Air Carrier taxiing to the gate at DEN experienced difficulty with radio equipment frequency selection and appropriate procedures to follow regarding ATC and company requirements.
Synopsis
Air Carrier taxiing to the gate at DEN experienced difficulty with radio equipment frequency selection and appropriate procedures to follow regarding ATC and company requirements.
Narrative
After clearing 35L; I contacted Ground and relayed our gate information; received taxi clearance M to CN to ramp; and acknowledged the clearance. I looked up the Ramp frequency on the company chart and looked over to VHF 1. The flight deck lighting conditions made it appear the Control Head light indicating the active frequency was for the window closest to me so I tuned the far window to Ramp. I completed my after landing flow and attempted my Company Ground call. I received no answer so I checked the switch on VHF 2. It indicated correctly so I tried Company again. Still no answer so I checked the company chart; which showed I was on the correct frequency. I tried Company again and this time received an answer. As I checked the ATIS slip to confirm the gate was the same; the Captain said we had switched to Ramp too early mentioning taxiing traffic ahead. I looked up saw an aircraft exiting the ramp turning North and one coming from our right; which was slowing to a stop. I looked at VHF 1 saying I didn't intend to switch windows so I flipped the switch toward me and attempted to reach Ground; but I was still on Company. I pushed the button on the communication control panel for VHF 1 as I checked VHF 1 again and noticed I was on Tower because I had changed the window that was on Ground Control to Ramp. I started looking up Ground Control on the company airport chart; but we were approaching the gate so I contacted Ramp Control for clearance to the gate and then began wondering what had just happened. Preventative Measures:'I check the active window on the radios 98% of the time by checking the switch position on the radio; but it seemed very clear which indicator light was on. If; like the -300; the inactive window lined out; or if the control head had a single window you changed frequencies on and used an arrow switch to move it to the active window like our NAV radio; it would greatly assist in preventing error.
Second reporter narrative
After landing during taxi in; I was focusing on the correct taxi route to the gate. Approaching the ramp area; I noticed two other airplanes that might become a conflict with our planned route. There was no mention from ATC regarding these two airplanes. I mentioned this to the First Officer. During his troubleshooting of the situation; he realized we had prematurely switched to Ramp Control from Ground Control. After his discovery; we were close enough to call Ramp for clearance to the gate; which we did. I never felt that there was any danger of collision or runway incursion or I would have stopped the airplane immediately. The urgency to contact Company for the 'on the ground' call and the Audio Panel Selector switch back lighting being intermittent may have been contributing factors.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.