@denverpilot FSS was picking up on the increased static. I also noticed RF bleed over to the Comm 1, as I was getting an RX flag. However, it's expected since the antennas are mounted next to each other and the freq was only off by .5 MHz.
I could barely understand FSS over the VOR, as it was mostly static. He was maybe 3/3, if that. HIWAS was also cutting in and out during his Tx covering him up. But I'm guessing that's a VOR issue. The main issue is, I'm pumping out a ton of static, on TX, if the NAV is selected. Also I'm almost never making FSS out. Towards the end of the contact he was was roaming in and out of the noise floor. I finally had to tell him I could no longer hear him and thanked him for his help. All I heard back was increased static.[/QUOTE]
Deconstruct this thinking about the systems involved...
FSS hearing static on your transmission: The path is your mic, through the audio panel, to the transmitter, his receiver, maybe a phone line or microwave path, and for all intents and purposes, his ears. The only way he can hear any static sourced in your airplane is if the Nav audio is somehow crossed over to your mic (not supposed to be possible in the audio panel unless it's midwifed) or being picked up by your mic -- was the overhead speaker on?
You hearing static and breakup on the audio being fed to the VOR: The HIWAS has to be interrupted whenever he keys his mic. It shouldn't be mixing that audio. I'm surprised there's one of these out there (but not discounting it) anymore. Most VORs with Comm capability only send their ID and the ones with HIWAS recordings don't have any Comm capabilities. Which VOR was it?
There is a common audio link there that could be injecting noise -- the land line or microwave link carrying the audio to the VOR transmitter site.
Wouldn't have been a perfect test, but did you try flipping over to Comm 1 for transmit from your end? Maybe the SL30 is out of whack and throwing spurs, but if you heard problems on the Nav receive on the top radio also, sounds like a ground problem with the audio path feeding the VOR transmitter. Ever hear any static on it when you weren't talking to him, like over the Ident (mixed with it) or wiping out the ident completely (audio problem at the transmitter site).
These things often linger if they're ground based audio problems because it takes multiple aircraft reports of problems or the FSS folks reporting it multiple times before anyone goes and checks it out on-site, and since it can be a problem in the aircraft, the first report often gets stashed until more come in.
If you were hearing the HIWAS loop recording fine prior to calling FSS and telling them you were listening on the VOR, it's probably in the FSS to VOR audio path.
Heck... It's just as likely the briefer's headset cord was trashed or their PTT switch was noisy/not working right, as anything, from the description. Lots of places that audio path can fail, have to work from one end to the other to find it.
(Says the call center teleconferencing telecom guy, who got hundreds of tickets of "noise on the conference bridge" over the years, only to find someone with a bad headset cable making noise who wasn't muted, who when muted, all the folks complaining said the noise "on the bridge" went away. Hehehehe.)
