RPTR CLAIMS THAT THERE IS A PROB WITH RADIO COMS BTWN THE EWR TWR AND ACFT NEAR RWYS 4L AND 4R.

Narrative

AT #1 POS FOR TKOF AT EWR FOR RWY 4L AT APPROX XA30Z. ALSO; AN ACR Y MD11 WAS #1 POS FOR RWY 4R. TWR TOLD ACFT ON FINAL FOR RWY 4R TO LAND RWY 4L AND CLRED ACR Y TO POS AND HOLD RWY 4R FOR TKOF. SECONDS LATER; TWR NOTIFIED SOMEONE TO 'POS AND HOLD RWY 4?; BE READY FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF; ACFT ON 6 MI FINAL.' I (CAPT) DID NOT HEAR FIRST PORTION OF CLRNC. MY COPLT READ BACK OUR FLT NUMBER ALONG WITH 'ROGER; POS AND HOLD RWY 4L; WE'LL BE READY FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF. AFTER POSITIONED ON RWY; TWR CALLED US TWICE -- WE RESPONDED TWICE. HE DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR RESPONSE AND SENT OTHER ACFT ON FINAL AROUND. HE TOLD US TO TAXI CLR OF RWY 4L AND TAXI TO RWY 4R FOR TKOF. NORMAL TKOF ON RWY 4R. EWR ATIS AND SOMETIMES NOTAMS SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT THERE ARE AND HAVE BEEN BLANK/BLIND SPOTS FOR ACFT/TWR COMS AT THAT END OF FIELD AND FOR ACFT TO USE A SPECIFIC ANTENNA. DURING OUR TAXI OUT; AN ACFT AHEAD OF US WAS ISSUED TKOF CLRNC AND HE READ IT BACK TWICE BUT TWR COULD NOT HEAR HIM. ANOTHER ACFT ACKNOWLEDGED FOR THE DEPARTING ACFT. WHEN WE WERE QUERIED AFTER TAKING THE RWY; MY COPLT SAID 'WE ANSWERED YOU 'POS AND HOLD RWY 4L.' LATER I SPOKE WITH TWR CTLR AND HE SAID THAT OUR CLRNC WAS FOR ACR Y. BUT THAT EVEN THOUGH WE RESPONDED AS WE DID; TWR WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CATCHING THE MISTAKE AND CORRECTING IT. MY COPLT STILL FEELS THAT WE WERE GIVEN A 'POS AND HOLD.' CTLR STATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROB AND THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PAPERWORK INVOLVED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE PROB AT EWR IS INTERMITTENT BUT OCCURS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. HE SAID THE TWR FREQUENTLY ADVISES PLTS THROUGH THE ATIS TO USE THEIR ACFT'S TOP ANTENNA WHILE ON THE GND AT EWR. IN CONVERSATIONS ON THE PHONE WITH THE TWR; THE RPTR SAID THE CTLRS FREELY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A PROB EXISTS.