LOSS OF COM FREQ WHEN THE CHIEF PLT ACTING AS FO PRE-TUNES THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RADIO CONSOLE; LOSING THE CURRENT ATC FREQ WITH ZBW; MA.

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WE WERE DEPARTING SLK ENRTE TO RDU ON APR/MON/02. WE TOOK OFF AT ABOUT XA30 AFTER GETTING OUR CLRNC FROM BURLINGTON RADIO. IT WAS SNOWING AND THE CLOUD LAYER EXTENDED UP TO FL310. AFTER LEAVING THE TFC PATTERN WE SWITCHED TO ZBW ON 120.35. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY RADAR IDENTED US AND CLRED US PAST OUR INITIAL ALT OF 7000 FT UP TO FL280. WE READ BACK THE CLRNC AND CONTINUED OUR CLB. WE WERE DIRECT TO UCA AT THE TIME; AS WE HAD BEEN CLRED. I WAS THE PF AND MY CHIEF PLT WAS THE PNF. WE ARE BOTH TYPED AND CAPT QUALIFIED IN THE ACFT. I WAS HAND FLYING THE ACFT; AT THE TIME; UP TO 10000 FT WHICH IS COMPANY POLICY AND WAS IN IMC. I DID NOT NOTICE MY CHIEF PLT RETUNE THE STANDBY POS RADIO TO THE NEXT SECTOR'S FREQ; BUT HE PREVIOUSLY LIVED IN SLK AND HAS FLOWN THE AREA FOR THE LAST 6 YRS. HE KNOWS THE FREQS BETTER THAN I DO. ACCIDENTALLY; THE NEW FREQ WAS TUNED ON THE ACTIVE RADIO INSTEAD OF THE STANDBY PORTION OF COM #1. NEITHER OF US NOTICED THIS FACT OR THE FACT THAT THE XPONDER HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED TO OUR NEW CODE. THE CODES COMING IN AND OUT WERE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. MY CHIEF PLT HAD RECEIVED THE CLRNC ON THE GND AND SINCE I WAS MONITORING THE ACTIVE FREQ AT THE TIME HE WAS DOING THIS; I DID NOT HEAR THE CLRNC WE WERE GIVEN. I TRUSTED HIM TO TUNE EVERYTHING; AS HE WAS THE ONE WITH THE INFO. WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO FL280 AND HEARD CONTINUOUS RADIO CHATTER AND SO THOUGHT NOTHING OF THE FACT THAT WE HADN'T BEEN TALKED TO IN THE PAST FEW MINS. THIS WAS NOTHING ABNORMAL. ABOUT 5 MINS INTO THE FLT; ZBW CALLED US FRANTICALLY AND WE RESPONDED AT THE FIRST CALL WE RECEIVED. THE FEMALE CTLR WAS NOTICEABLY AGITATED AS SHE CONTACTED US WONDERING WHERE WE HAD BEEN. SHE WAS VERY BUSY AT THE TIME. SHE INFORMED US THAT WE NEARLY HAD COMPANY. WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND HER MEANING. SHE ALSO INFORMED US THAT WE WERE ON THE WRONG XPONDER CODE. MY CHIEF PLT PUT THE CORRECT XPONDER CODE IN; AT WHICH TIME THE CTLR -- MORE AGITATED AT THIS ACTION -- TOLD US TO STOP CHANGING THE XPONDER CODES AND SWITCH BACK TO THE WRONG CODE. WE COMPLIED. AFTER MAKING A FEW MORE XMISSIONS TO OTHER ACFT; THE CTLR RECONTACTED US AND MADE THE STATEMENT; 'WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT?' WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND HER MEANING AND REPLIED 'SAY AGAIN.' SHE ASKED WHY WE HAD CHANGED FREQS WITHOUT PERMISSION BECAUSE SHE HAD NEARLY CALLED OUT AN ESCORT FOR US. WE EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED; THAT WE HAD ACCIDENTALLY TUNED AND SWITCHED TO THE NEXT SECTOR'S FREQ; AND THAT IT HAD BEEN AN INADVERTENT MISTAKE. SHE WAS STILL NOTICEABLY UPSET; BUT SAID IT WAS OK; BUT THAT WE HAD NEARLY ACQUIRED 'SOME COMPANY' WHICH WE TOOK TO MEAN A FIGHTER ESCORT. AT NO TIME DURING THIS WHOLE THING DID WE DEVIATE FROM OUR CLRNC OR MISS ANY RADIO CALLS WE HEARD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 545855: I WAS SURPRISED THAT NO ONE HAD TRIED US ON 123.87 MHZ WHEN THEY LOST US ON 120.35 MHZ. I HAVE FLOWN IN NORTHERN NEW YORK FOR 6 YRS; AND RADIO RECEPTION CAN BE POOR ON THE SPLIT FREQ OF 120.35/135.7 MHZ. THE RESPONSE SEEMED RASH TO ME. THIS WAS A SIMPLE MISTAKE THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE; ANYWHERE. COMMON SENSE AND COMPOSURE ON ATC'S PART WOULD HAVE REDUCED THE 'DRAMA.'