P50 CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING LIMITED RADIO COVERAGE WITH ARR ACFT; A KNOWN ANOMALY NEEDING ATTENTION.

Date: 2007-09 · Aircraft: Citationjet (C525/C526) - CJ I / II / III / IV · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: other-radio-coverage-problem

Synopsis

P50 CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING LIMITED RADIO COVERAGE WITH ARR ACFT; A KNOWN ANOMALY NEEDING ATTENTION.

Narrative

ACFT X WAS A PHOENIX ARR; HANDED OFF TO ME FROM ZAB SECTOR 42. THE ACFT WAS APPROX 5 MI INTO MY AIRSPACE; LEVEL AT 10000 FT AND I HADN'T ESTABLISHED RADIO COM WITH HIM. I XMITTED TO SEE IF HE WAS ON FREQ AND HEARD NO RESPONSE SO I CALLED THE ZAB SECTOR 42 CTLR AND ASKED HIM TO SEE IF HE STILL HAD ACFT X ON HIS FREQ. WHILE I WAS ON THE LANDLINE; I HEARD AN ACFT SAY THAT ACFT X HAD HEARD ME AND RESPONDED; BUT APPARENTLY I HADN'T HEARD HIM. I GOT OFF THE LANDLINE AND XMITTED TO ACFT X AGAIN AND THIS TIME I HEARD HIM. I WAS ON THE STANDBY XMITTER AND RECEIVER; BUT THIS FREQ (124.1) IS NOTORIOUS FOR PROBS ON BOTH MAIN AND STANDBY. IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A 'BLIND SPOT' ON THIS FREQ RIGHT WHERE ACFT X WAS AT THE TIME OF THE PROB. THE FAA HAS DONE A FEW THINGS TO ATTEMPT TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION; BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. (THEY HAVE SWAPPED FREQS A FEW TIMES WITH CLRNC DELIVERY; S DEP AND S ARR. I THINK THEY HAVE ALSO TRIED CHANGING THE PWR SETTING.) THIS FREQ PROB INDIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO AN OPERROR A FEW MONTHS AGO. NOT ONLY IS THERE A BLIND SPOT IN THE FREQ COVERAGE; BUT THE QUALITY OF THE RECEIVER IS TERRIBLE. I THINK THIS IS A HAZARDOUS SITUATION THAT THE FAA NEEDS TO ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY.

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