AN ACR A300 CREW WAS CHASTISED FOR NOT BEING ON THE MDCS FREQ.

Narrative

ON CLBOUT FROM SDQ; SWITCHED FROM TWR FREQ TO LAS AMERICAS DEP CTL. I WAS CLRED TO CONTINUE CLB TO FL250; DIRECT TO MELLA INTXN. CONTACTED ZSU ON #2 VHF 10 MINS PRIOR TO XING MELLA. SINCE RADIO TFC WAS LIGHT; I CONTINUED TO MONITOR BOTH RADIO FREQS WHILE FO MONITORED #1 RADIO; LAS AMERICAS. JUST PRIOR TO MELLA; SJU TOLD US TO CONTACT LAS AMERICAS. THE LAS AMERICAS DEP CTLR TOLD US WE WERE FLYING IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AIRSPACE WITHOUT BEING IN RADIO CONTACT. HE ALSO STATED ALL ACR X CREWS DO THE SAME; AND HE WAS GOING TO WRITE A LETTER. SINCE NO XMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED BY US; I SUSPECT A DEAD SPOT IN RADIO COVERAGE ON G633 W OF MELLA INTXN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: A LETTER WAS SENT FROM LAS AMERICAS ARTCC TO THE RPTR'S ACR STATING THE PROBLEM. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THERE IS NEW RADAR AT LAS AMERICAS AND THE PROCEDURES ARE 'SCREWED UP'. SDQ DEP FAILED TO GIVE THE RPTR A HANDOFF TO LAS AMERICAS; AND THE WHOLE PROCEEDING WAS DROPPED. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH RADIO RECEPTION IN THE AREA. THE RPTR STATES THAT OCCASIONALLY THERE IS A LANGUAGE PROBLEM; ENGLISH AND SPANISH SPOKEN AT THE SAME TIME; BUT THIS WAS NOT A FACTOR HERE.