A B767 crew, in cruise at FL310, found VHF communications with ARTCC difficult.

Attributes
ACN	565700
Time
Date	200211
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : fmn.vortac
State Reference	NM
Altitude	msl single value : 31000
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zdv.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	565700
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Facility
Primary Problem	ATC Facility
Situations
ATC Facility	communication equipment : zdv.artcc

Narrative:

ATC facility: ZDV. Location: fmn VOR (farmington, NM). Could not understand ATC communications. Other aircraft complaining as well. Controller stated that this has been an ongoing problem and has not been fixed yet. Callback conversation with an airway facility specialist revealed the following information: indeed, there is an ongoing problem with ARTCC communications in the farmington, NM, area, rating it second in priority to be corrected! Many reasons were cited as potential causes of the problem, from drought causing dust, which leads to static interference, to installation of commercial communication towers near FAA transmitting equipment. Politics was also mentioned as a factor in slowing down progress.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767 CREW, IN CRUISE AT FL310, FOUND VHF COMS WITH ARTCC DIFFICULT.

Narrative: ATC FACILITY: ZDV. LOCATION: FMN VOR (FARMINGTON, NM). COULD NOT UNDERSTAND ATC COMS. OTHER ACFT COMPLAINING AS WELL. CTLR STATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROB AND HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH AN AIRWAY FACILITY SPECIALIST REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: INDEED, THERE IS AN ONGOING PROB WITH ARTCC COMS IN THE FARMINGTON, NM, AREA, RATING IT SECOND IN PRIORITY TO BE CORRECTED! MANY REASONS WERE CITED AS POTENTIAL CAUSES OF THE PROB, FROM DROUGHT CAUSING DUST, WHICH LEADS TO STATIC INTERFERENCE, TO INSTALLATION OF COMMERCIAL COM TWRS NEAR FAA XMITTING EQUIP. POLITICS WAS ALSO MENTIONED AS A FACTOR IN SLOWING DOWN PROGRESS.

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.