LJ35 CREW LOST CONTACT WITH CTR.

Narrative

WHILE IN CRUISE ALONG J6 NEAR HVQ WE WERE COMMUNICATING WITH INDY CENTER ON OUR #1 COM. AT SOME POINT WE LOST CONTACT WITH CTR. BY THE TIME THIS WAS DISCOVERED WE WERE SOMEWHERE IN EITHER WASHINGTON OR NEW YORK CTR AIRSPACE. WE TRIED CONTACTING CTR ON THE LAST ASSIGNED FREQ WITH NO REPLY. I BEGAN CHECKING THE COMMERCIAL HIGH ROUTE CHART TO FIND AN APPROPRIATE FREQ. THE FO CALLED A LOCAL FSS AND ADVISED THEM OF OUR SIT. THEY LOOKED UP A FREQ FOR US TO CONTACT NY CTR. WE TRIED THAT FREQ BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. WE CONTACTED THE FSS AGAIN AND THEY GAVE US ANOTHER FREQ. WE MADE CONTACT WITH NEW YORK CTR WHO THEN HAD US STAND BY WHILE THEY TRIED TO IDENTIFY US. THEY CAME BACK WITH ANOTHER FREQ; THIS TIME FOR BOSTON CTR. WE CONTACTED BOSTON CTR AND WAS FINALLY ON THE CORRECT FREQ. WE WERE ASSIGNED A HDG AND GIVEN LOWER. BY THIS TIME WE WERE 70 MI FROM OUR DESTINATION. WHEN WE HAD LOST CONTACT WE TRIED CONTACTING CTR ON THE #2 COM WITHOUT SUCCESS AS WELL. APPARENTLY; OUR #1 COM ON THE LAST ASSIGNED INDY CTR FREQ WAS WEAK AND WE FLEW OUT OF RANGE. BY THE TIME WE REALIZED THIS AND TRIED #2 COM WE WERE STILL OUT RANGE EVEN THOUGH #2 COULD RECEIVE BETTER. SINCE THE APPROPRIATE CTR FREQ'S ARE NO LONGER PRINTED ON THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS IN THE MAIN BODY; IT WAS DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING TO FIND A PROPER FREQ. THEY ARE ALL LISTED ON THE PANEL BUT WITH 36 FREQ'S TO CHOOSE FROM IT WAS OF LITTLE USE. WE FLEW ALL THE WAY THROUGH WASHINGTON CTR AIRSPACE BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH ARTCC. PUTTING THE FREQ'S BACK ON THE MAP WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP. ALSO MONITORING THE ASSIGNED FREQ ON BOTH COM'S WOULD HAVE HELPED.