WHILE CROSSING THE ACTIVE RWY AT MIDFIELD OF A NON TOWERED ARPT; C182 HAS CRITICAL CONFLICT WITH SECOND CESSNA DEPARTING THE RWY. CTAF RADIO VOLUME WAS REDUCED TO ALLOW RECEIPT OF ATIS FROM ANOTHER ARPT.

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I AM PIC OF C182 ON A TRAINING FLT FOR GETTING MY CFI-INST RATING. WE HAD JUST REFUELED THE ACFT AND WERE PREPARING TO CROSS THE SINGLE 3500 FT RWY OF AN UNCTLED ARPT AT THE APPROX MIDDLE OF THAT RWY. IN ORDER TO HEAR THE ATIS OF NEARBY ARPT; I HAD TURNED DOWN THE VOLUME OF THE #1 VHF COM. AS WE PREPARED TO CROSS; I MADE A CALL ON UNICOM RPTING XING TO LCL TFC AND BOTH MY INSTRUCTOR (L SEAT) AND I LOOKED CAREFULLY UP THE RWY FOR ANY DEPARTING TFC AND NOTICED NONE. I TURNED ON THE STROBE LIGHTS AND CONTINUED ACROSS THE RWY; TURNED UP THE PARALLEL TXWY AND PROCEEDED TO THE RUN-UP PAD FOR TKOF. WE DEPARTED AND COMPLETED THE MISSION; LANDED BACK AT THE SAME ARPT AND TAXIED BACK TO THE FLT SCHOOL. AS WE SHUT DOWN; THE CHIEF INSTRUCTOR APCHED AND ASKED; 'DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?' MY IP AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND THEN ANSWERED; 'NO.' HE PROCEEDED TO INFORM US THAT DURING OUR XING; ANOTHER PLANE HAD BEEN ON TKOF ROLL AND HAD BARELY MISSED US BY PASSING OVERHEAD. WE NEVER HEARD HIM AND NEVER SAW HIM. WE WERE ABSOLUTELY DUMBFOUNDED. HOW COULD WE; A COUPLE OF 15000+ HR PLTS; WITH RATINGS OUT THE WAZOO; HAVE DONE SOMETHING SO DUMB? TURNS OUT WE HAD NOT TURNED UP THE VOLUME OF #1 COM; AND HAD FALLEN VICTIM TO A VISUAL ILLUSION. THE DEPARTING ACFT WAS ALSO A CESSNA AND BLENDED IN WITH THE BACKGND WHICH IS A LOW RISE AND FENCE LINE JUST SHORT OF THE APCH END OF THE RWY. THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF OUR ACFT WITH THE OTHER ONE COMBINED TO NEGATE ANY APPARENT MOTION; SO WE JUST DIDN'T SEE WHAT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT (MORE ACCURATELY; OFF TO THE 10 O'CLOCK POS) OF US. HAD WE STOPPED MOMENTARILY; TURNED UP THE VOLUME OR JUST PAID BETTER ATTN; WE WOULD HAVE SEEN HIM; THE CHAIN OF EVENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN BROKEN; AND NO CONFLICT WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE. THE OTHER ACFT MIGHT ALSO HAVE TURNED ON HIS STROBE; LNDG AND TAXI LIGHTS. AS PIC; I BEAR FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INCIDENT. THAT HAVING BEEN SAID; I FEEL THAT EVERYONE SO EQUIPPED SHOULD ILLUMINATE THEIR STROBES; LNDG AND/OR TAXI LIGHTS AND IT WOULD BE EASIER TO IDENT MOTION OR OTHER ACFT AGAINST A CLUTTERED BACKGND. WE DO THIS AIRBORNE FOR RECOGNITION -- WHY NOT ON THE GND DURING TKOF LIKE VIRTUALLY ALL THE 14 CFR PART 121 OPERATORS DO?