Definition
A standard radio phrase used by a pilot to advise ATC that the radio link is poor — caused by static, weak signal, garbled audio, or stuck microphone effects — and that transmissions should be kept short, repeated if needed, or limited to essential information until communications improve.
Plain English
It's a way of telling the controller, "My radio reception is bad — please keep it brief and expect that I may need things repeated." It's a heads-up, not an emergency.
Context Anchor
Used on the radio when a pilot or controller is dealing with weak signal, noise, interference, or any condition that makes speech hard to understand.
Why Pilots Care
It lets you quickly request a frequency change so you can keep receiving instructions and maintain safety.
Intuition Check
Do not treat this as casual complaining about the radio. In this context, it is a specific request for the other station to speak each phrase two times.
Example Sentence 1
"Center, Skyhawk Three-Two-Alpha, communication is difficult, request you say altitude assignment again."
Example Sentence 2
Hearing only static, the pilot transmitted "Communication is difficult" and waited for a new frequency assignment.