RPTED SIT OF LTSS WHEN RPTR'S BE02 DSNDED THROUGH THE ASSIGNED 9000 FT XING ALT AND CONFLICTED WITH TFC AT 8000 FT. RPTR STATED THE CTR RADIO COM WAS VERY MUFFLED AND VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND CLAIMS THEY REQUESTED AND WERE GRANTED A VISUAL APCH.

Narrative

AFTER PASSING AKRON VOR; ZDV PROVIDED OUR ACT WITH A HDG TO LBF DUE TO THE LBF VOR BEING OTS. AT APPROX 75 NM FROM LBF; THE PNF ASKED FOR LOWER ALT. WE WERE ASSIGNED A LOWER ALT OF 7000 FT. AS THE ACFT DSNDED; ZDV RADIO COMS WERE VERY MUFFLED AND VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND. THIS OCCURS APPROX 40 NM FROM LBF AND BELOW 20000 FT. AT APPROX 15000 FT AND 12 NM FROM LBF; THE PNF ASKED FOR THE VISUAL APCH. BOTH OF US BELIEVED WE WERE GRANTED THE VISUAL. WITHIN A SHORT TIME THEREAFTER; ATC GIVES US A TFC CALL 12 O'CLOCK AT 8000 FT. IMMEDIATELY THE PNF AND TCASII HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. TFC AND THE ARPT WERE CONTINUOUSLY IN SIGHT AND NO DEVS WERE NECESSARY. UPON DSNDING THROUGH 8500 FT; ATC NOTIFIES US ABOUT THE 9000 FT RESTR HE ISSUED TO US. HIS COMS AT THIS POINT IMPROVED AND WE WERE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HIS REQUESTS. WE IMMEDIATELY CANCELED IFR AND PROCEEDED VFR FOR THE REMAINING 8 NM TO THE ARPT. FROM APR/XA/97 TO MAY/XA/97 I MADE NUMEROUS TRIPS TO NORTH PLATTE. THE RADIO COMS ALWAYS SEEM TO DEGRADE CONSISTENT TO ALT AND POS SIMILAR TO THE EVENT DESCRIBED ABOVE.