SAY AGAIN?

Imagine you’re well into downwind leg, things going about right, when you look down and see ground personnel moving another bird onto the runway for launch. But you already called in, and they should know to wait till after you’ve landed, right? A second call is surely in order, but before that, check your frequency, or power, or any number of other links in the chain. A flaw does lie somewhere, and there’s a fifty-fifty chance it lies at your end. Radio communication is useful and necessary, but quite worthless unless both parties to any dialogue are entirely functional. It’s at best a chain with lots of breakable links. Here’s a brief overview of what could go wrong the next time you key your mic.POWERIn our game, everybody’s power source is a battery that’s subject to running down or getting old, either of which lead to unreadable transmissions — or untransmitted ones. Exceptions are base radios that can be inadvertently unplugged, or wired-up crew vehicles with their own idiosyncrasies… Oh, and make sure it’s turned on, too.ELECTRICALTeensy little wires in microphones, behind speakers, and under antennae, or who knows what inscrutable components inside the set itself, any of which can be disconnected, broken or fried. And there may be more than just one or two…ANTENNAExternal antennae are subject to rust and corrosion where they’re connected, and portables commonly loosen over time. It’s a good idea to check and tighten the antenna before using any hand-held, and if you have a remote mic on a curly cord, better check that too.TUNINGFailure to be on the right frequency can spoil even a casual local flight, and make cross-country a logistical nightmare. Many newer radios are so lightly constructed, if you clumsily bump a button with the back of a knuckle it might easily change the setting, a little or a lot.TIMEElectronics are amazing, but one thing they cannot do is heal. Weather, galvanic corrosion, and varmints can destroy components gradually, while myriad moments of inadvertent physical abuse do it quicker. (In commercial use this one issue may compound a hundredfold!)TIMINGBeing ‘stepped on’ by someone else on the same frequency, whether nearby or far away. It happens often, but you’ll never know it… unless someone explains it to you later. And let’s not forget the ubiquitous stuck mic (yours or theirs). Happens all too often.POSITION OF MICNot all communication breakdowns are electrical in nature. Some pilots hold microphones too close to their mouth, or not close enough, or too near an open air vent, any of which can make effective coms difficult or impossible. (In the ASK 21, keeping the vent closed can cause a squeal that obscures your voice over the radio.)SPEECH ITSELFA common language only works if actual understanding takes place. I know fine pilots who speak fluid American, but talksofast youcanbarelyunderstand them. Even if it’s only me hearing slower, they’d still do well to trade speed for clarity. At the other extreme, those who key their mic before they know what to say… Just hope their battery does die.DUMB AND DEAFOne candidate for the dumbest mistake is having your volume turned down and never knowing it. Even dumber is being the open mic doofus, and blurting a distasteful bunch of %*$&?# that you can never, ever take back… I’ve been guilty of these, sure — but yeah, probly not you…For the rest of us anyway, run of the mill stupidity often plays a part. Last week, once again someone staged for launch after I turned downwind, but insisted later they never heard me make a call. Thinking back, I realized that indeed I never made that call! So let’s put outright delinquency on the list as well, ‘cause you can bet I’m not the first to commit that particular sin, nor the last.As these fubars multiply they tend to both obscure and reinforce each other. All may apply to anyone involved, while each party also cultivates their own different problems concurrently! Even in our low energy field of powerless flight, it’s easy to imagine scenarios where simple coms failure becomes… worse than inconvenient so to speak.There’s plenty more to say on this topic, but these few lines should make the case that neither radio - nor those who use it - can ever be fully trusted. Copy?Over and out.