Narrative:

During preflight on jan 1997, a vot type check was made on the #1 and #2 VOR receivers. VOR #1 had a +4 degree error and VOR #2 had a -2 degree error. Although this indicated that the receivers were at the limits for IFR flight, since this flight was in VFR conditions, the readings were not cause for any concern. Based on WX briefings obtained from hawthorne FSS, a VFR flight was planned for our return down the coast. During the return flight (santa maria smx to mcclellen/palomar crq), the DME was giving obviously incorrect information in relation to known position. The flight was made with VFR flight following. We were provided with a discrete transponder code and TA's. Upon reaching santa catalina sxc, I advised ATC that I was making a turn direct to crq and initiating a VFR descent. I was given a new frequency for advisories. I switched to this frequency and made contact with ATC. I was also provided with the current WX at crq. I thanked the controller for providing this unsolicited information. To the best of my knowledge, I do not remember an acknowledgement from the controller. Looking ahead, it appeared that VFR conditions were deteriorating along the coastal area of san diego county. At this time I was operating VFR over the top, and pulled out my IFR charts and plates to increase my landing options. I attempted to contact the controller monitoring my flight in order to request a 'pop-up' IFR flight into crq. Realizing that other aircraft would be making the same request and that controllers frequently operate on more than one frequency, I was not overly concerned when my first 2 requests went unanswered. How it was discovered: since our present course would not allow us to maintain VFR conditions, and since I had not received an acknowledgement of my IFR request, I altered course to the north to maintain VFR conditions and attempted to contact ATC on the same frequency using the other radio. This resulted in ATC saying words to the effect that the transmission was unreadable and that the radio being used was unacceptable for communication. I switched back to the first radio and repeated my request. This resulted in the same response from ATC. Attempting to use different switch settings/headset/hand microphone combinations only resulted in intermittent communication. To the best of my recollection, I advised the controller that I was proceeding north in order to reach a position where I could make a VFR descent and continued VFR flight to crq. Since I was in VFR conditions with questionable radios, I was not going to attempt IFR flight, especially since I had plenty of fuel and unlimited VFR options to the north. The controller directed me to contact crq tower at this time. Intermittent contact was made with the tower at crq. I was asked for a position report, and based upon VOR readings from ocn and time/speed computations, I reported an estimated position about 10 mi north and west of crq. I am not sure if crq tower asked me to 'identify,' but I was told that radar contact was made. Tower also reported that conditions at crq were either 900 ft scattered or 900 ft broken. I descended to 1000 ft and remained in VFR conditions. Upon reaching the shoreline, I initially believed that I was south of the airport (crq). Forecast strong winds from the north and a lack of recognizable features were a factor in this decision. I turned and flew north. Approximately 1 min later I recognized features that put us in the vicinity of dana point. I was still in contact with crq tower, and I explained that I now had a definite VFR fix on my position, that I wanted to divert to sna and requested a frequency for a controller in my current sector. Crq tower acknowledged my request but offered to have me remain on crq tower frequency. (This was a terrific offer and probably well beyond the scope of their responsibility). Intermittent communications were made with ATC and I was able to acknowledge their instructions by pressing the identify feature on the transponder. Entering sna class D airspace, I was switched to tower frequency with no difficulty and an uneventful landing was made at sna. Postflt: I was unable to duplicate any communications problems on the ground. 2 days later I drove to sna to retrieve the aircraft and again, I was unable to duplicate the problems that I encountered. A handheld transceiver was brought along for this flight (jan 1997), but was not needed. Upon arrival at the aircraft's home base, the owner was notified.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 GND CHKED VOR SMX AND FOUND 4 DEG ERROR. ELECTED TO FLY VFR SMX-CRQ. WX ALONG COAST BELOW VFR. CALLED SAN APCH FOR IFR REQUEST BUT WAS UNREADABLE. ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR AND COM WITH CRQ TWR THOUGHT 10 MI N CRQ. SAW DANA POINT ON SHORELINE AND ELECTED TO DIVERT AND LAND SNA. UNABLE TO DUPLICATE COM PROBS ON THE GND. RETURNED THE ACFT THE FOLLOWING DAY AND ADVISED OWNER OF PROB.

Narrative: DURING PREFLT ON JAN 1997, A VOT TYPE CHK WAS MADE ON THE #1 AND #2 VOR RECEIVERS. VOR #1 HAD A +4 DEG ERROR AND VOR #2 HAD A -2 DEG ERROR. ALTHOUGH THIS INDICATED THAT THE RECEIVERS WERE AT THE LIMITS FOR IFR FLT, SINCE THIS FLT WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS, THE READINGS WERE NOT CAUSE FOR ANY CONCERN. BASED ON WX BRIEFINGS OBTAINED FROM HAWTHORNE FSS, A VFR FLT WAS PLANNED FOR OUR RETURN DOWN THE COAST. DURING THE RETURN FLT (SANTA MARIA SMX TO MCCLELLEN/PALOMAR CRQ), THE DME WAS GIVING OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT INFO IN RELATION TO KNOWN POS. THE FLT WAS MADE WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING. WE WERE PROVIDED WITH A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE AND TA'S. UPON REACHING SANTA CATALINA SXC, I ADVISED ATC THAT I WAS MAKING A TURN DIRECT TO CRQ AND INITIATING A VFR DSCNT. I WAS GIVEN A NEW FREQ FOR ADVISORIES. I SWITCHED TO THIS FREQ AND MADE CONTACT WITH ATC. I WAS ALSO PROVIDED WITH THE CURRENT WX AT CRQ. I THANKED THE CTLR FOR PROVIDING THIS UNSOLICITED INFO. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, I DO NOT REMEMBER AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE CTLR. LOOKING AHEAD, IT APPEARED THAT VFR CONDITIONS WERE DETERIORATING ALONG THE COASTAL AREA OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY. AT THIS TIME I WAS OPERATING VFR OVER THE TOP, AND PULLED OUT MY IFR CHARTS AND PLATES TO INCREASE MY LNDG OPTIONS. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE CTLR MONITORING MY FLT IN ORDER TO REQUEST A 'POP-UP' IFR FLT INTO CRQ. REALIZING THAT OTHER ACFT WOULD BE MAKING THE SAME REQUEST AND THAT CTLRS FREQUENTLY OPERATE ON MORE THAN ONE FREQ, I WAS NOT OVERLY CONCERNED WHEN MY FIRST 2 REQUESTS WENT UNANSWERED. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: SINCE OUR PRESENT COURSE WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS, AND SINCE I HAD NOT RECEIVED AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF MY IFR REQUEST, I ALTERED COURSE TO THE N TO MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ATC ON THE SAME FREQ USING THE OTHER RADIO. THIS RESULTED IN ATC SAYING WORDS TO THE EFFECT THAT THE XMISSION WAS UNREADABLE AND THAT THE RADIO BEING USED WAS UNACCEPTABLE FOR COM. I SWITCHED BACK TO THE FIRST RADIO AND REPEATED MY REQUEST. THIS RESULTED IN THE SAME RESPONSE FROM ATC. ATTEMPTING TO USE DIFFERENT SWITCH SETTINGS/HEADSET/HAND MIKE COMBINATIONS ONLY RESULTED IN INTERMITTENT COM. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION, I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I WAS PROCEEDING N IN ORDER TO REACH A POS WHERE I COULD MAKE A VFR DSCNT AND CONTINUED VFR FLT TO CRQ. SINCE I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS WITH QUESTIONABLE RADIOS, I WAS NOT GOING TO ATTEMPT IFR FLT, ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL AND UNLIMITED VFR OPTIONS TO THE N. THE CTLR DIRECTED ME TO CONTACT CRQ TWR AT THIS TIME. INTERMITTENT CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE TWR AT CRQ. I WAS ASKED FOR A POS RPT, AND BASED UPON VOR READINGS FROM OCN AND TIME/SPD COMPUTATIONS, I RPTED AN ESTIMATED POS ABOUT 10 MI N AND W OF CRQ. I AM NOT SURE IF CRQ TWR ASKED ME TO 'IDENT,' BUT I WAS TOLD THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS MADE. TWR ALSO RPTED THAT CONDITIONS AT CRQ WERE EITHER 900 FT SCATTERED OR 900 FT BROKEN. I DSNDED TO 1000 FT AND REMAINED IN VFR CONDITIONS. UPON REACHING THE SHORELINE, I INITIALLY BELIEVED THAT I WAS S OF THE ARPT (CRQ). FORECAST STRONG WINDS FROM THE N AND A LACK OF RECOGNIZABLE FEATURES WERE A FACTOR IN THIS DECISION. I TURNED AND FLEW N. APPROX 1 MIN LATER I RECOGNIZED FEATURES THAT PUT US IN THE VICINITY OF DANA POINT. I WAS STILL IN CONTACT WITH CRQ TWR, AND I EXPLAINED THAT I NOW HAD A DEFINITE VFR FIX ON MY POS, THAT I WANTED TO DIVERT TO SNA AND REQUESTED A FREQ FOR A CTLR IN MY CURRENT SECTOR. CRQ TWR ACKNOWLEDGED MY REQUEST BUT OFFERED TO HAVE ME REMAIN ON CRQ TWR FREQ. (THIS WAS A TERRIFIC OFFER AND PROBABLY WELL BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY). INTERMITTENT COMS WERE MADE WITH ATC AND I WAS ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR INSTRUCTIONS BY PRESSING THE IDENT FEATURE ON THE XPONDER. ENTERING SNA CLASS D AIRSPACE, I WAS SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ WITH NO DIFFICULTY AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE AT SNA. POSTFLT: I WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ANY COMS PROBS ON THE GND. 2 DAYS LATER I DROVE TO SNA TO RETRIEVE THE ACFT AND AGAIN, I WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBS THAT I ENCOUNTERED. A HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER WAS BROUGHT ALONG FOR THIS FLT (JAN 1997), BUT WAS NOT NEEDED. UPON ARR AT THE ACFT'S HOME BASE, THE OWNER WAS NOTIFIED.

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.