AN ACR MLG RPTS THAT ORD TRACON LOST ONE OF ITS XMITTERS; FORTUNATELY IN VFR CONDITIONS.

Narrative

INBOUND ORD 230 DEG RADIAL; 15 DME FOR RWY 27L. ORD APCH CTL XMITTER FAILED. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR VHF #2 WHILE THE FO ATTEMPTED CONTACT ON VHF #1 ON ANOTHER FREQ. APCHING THE AIRFIELD; FO WAS UNABLE TO BREAK IN ON FREQ BUT NOTED MENTION OF A NEW FREQ FOR APCH. I SWITCHED VHF #2 TO THAT FREQ; ATTEMPTED CONTACT; BUT WAS MET WITH FREQ CONGESTION AND CHAOS. I ELECTED TO ATTEMPT TO STAY IN THE 'NORMAL' TFC FLOW FOR RWY 27L; TURNING TO 090 DEGS; SLOWING TO 210 KTS AND SQUAWKING 1200 TO XMIT STATUS AND INTENTIONS. ON DOWNWIND; ORD APCH FINALLY GOT TO US ON OUR NEW FOUND FREQ AND GAVE US A NEW SQUAWK. WHILE I CONSIDER MY LOST COM ACTIONS PRUDENT AND CORRECT FOR THIS SIT; I SUSPECT OTHERS MAY SECOND GUESS ME. NOTE THAT WHILE WE DID HAVE OTHER FREQ OPTIONS; WE WERE UNABLE TO BREAK IN ON THOSE FREQS. PERHAPS A DEDICATED 'HOST COM FREQ' WOULD BE PRUDENT AT THESE HIGH DENSITY ARPTS. ALSO NOTE MY PLEASURE WITH TCASII AS A TFC WATCH AID IN THIS SCENARIO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT STATES THAT HE WENT TO 1200 SQUAWK BECAUSE; BASICALLY; THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. THE WX WAS VMC. HE THOUGHT OF VHF GUARD FREQ BUT DIDN'T DO THIS AS THEY FOUND ANOTHER FREQ TO USE. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! THE RPTING CREW WAS LEADING THE PACK; #1 IN THE LINE OF TFC FOR THE ARPT AND FELT IN NO REAL DANGER BECAUSE OF OTHER TFC.