Atlanta Center Controller reported Sector 27 Hampton frequency 125.82 is unreliable.
Synopsis
Atlanta Center Controller reported Sector 27 Hampton frequency 125.82 is unreliable.
Narrative
The problem was at R27. In the middle of the session; the Hampton frequency 125.82 stopped working. All the aircraft that were on that frequency were unable to contact R27. The controller at R27 had to turn on the back up frequency 127.12; use Guard frequency to have aircraft go over to the new one; as well as have other aircraft transmit to get all the aircraft to the new frequency. They also had to contact all the adjacent sectors and tell them they are on the new frequency.The event happened because the frequency 125.82 is unreliable. Especially as of lately; that frequency is consistently going out. Hampton is a busy sector too and so when the frequency goes out; which is common; there are safety concerns as aircraft may be on tight vectors to navigate traffic or needing descent to meet restrictions. This frequency has had issues for months; if not years now. It may be a transmitter issue because the related UHF (I do not know the exact frequency off the the top of my head) often has issues. The frequency 125.82 at Hampton needs thorough inspection and maintenance to find the cause of the frequent outages and long term fix.
Second reporter narrative
Hampton frequency 125.82 degraded over the course of an hour and was eventually unusable. Multiple pilots reported scratchy transmissions and 2 by 5 signal strength. Aircraft coming from the south; JAX center; were not able to hear transmissions at all. Switched to workload frequency 127.12 to communicate with aircraft. This has been a repeat issue for this frequency and is made worse when there is weather in the Macon; GA area.I recommend steps are taken to improve the signal quality of 125.82 especially when there is weather present.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.