ATC EQUIP PROBLEM POS COM FAILURE. ACR X LOST COM WITH APCH CTL.

Narrative

GIVEN A N VECTOR OFF OF THE ATL VOR 228 DEG R OF THE LAGRANGE STAR. ATL ARPT WAS LNDG E AND WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THE ILS TO RWY 9R AT ATL AND HANDED OFF TO ATLANTA APCH ON 118.35 MHZ AND THE CTLR CONFIRMED OUR APCH TO BE TO RWY 9R. THE VECTOR WE WERE ON PUT US ON A BASE LEG TO THE INBOUND COURSE. A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME PASSED WHEN NO COM TOOK PLACE ON THE FREQ. I KNEW WE WERE CLOSE TO THE LOC. I CHK OUR RADIO VOLUME AND SWITCHES. THEY WERE OK. I NOTICED THE RWY 9R LOC WAS GOING BY. I ASKED ATC IF THEY WANTED US TO TURN INBOUND. AT THAT TIME ATC CAME BACK AND GAVE US A LOWER ALT AND REMARKED THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT US FOR THE LAST 8 MI. WE WERE TOLD TO SET UP FOR THE ILS TO RWY 8L IN ATL. AND VECTORED TO THE COURSE. ON THE APCH; INSIDE THE FAF WE WERE SENT AROUND AND GIVEN A N VECTOR AND RESEQUENCED FOR THE RWY 8L ILS. THE APCH AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL. ON THE GND I CALLED THE APCH CTL SUPVR. HE TOLD ME THEY HAD A 'COM MODULE' FAILURE THAT MAY HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR OUR BREAK IN COMS.