Narrative:

Our location was between meeow and robey intxns on the bonham 4 STAR for dfw. When I realized that we were still tuned into ZME which was coming in weak. We should have been communicating with ZFW. I asked the first officer to contact ZME for a frequency. At the same time, a company flight contacted us on guard frequency and told us to contact our chief pilot. I didn't quite understand that message. I asked that flight for a frequency. He did not have one. During this time, the first officer was given a frequency by ZME and was in contact with ZFW. The first officer told me what ATC had told them. ATC had asked our air carrier dispatch to send a frequency change via ACARS. We had received no ACARS messages. We found out later that the ACARS was not functioning correctly when we attempted to obtain the changeover and the connecting gate information. Upon gate arrival, a mechanic and chief pilot were waiting for us. The mechanic was there to check our communications for failure and the chief pilot was there to ask some questions. The chief pilot stated that ATC was attempting to contact us for about 1 1/2 hours, which I find to be untrue. We were listening to ATC and probably a period of approximately 30 mins or less passed since our last communication. 1 1/2 hours is about 1/2 the total flight time of our trip. The chief pilot also stated that fighter aircraft were or were about to be dispatched to intercept us. Later, I spoke with the dispatcher assigned to the flight. He said that each time he attempted to send an ACARS message the system rejected it. This was after we sent numerous messages to one another about the WX and the ride conditions. He also said that he tried to contact us via satellite -- which we did not receive. After absorbing all that had happened, I can understand the extra concern but cannot understand why we either might have missed numerous radio calls or that we drifted out of the last ATC sector without a frequency to contact.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 CREW, ON A FLT FROM LGA TO DFW, WERE WITHOUT VHF COMS WITH ATC LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE CONCERN.

Narrative: OUR LOCATION WAS BTWN MEEOW AND ROBEY INTXNS ON THE BONHAM 4 STAR FOR DFW. WHEN I REALIZED THAT WE WERE STILL TUNED INTO ZME WHICH WAS COMING IN WEAK. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH ZFW. I ASKED THE FO TO CONTACT ZME FOR A FREQ. AT THE SAME TIME, A COMPANY FLT CONTACTED US ON GUARD FREQ AND TOLD US TO CONTACT OUR CHIEF PLT. I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THAT MESSAGE. I ASKED THAT FLT FOR A FREQ. HE DID NOT HAVE ONE. DURING THIS TIME, THE FO WAS GIVEN A FREQ BY ZME AND WAS IN CONTACT WITH ZFW. THE FO TOLD ME WHAT ATC HAD TOLD THEM. ATC HAD ASKED OUR ACR DISPATCH TO SEND A FREQ CHANGE VIA ACARS. WE HAD RECEIVED NO ACARS MESSAGES. WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE ACARS WAS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN THE CHANGEOVER AND THE CONNECTING GATE INFO. UPON GATE ARR, A MECH AND CHIEF PLT WERE WAITING FOR US. THE MECH WAS THERE TO CHK OUR COMS FOR FAILURE AND THE CHIEF PLT WAS THERE TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS. THE CHIEF PLT STATED THAT ATC WAS ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT US FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS, WHICH I FIND TO BE UNTRUE. WE WERE LISTENING TO ATC AND PROBABLY A PERIOD OF APPROX 30 MINS OR LESS PASSED SINCE OUR LAST COM. 1 1/2 HRS IS ABOUT 1/2 THE TOTAL FLT TIME OF OUR TRIP. THE CHIEF PLT ALSO STATED THAT FIGHTER ACFT WERE OR WERE ABOUT TO BE DISPATCHED TO INTERCEPT US. LATER, I SPOKE WITH THE DISPATCHER ASSIGNED TO THE FLT. HE SAID THAT EACH TIME HE ATTEMPTED TO SEND AN ACARS MESSAGE THE SYS REJECTED IT. THIS WAS AFTER WE SENT NUMEROUS MESSAGES TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THE WX AND THE RIDE CONDITIONS. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE TRIED TO CONTACT US VIA SATELLITE -- WHICH WE DID NOT RECEIVE. AFTER ABSORBING ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED, I CAN UNDERSTAND THE EXTRA CONCERN BUT CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE EITHER MIGHT HAVE MISSED NUMEROUS RADIO CALLS OR THAT WE DRIFTED OUT OF THE LAST ATC SECTOR WITHOUT A FREQ TO CONTACT.

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.