PIPER AZTEC CONTACTING DEP CTLR WAS ADVISED THAT HE HAD NOT RECEIVED AN IFR RELEASE. RPTR PLT SAYS HE DID; BUT THE ACFT RADIOS WERE VERY POOR; SO HE CANCELED IFR.

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AFTER DEPARTING MIDDLETOWN; OH (MWO); I CONTACTED DAY DEP AND RPTED 'HDG 280 DEGS; CLBING TO 3000 FT.' 'AZTEC X YOU WERE NOT RELEASED;' SAYS THE CTLR ON DEP FREQ 126.57. I INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD CLRNC AND HAD BEEN RELEASED ON 119.4 ON GND AT MWO AND THAT I HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE RELEASE BY READING BACK 'RELEASED; TURN R TO 280 DEGS AND UP TO 3000 FT.' CTLR THEN; 'CLRED ON COURSE AND UP TO 4000 FT.' I REPEATED CLRNC AND AS I WAS CLBING OUT OF 2000 FT (ON VERY BROKEN XMISSION) I HEARD HIM AGAIN STATE THAT I WAS NOT RELEASED. HE REQUESTED THAT I TRY ANOTHER RADIO. I TRIED TWICE -- NO RESPONSE AND WENT BACK TO ORIGINAL COM. I REMEMBER TRYING BOTH COMS ON GND AND #1 WAS RPTED BROKEN; GARBLED AND UNREADABLE; SO I WAS USING #2. CLBING OUT OF 2200 FT I DECIDED TO PROCEED VFR AND ATTEMPTED TO CANCEL IFR. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES; I FINALLY GOT CONFIRMATION FROM CTLR OF 'CANCELLATION RECEIVED.' I COULD NOT HEAR HIS ENTIRE XMISSIONS AS THEY WERE BROKEN AND UNREADABLE. I PROCEEDED VFR TOWARD DEST. LATER IN FLT; I DISCOVERED THAT (BY UNICOM ON GND IN WISCONSIN): #1 COM -- XMISSIONS WERE WEAK AND BROKEN RECEIVER OK. #2 COM -- XMISSIONS WERE 'BETTER' (SOMETIMES BROKEN) RECEIVER NIL. PROBS: POOR/BAD COMS CAUSED BY RADIOS IN NEED OF REPAIR? MAYBE DAMP WITH MOISTURE? MAYBE WEAK? ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT I HAD VOLUME UP TO MAX. ACTION: I COULDN'T TELL IF I WAS XMITTING; AND SOME/MOST RECEPTIONS WERE BAD AFTER DEP. I DID THE ONLY PRACTICAL THING IN VFR CONDITIONS -- CANCEL. IF IN IFR CONDITIONS; I WOULD HAVE RETURNED TO MWO; IN VFR CONDITIONS. AS FAR AS RELEASE: I READ CLRNC BACK; CALLED READY AT END OF RWY 23 (MWO). I READ RELEASE BACK. I HEARD 'YOU ARE RELEASED; HDG 280 DEGS AND 3000 FT.'