LTT FLC ACCUSED OF BEING 8 MI S OF COURSE.

Narrative

WE WERE LEVEL AT CRUISE ALT. FO WAS FLYING. CTR CLRED US DIRECT TO BAL VOR THEN ON COURSE. AFTER JOINING V-44 WE REQUESTED DIRECT ACY VOR. THE CTLR ASKED US TO MAKE REQUEST ON NEXT SECTOR THEN SWITCHED US OVER. WE CHKED IN WITH THE NEW CTLR AND MADE OUR REQUEST FOR DIRECT ACY VOR. AFTER A FEW MINS THE CTLR APPROVED OUR REQUEST. SEVERAL MINS LATER THE CTLR SWITCHED US BACK TO OUR PREVIOUS CTLR. HE INFORMED US THAT HE HAD SHOWN US 8 MI S OF V-44 AND HAD TO EXPEDITE AN ACFT DSCNT. I REPLIED THAT WE SHOWED OURSELVES ON THE AIRWAY AND NOW WERE N OF THE AIRWAY DUE TO OUR BEING CLRED DIRECT ACY VOR. WE SHOWED OURSELVES NEAR THE PRICE INTXN. I AM NOT SURE IF THERE WAS AN ACTUAL CONFLICT OR IF THE EXPEDITIOUS DSCNT OF THE OTHER ACFT WAS SUFFICIENT. I FLY THIS DEP RTE OVER 10 TIMES A MONTH AND HAVE DONE THIS RTE FOR OVER 3 YRS. OUR EQUIP SHOWED US ON COURSE. WE DID NOTE; HOWEVER; A PAX GET OFF THE ACFT AT THE DEST WITH A VERY LARGE 'BOOM BOX' RADIO PLAYER. I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WAS THE PROB OR NOT BUT I AM MAKING IT MY PERSONAL POLICY THAT ALL RADIO EQUIP WILL BE TURNED OFF; OR PUT IN CARGO PIT. THE VOR EQUIP IN OUR ACFT IS ALSO SOMEWHAT SUBJECT TO INTERFERENCE DUE TO OUR PROPS. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE THE VORS 'SCALLOP' OR WANDER 10-20 DEGS ON A WEAK STATION AND ON SOME STRONG STATIONS. THIS IS ACCEPTED AS NORMAL BY MAINT. I ALSO NOTED THAT OUR ACFT HAD BEEN WASHED PRIOR TO OUR FLT INCLUDING THE NOSE GEAR COMPARTMENT WHERE THE AVIONICS ACCESS DOOR IS LOCATED. AGAIN; I AM NOT SAYING THESE WERE THE CAUSES; BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS PLT ERROR AND WE CHKED OUR EQUIP UPON LNDG AND FOUND NO PROBS. I ALSO DO NOT KNOW WHY EITHER CTLR DID NOT SAY ANYTHING IF THEY SHOWED US THAT FAR OFF COURSE UNTIL AFTER THE CONFLICT.