transferring controller will enter an alphanumeric character or characters, slew out to the position symbol for that airplane and hit enter. (slew is like the pointer for your mouse) This will force the data block onto my scope and start it to flash. This means that someone is trying to hand off this plane to me. I then 'slew' out and "take" the handoff, giving permission for the airplane to enter my airspace. In a manual handoff, the transferring controller must get on a shout line and call me, when I answer, he will then tell me who it is, where the plane is and what's he doing. The controller then waits for me to say 'radar contact'. The former is MUCH faster then the latter.
