No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 4
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Workload; Troubleshooting; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure
At the time indicated the INW RCAG site experienced some sort of 'glitch' that caused constant background static on the Main and Standby receivers of R67. At the time that this occurred; the Controller was working approximately 10-13 aircraft (Monitor Alert Parameter; MAP17) and the position was staffed with a Radar Assist (RA) as well. The BUEC receiver located at P14 was out of service (OTS) as well. The static sounds like a stuck mic and it is difficult for controllers in that situation to verify receipt of control instructions. As a temporary fix; I was able to get 134.32 from R43 and have R67 try to get aircraft to that frequency. Due to range of that frequency that is only a short term fix to help in the moment. I was then able to combine R45 and R67 after all traffic was separated and comms verified. The reason for this report is that the problem is not an isolated occurrence. It happens several times a day with 133.92 and 128.12 (both on INW). The BUEC for 128.12 is working however. When this issue occurs; we FLMs call the SOC and comm resets the site. This sometimes corrects the issue for a period of time; however; it is not a permanent fix. It is unsafe for the controllers and aircraft to be put in a position where the frequency suffers a failure on what seems like a routine basis. (This was the 2nd occurrence today...the first just prior to my shift) At a minimum; the BUEC outage needs to be fixed ASAP. The INW RCAG site needs to be inspected to determine the cause of this issue. If it is not fixable then a longer term solution will need to be found. The other viable frequency in terms of sector coverage is 135.32 which is assigned to R92.
ZAB FLM reports of radio problems in various sectors that appears to be going on daily.