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An air carrier B757 flight crew reports that ord tower and ground control radio xmissions are very weak while other aircraft and ground vehicle xmissions are normal. This situation requires the reporter to adjust the radio volume to a level that causes the aircraft and vehicle radio xmissions to be too loud and distracting.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 401950 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199805 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : ord |
| State Reference | IL |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| ASRS Report | 401950 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | other physical facility |
Narrative:
95% of the time that I'm at ord airport the xmissions from ground and tower control are very weak while all the airplane and vehicle xmissions are very loud. I can see if you are sitting in a quiet office this would not seem like a big problem. When you are out in the flying environment it's a big distraction and another irritant in the big equation. It has to do with the safe operation of the airplanes. This would not be a problem for a pilot or radio operator if that person has already lost a big part of their hearing. You can tell who they are by the setting of their volume control. But for someone who still has most of their original hearing it's both painful and irritating. When I mention to ground control they are coming in very weak there is always some old voice coming from another airplane saying it sounds fine to them. So the problem never gets fixed. There are a few controllers that sound okay. Maybe the problem is in the headsets that most of them are issued or maybe it's an antenna problem. Whatever it is I would appreciate it if the problem could be at least recognized.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR B757 FLC RPTS THAT ORD TWR AND GND CTL RADIO XMISSIONS ARE VERY WEAK WHILE OTHER ACFT AND GND VEHICLE XMISSIONS ARE NORMAL. THIS SIT REQUIRES THE RPTR TO ADJUST THE RADIO VOLUME TO A LEVEL THAT CAUSES THE ACFT AND VEHICLE RADIO XMISSIONS TO BE TOO LOUD AND DISTRACTING.
Narrative: 95% OF THE TIME THAT I'M AT ORD ARPT THE XMISSIONS FROM GND AND TWR CTL ARE VERY WEAK WHILE ALL THE AIRPLANE AND VEHICLE XMISSIONS ARE VERY LOUD. I CAN SEE IF YOU ARE SITTING IN A QUIET OFFICE THIS WOULD NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG PROB. WHEN YOU ARE OUT IN THE FLYING ENVIRONMENT IT'S A BIG DISTR AND ANOTHER IRRITANT IN THE BIG EQUATION. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE SAFE OP OF THE AIRPLANES. THIS WOULD NOT BE A PROB FOR A PLT OR RADIO OPERATOR IF THAT PERSON HAS ALREADY LOST A BIG PART OF THEIR HEARING. YOU CAN TELL WHO THEY ARE BY THE SETTING OF THEIR VOLUME CTL. BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO STILL HAS MOST OF THEIR ORIGINAL HEARING IT'S BOTH PAINFUL AND IRRITATING. WHEN I MENTION TO GND CTL THEY ARE COMING IN VERY WEAK THERE IS ALWAYS SOME OLD VOICE COMING FROM ANOTHER AIRPLANE SAYING IT SOUNDS FINE TO THEM. SO THE PROB NEVER GETS FIXED. THERE ARE A FEW CTLRS THAT SOUND OKAY. MAYBE THE PROB IS IN THE HEADSETS THAT MOST OF THEM ARE ISSUED OR MAYBE IT'S AN ANTENNA PROB. WHATEVER IT IS I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF THE PROB COULD BE AT LEAST RECOGNIZED.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.