ZTL CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING NUMEROUS FREQ FAILURES; LIMITING THE NUMBER BACKUP FREQS AVAILABLE.

Narrative

SECTOR 10 (LGC) WAS ON FREQ 127.52; A BACKUP AND/OR WORKLOAD FREQ FROM SECTOR 13; BECAUSE MY SECTOR'S BACKUP/WORKLOAD FREQ WAS BEING USED BY SECTOR 9. I WAS TOLD AT THE BEGINNING OF MY SHIFT THAT SECTOR 9 AND SECTOR 10'S MAIN FREQS HAD BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING AND ARE OTS. ON JUL/WED/06 AROUND XA40; 127.52 WOULD CRACKLE AND FAIL FOR 20-30 SECONDS; I INFORMED THE SUPVR/CIC. IT DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES OVER A 20-30 MIN PERIOD AND THEN AROUND XB00 OR XB10 127.52 FAILED AND DID NOT RETURN. I HAD SEVERAL ACFT THAT WERE ON THAT FREQ AND COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEM; I COULD NOT GO TO STANDBY OR MAIN AND HAD NO OTHER BACKUP FREQ AVAILABLE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND UNCTLED SITUATION HAD I BEEN BUSIER. THE SUPVR/CIC NOTIFIED AIRWAYS FACILITIES AND AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS OR SO THEY CALLED BACK AND SAID TO USE 125.57 (SECTOR 10'S NORMAL FREQ). WE SHOULD NOT HAVE SO MANY FREQS OUT THAT NUMEROUS SECTORS ARE ON BACKUP FREQS; AND WHEN A BACKUP FREQ FAILS HOW CAN THE ONE THAT WAS OUT SUDDENLY RETURN? LUCKILY; MOST OF THE ACFT I HAD BEEN WORKING; I HAD ALREADY SEPARATED AND SWITCHED THE ACFT TO ANOTHER FREQ.