MEM TRACON CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING A COMPLETE RADIO FAILURE.

Narrative

WHILE WORKING ARR E (ARE) DURING A PERIOD OF LIGHT TFC; THE MEM TRACON EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF XMITTER AND RECEIVER CAPABILITY DUE TO A KNOWN EQUIP ISSUE THAT HAS YET TO BE REPAIRED. I ATTEMPTED TO USE THE BACKUP XMITTER AND RECEIVERS; BUT THIS DID NOT WORK. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO USE THE 'EMER BYPASS JACK;' BUT THIS DID NOT WORK. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO USE THE PET 2000; BUT THIS RADIO DID NOT WORK EITHER. THE RADIOS WERE OUT FOR APPROX 1 MIN. DURING THIS TIME I HAD 2 ACFT ON THE ARR RTE FROM THE NE AT 10000 FT; 3 ACFT ON THE ARR RTE FROM THE SE DSNDING FROM 10000 FT TO 5000 FT ON VECTORS TO THE RWY 36R FINAL APCH COURSE; AND 1 DEP HDG 030 DEGS AT 3000 FT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ANY OF THESE ACFT; BUT THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO CONFLICTIONS WITH ANY OTHER ACFT. THE FINAL E AND FINAL W POS WERE COMBINED; AND THIS CTLR HAD 3-4 ACFT ON VECTORS TO THE E AND W DOWNWIND/BASE LEG ENTRY FOR RWYS 36L AND 36R. ARR W HAD AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF ACFT ON VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE AS WELL. NEITHER OF THESE CTLRS WERE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR ACFT. WE LATER LEARNED THAT MEM TRACON AND TWR HAVE EXPERIENCED COMPLETE AND TOTAL FREQ LOSS ON SEVERAL INSTANCES DURING THE PAST 2 WKS. THIS IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT 1) COMMERCIAL PWR IS INTERRUPTED FOR SOME REASON; 2) THE BACKUP BATTERIES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO OPERATE THE XMITTERS AND RECEIVERS AND 3) THE CLUTCH IS BROKEN ON THE GENERATOR; SO THE GENERATOR IS NOT ABLE TO ENGAGE TO PRODUCE BACKUP PWR. IF THIS EVER HAPPENS DURING A BUSY ARR OR DEP PUSH; I DON'T SEE HOW WE COULD NOT INCUR MULTIPLE LOSS OF SEPARATION (OR WORSE) BTWN ACFT.