Tower reporting weak transmission

texasclouds

texasclouds

En-Route
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
4,361
Location
Bryan, Texas
Display Name
Mark
Home Airfield
Coulter Airfield CFD
So my local class D airport is complaining about my radio transmissions being weak. ATC departure reported loud and clear, as did the destination tower/ground. My local says i have always been weak and sometimes unreadable.

is it possible for a radio to be weak on one channel?

Bendix KX 125
 
Yes, weak on the ground; however they have been using a single frequency in tower/ground. I plan to do a radio test on the dedicated ground freq next time.
 
Arnold said:
We have found antenna connection issues to be the cause of weak transmissions.
Click to expand...

This

Also the antenna can be directionally shadowed.

Get a SWR meter and check the readings when transmitting.
 
They like com2 much better. I’ll look into disconnecting and reconnecting the antenna connections.
 
If antenna connections are good..check your readability with a handheld radio if possible.

As long as you have good modulation, you should be readable. Be sure you have your mic close to your mouth when talking. Mic gain on your transceiver can be adjusted to help if necessary. If you have access to a handheld , get a friend to listen and test your transmissions with your headset(s) and hand mic. Listen to find out if you have a problem with a mic on your headset.

A strong carrier with poor modulation is not very readable....

If your modulation is good, test signal strength with a field strength meter or watt meter/ swr meter like Forane recommended.
 
What do they mean by "weak"? If weak audio, it could be mic, connector, etc. if weak signal (noisy, not getting through) it could be antenna, cable, transmitter. Because aircraft us amplitude modulation (AM), there is crossover between the two, but a good description of the problem can help get started.
 
Our Class C if you're IN the T-Hangar rows, neither side can hear well ... have to get al up in/at the movement line away from the hangars and all is well ...
 
I’ve received reports of 2x4 and 2x2 on com1 118.5, then switched to com2 and received 4x5. Same freq.

com1 got 5x5 reports on two different approach freqs and another airports tower freq that day.

i flew again yesterday evening, had to leave on com2. In the way back i used flight following on com1 with good results, switched to tower and got complaints. Switched to com2 and tower was happy happy happy.

yesterdays flight was with a different headset.
 
Could also be that one or the other transmitters are off frequency.
 
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