LOSS OF RADIO CONTACT CREATES A POSSIBLE NMAC AND SEVERAL UNAUTHORIZED LNDGS WITHOUT CLRNC.

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WAS CHKING OUT PLT IN TYPE OF ACFT HE WAS PLANNING TO USE. RETURNED TO ARPT TO PRACTICE TOUCH-AND-GOES. HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ACHIEVING A SMOOTH STABLE LNDG. MADE A COUPLE OF PASSES AROUND THE PATTERN WITH NO COM PROBLEMS AND CLRNCS WERE RECEIVED. WAS BUSY COACHING AND CRITIQUING PLT ON HIS LNDG SO THERE WERE NO LONG SILENCES. CONTINUED AROUND THE PATTERN BELIEVING PLT HAD RECEIVED HIS CLRNCS. TFC WAS LIGHT; IT WAS DUSK; HAD NOT BEEN AT THAT ARPT FOR 3 YRS. HOWEVER; FELT IT WAS A LITTLE TOO QUIET EXCEPT FOR US. REACHED OUT TO THE RADIO PANEL TO CHK AND SUDDENLY RADIO CAME ALIVE WITH CALLS TO OUR ACFT. POSSIBLY VOLUME WAS DOWN AND/OR AUDIO PANEL SELECTOR WAS OFF THE DETENT. CALLS WERE IMMEDIATELY ACKNOWLEDGED AND WE WERE ADVISED WE MISSED NUMEROUS CALLS AND LIGHT GUN SIGNALS. NEITHER LOOKED AT THE TWR SINCE NEITHER OF US HAD REASON TO BELIEVE WE HAD A COM LOSS. BOTH PLT AND I FELT WE HAD HEARD CLRNCS BUT MUST HAVE REMEMBERED PRIOR ONES AS IF CURRENT. RECALLED THAT PLT HAD FIDDLED WITH PANEL ON SHORT FINAL AND HAD CAUTIONED HIM AGAINST THAT PRACTICE. PLT MUST HAVE TURNED VOLUME DOWN OR KNOCKED AUDIO PANEL SELECTOR. SINCE I WAS BUSY AND FOCUSED ON PLT'S LNDG PROBLEMS DID NOT DOUBLECHK RADIOS. LESS CONVERSATION WOULD HAVE MADE RADIO SILENCE OBVIOUS. ALSO SHOULD NOT HAVE LET PLT HANDLE RADIOS ALONE BUT PERIODICALLY CHKED THEM MYSELF. SINCE IN THE BUSINESS OF THE MOMENT I IMAGINED WE HAD RECEIVED CLRNCS; AND THAT PLT HAD IT UNDER CTL DID NOT QUERY HIM. I THOUGHT WE WERE LNDG WITH CLRNCS. A CASE OF HEARING (IMAGINING) WHAT YOU WANT/EXPECT TO HEAR! AND ALLOWING COCKPIT DISTRS TO DOMINATE! POSSIBLE NEAR MISS OCCURRED AS WAS TOLD AN ACFT HAD TO GAR ON ACCOUNT OF US. WE HAD LANDED SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO CLRNC RECEIVED.