Small Transport
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 300; Flight Crew Total 2960; Flight Crew Type 2610
Human-Machine Interface; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Environment - Non Weather Related
Lost communications with ARTCC Cleveland Center. The flight departed BFD en route to ZZZ via ETG V33 [...]. We picked up the clearance and were released for departure through Cleveland Center while on the ground in BFD over 124.32 (Cleveland Center Bradford Sector). Once airborne; we checked in with the same frequency and received radar contact. This was the last time we heard Cleveland Center. Sometime later; approximately fifteen thorough twenty minutes an aircraft relayed a message to us that Cleveland Center was trying to contact us on 124.4 (Cleveland Center Altoona Sector). We acknowledged and reestablished communications with Cleveland Center. The rest of the flight continued without incident. Normally we receive a frequency change somewhere around our top of climb; in this case nine thousand feet. However; none was given or heard. As PIC I should have noticed this earlier and queried ATC. That said; there seems to be a significant gap in coverage in that area. This is most evident when approaching BFD from the south. A frequency change is given from 126.72 to 124.32 and it usually takes several minutes to raise a controller because of this weak signal. The typical scenario is that Cleveland Center is able to her us trying to check in but we are unable to hear them. It is my belief that this gap may have contributed to the lost communications. If the hand off was made we were not able to hear it.
Lost Comms with ARTCC. We contacted Cleveland Center on 124.32 upon start in BFD and picked up our clearance without incident. We contacted Cleveland Center airborne and were given radar contact. This was the last time we heard from them. No hand-off was given.The Captain was pilot on comms and I was pilot flying when he had just completed the VOR check and Engine trend monitoring sheet when we were contacted by an Air Carrier X jet with a relayed message to contact Cleveland Center on 124.4. We contacted Cleveland Center on 124.4 and the flight continued without any further incident.
Air taxi flight crew reported radio issues in the BFD airport area.