AN AIR CARRIER PILOT REPORTS THAT HF COMMUNICATIONS DO NOT WORK WITH THE NEW COMMERCIAL RADIO SERVICE IN SBGL AND MOST AREAS OF SOUTH AMERICA. THE RESULT IS THIS AIR CARRIER'S AIRCRAFT ARE UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH DISPATCH IN VIOLATION OF THE COMPANY'S FOM.

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CAPT WAS ON THE FLT DECK FIRST AND COMMENCED INITIALIZING THE ACARS. NO COM LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY PREVENTING NORMAL LOAD OPS. THIS TOOK MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL. WHEN TRYING TO UPLINK THE RTE AND WINDS ON THE FMC; SIMILAR PROB WITH THE UPLINK AS ACARS WAS INTERMITTENT. CAPT TRIED USING SATCOM IN PRIORITY HIGH AND WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH DISPATCH. CAPT THEN ATTEMPTED TO USE HF RADIOS AGAIN TO NO AVAIL. SINCE ACARS WAS OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY SOME MESSAGES WERE GOING BACK AND FORTH. DISPATCH ADVISED THAT COMRDO WAS TRYING TO CALL US ON FREQ XXYY AND XXZZ. THE 2 FO'S AND CAPT WERE UNABLE TO ESTABLISH ANY COM ON THOSE OR ANY OTHER FREQS. WHILE WE HAD INTERMITTENT OPS DISPATCH ADVISED THAT ACARS ON THE GND WAS A PROB LATELY IN SBGL AND THAT IT MAY IMPROVE AIRBORNE. CAPT THEN REQUESTED IN WRITING AUTH TO VIOLATE THE FOM AND TKOF WITH NO COMPANY COMS; AS IT MAY IMPROVE AIRBORNE. CAPT WAS CONCERNED AS ANOTHER CAPT WAS TAKEN OFF FLT STATUS RECENTLY FOR DELAYING A FLT DUE TO MAINT. DISPATCH THEN RESPONDED; WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE MESSAGES THAT THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZING ANYTHING; JUST ADVISING THE CREW OF THE PROB. AFTER A SHORT WHILE AND PAST DEP TIME; CAPT WAS ABLE TO FORCE SATCOM BY CONTINUOUS RESETTING AND FORCING THE HIGH PRIORITY GAIN CTLR ENABLING COM WITH DISPATCH AND WAS SATISFIED THAT THE CREW COULD ESTABLISH COMPANY COMS PER THE FOM. SINCE THE CAPT IS ALSO AN FAA CERTIFIED A&P MECH HE HAS MORE INSIGHT INTO MAINT THAN THE AVERAGE LINE PLT; WHICH HELPED RESOLVE THE ISSUE. ACARS ALSO SEEMED TO NOW WORK NORMALLY. HOWEVER; AS ALWAYS CREW WAS NEVER ABLE TO SPEAK TO COMRDO VIA HF RADIOS. TRIED TO COMMUNICATE VIA HF AIRBORNE MANY TIMES TO NO AVAIL. EVER SINCE ACR ELECTED TO STOP USING THE OTHER HF RADIO OPERATORS IN SOUTH AMERICA ACFT ARE UNABLE FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF TIME TO COMMUNICATE VIA HF RADIOS TO COMRDO; FOR A PHONE PATCH; UNTIL CLOSE TO THE CARIBBEAN. COMMUNICATING TO SOUTH AMERICAN ATC ON HF DOES NOT FULFILL THE REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN COMPANY COMS WITH DISPATCH; AS THOSE ATC CONTRACT RADIO OPERATORS HAVE NO CLUE WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TO GET A PHONE PATCH TO DISPATCH. BESIDES THEY ONLY KNOW AND SPEAK POS RPT ENGLISH; THEY CANNOT COMMUNICATE IN NORMAL ENGLISH FOR ANYTHING ELSE. IF AN ACFT HAS A DIRE EMER AND HAS NO SATCOM AND THE HF COMS DO NOT WORK IN SOUTH AMERICA; IT COULD BE AN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING SITUATION FOR ANY CREW TO ENCOUNTER. PER ADDITIONAL PROCS IN FLT MANUAL FOR RELIEF PLT DUTIES; AT AIRPLANE; IT STATES PERFORM HF RADIO CHK. THE NEW PROC THE COMPANY TEACHES; IE; XMITTING ON 1 HF WITH ANY RANDOM FREQ SELECTED ON 1 HF AND THE SAME FREQ IN THE OTHER HF RECEIVING DOES NOT ESTABLISH ANY CONTACT WITH COMRDO TO OBTAIN A SELCAL CHK. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET A SELCAL CHK FROM COMRDO AIRBORNE EITHER IN DEEP SOUTH AMERICA. THIS PROC IN MY HUMBLE OPINION IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE FOM AND OR REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN COMPANY COMS; ESPECIALLY IF SATCOM IS INOP. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A SELCAL CHK ON THE GND OR IN THE AIR IN BRAZIL FROM COMRDO. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT WITH HOUSTON RADIO IN THE PAST; BUT DUE TO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE THOSE FREQS PUBLISHED IN OUR MANUAL ANYMORE. THIS BEGS THE QUESTION AS TO HOW MANY COMPANY ACFT ARE OPERATING IN THE INTL ARENA IN VIOLATION OF THE FOM REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COMPANY COMS AT ALL TIMES?