POTENTIAL CONFLICT AVERTED WHEN AN EMB120 PIC SPOTS AN INTRUDER ACFT ON HIS TCASI SYS AND STARTS AN EVASIVE CLB PRIOR TO ATC ASKING ABOUT ALTS; 10 MI W OF VLD; GA.

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APCHING THE VLD AREA; WE WERE SWITCHED OVER TO VLD APCH. IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONTACTING VLD APCH; MY FO AND I COMMENTED ON HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO UNDERSTAND THE CTLR. HIS RADIOS AND OURS WERE FINE; HE JUST DIDN'T ENUNCIATE CLEARLY. WE REPEATEDLY HAD TO HAVE HIM REPEAT HIS INSTRUCTIONS TO US. LEVEL AT 4000 FT MSL; HE CLRED US TO 2000 FT MSL. IT WAS CLEAR TO MY FO AND I THAT HE SAID 2000 FT MSL. WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT HOW NICE IT WAS THAT HE SPOKE CLEARLY. DESCENDING THROUGH 3000 FT MSL; I NOTICED TFC ON MY TCASI AT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 5 NM. I WATCHED THE TFC FOR A FEW SECONDS AND ONCE I REALIZED IT WAS HEADED FOR US; I CLICKED OFF THE AUTOPLT AND INITIATED A CLB. AT APPROX 300 FT AND 1 NM; WE RECEIVED A TA ON OUR TCASI. AT ABOUT THIS TIME THE CTLR ASKED US TO 'SAY ALT.' WE SAID 2500 FT MSL. HE TOLD US TO CLB TO 3000 FT MSL. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ELSE. AFTER PASSING THAT TFC; WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. APCH AND LNDG WERE NORMAL. MY FO AND I HAD TO QUESTION THE CTLR THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE WITH HIM; EXCEPT WHEN HE CLRED US TO 2000 FT MSL. HE SAID THAT CLEARLY.