CORP ACFT HAS HDG DEV DUE TO INTERMITTENT MALFUNCTION OF VOR INDICATOR.

Narrative

WHILE DEPARTING CAK ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; DURING VFR CONDITIONS; I WAS GIVEN THE ATC CLRNC 'RADAR VECTORS TO THE 092 DEG RADIAL OF THE MANSFIELD VOR; DIRECT WATERVILLE; DIRECT GRAND RAPIDS; DIRECT SHEBOYGAN.' TO BEGIN WITH; I HAD SOME CONFUSION WITH THE INITIAL CLRNC REGARDING THE MANSFIELD VOR. I FIGURED THEY PROBABLY WANTED ME TO INTERCEPT THE 092 DEG RADIAL AND TRACK IT TO THE VOR; BUT THE WORDING I RECALL NEVER SAID 'TO' MANSFIELD. I RECALL '092' DEG RADIAL OF MANSFIELD; DIRECT WATERVILLE. THIS WAS NOT THE PROB AS I CLARIFIED THE CLRNC BEFORE DEPARTING. THE EVENT IN QUESTION HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING RWY 1 ON A TWR ASSIGNED HDG OF 320 DEGS. I HAD THE 272 DEG RADIAL OF MANSFIELD DIALED INTO THE #1 VOR SO I WOULD HAVE POSITIVE SENSING ON THE EQUIP. THE VORS HAD BEEN GND TESTED BEFORE LEAVING SHEBOYGAN THAT MORNING AND THE MANSFIELD VOR WAS TUNED AND IDENTED WHILE AIRBORNE. ROUGHLY 3-5 MI FROM THE ARPT; STILL ON A 320 DEG HDG; THE #1 VOR SHOWED THE COURSE LINE COME IN FROM L COURSE DEFLECTION TO CTR. NOT BEING FROM THAT AREA AND UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LCL NAVAIDS; I RELIED ON THE INSTS AND THOUGHT I WAS ABOUT TO PASS THROUGH THE COURSE. AT THIS TIME I RADIOED TO DEP I WAS TURNING TO INTERCEPT AND PARALLEL THE COURSE. IT WAS HERE THAT ATC REPLIED THAT A TURN WAS NOT ALLOWED WITHOUT AN ATC CLRNC FOR TFC SEPARATION; AND TO TURN TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS FOR INTERCEPT. I NOTICED AT THIS POINT THAT THE VOR COURSE LINE WAS FLUCTUATING AND THE NAV FLAG BEGAN TO FLICKER. THE NAV FLAG SHORTLY STABILIZED AND I SAW A L INTERCEPT ANGLE WAS STILL REQUIRED. I COMPLETED INTERCEPT AND WAS SHORTLY HANDED OFF TO CTR. UPON LNDG IN SHEBOYGAN I SAT DOWN WITH THE ENRTE CHARTS TO STUDY WHAT HAD HAPPENED WHILE DEPARTING CAK. WHAT I IMMEDIATELY DISCOVERED WAS THAT I COULD NEVER HAVE INTERCEPTED THE 092 DEG RADIAL OF MANSFIELD ON A 320 DEG HDG; BUT NOT BEING FROM THE AREA I RELIED ON THE INSTS WHICH WERE GIVING ME BAD INFO. I NOW REALIZED WHY DEP DID NOT LIKE MY RADIO CALL THAT I WAS TURNING; AS THEY PROBABLY THOUGHT I WAS TIRED OF WAITING FOR A TURN FROM THEM AND MADE UP MY OWN INTERCEPT HDG. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AS MY INSTS TOLD ME I WAS ABOUT TO PASS THROUGH MY COURSE AND A TURN TO MANSFIELD VOR WAS REQUIRED TO STAY WITHIN MY CLRNC. UNFORTUNATELY; THIS EVENT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY THAT I WAS UNABLE TO EXPLAIN TO THE CTLR WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I ATTRIBUTE THE MAJOR CAUSES OF THIS EVENT TO BE MY LACK OF POSITIONAL AWARENESS COUPLED WITH SOME BAD NAVAID INFO.