ZTL CTLR CONCERNED WITH HIGH ALT SECTOR FREQ (124.37) COVERAGE.

Date: 2001-06 · Aircraft: IAI1124/1124A Westwind · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: other-freq-coverage

Synopsis

ZTL CTLR CONCERNED WITH HIGH ALT SECTOR FREQ (124.37) COVERAGE.

Narrative

I AM WORKING HIGH SECTOR (FL240-FL330). A WW24 CHECKS ON FREQ CLBING TO FL230; REQUESTING FL390. I ISSUE CLB TO FL260 AND COORDINATE WITH ADJACENT SECTOR A CLB TO FL310 DUE TO TFC. I ISSUE CLB TO FL310 TO WW24; BUT DID NOT GET A READBACK. I ISSUE TWO MORE CLEARANCES TO FL310 WITHOUT A READBACK. I THEN ASK WW24 TO IDENT AND RECEIVE AN IDENT. I REISSUE CLEARANCE TO FL310 AND SWITCH THE WW24 TO NEXT SECTOR. I CALLED NEXT TO VERIFY THE ALTITUDE THAT THE WW24 IS CLBING TO SINCE I DID NOT GET THE READBACK. THIS IS A CONTINUOUS OCCURRING PROB WITH THIS FREQ (124.37). NOT KNOWING WHAT THE PILOT READBACK AS AN ASSIGNED ALTITUDE PRESENTS A SAFETY PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CTLR ADVISED THIS HIGH ALT SECTOR HAS TWO DOMINANT FUNCTIONS: J46 OVERFLT TFC; FL310-FL330; FROM THE CINCINNATI/DETROIT AREA SEBND INTO FLORIDA; AND THE VERY HEAVILY UTILIZED MACEY STAR WITH TFC RTED FROM OVER VOLUNTEER VORTAC; ALTS FL240 THRU FL330. THE RPTR ADVISED THAT DURING THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS; 124.37 FREQ PROBS SEEMED TO BE AT ALTS BTWN FL310 TO FL330; BUT DURING THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS; 124.37 HAS HAD PROB'S FROM FL240 THROUGH FL330. MNTNC HAS WORKED ON THE PROB WITHOUT IMPROVEMENT. THE RPTR ADVISED THAT CTLRS HAVE RESTRICTED USE TO BUEC-THOUGHT TO BE SITE COLOCATED-BECAUSE THE PRIMARY FREQ HAS BEEN UNUSABLE. MAJOR CONCERNS EXTEND TO NOT HEARING INITIAL CALL-UPS AND PLTS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING CLRNCS. THE CTLR ADVISED THAT THIS RECURRING PROB HAS BEEN DETAILED IN OTHER FAA GRIEVANCE FORMATS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.