GA SMA ACCEPTED AN IFR CLRNC WITH A FREQ ASSIGNMENT KNOWING HE DID NOT HAVE THE FREQ ON HIS COM RADIO. SAYS HE THOUGHT IF HE GOT CLOSE IT WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH.

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BECAUSE IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT; SPI TWR WAS CLOSED AND SO WAS THEIR APCH CTL. I FILED MY FLT PLAN (IFR) WITH ST LOUIS FSS OVER THE PHONE AND I COPIED MY CLRNC FROM THEM OVER THE RADIO PRIOR TO TKOF. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT KANSAS CITY ARTCC ON 127.27 AFTER TKOF. I TOOK OFF ON RWY 22 AND TURNED N TO CLB OUT. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO 5000 FT. MY RADIO WAS NOT CAPABLE OF A .27 FREQ; BUT FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND INSTRUCTION; THE AGENCY COULD BE CONTACTED ON A .25 OR .50 FREQ. I TRIED BOTH; BUT NO CONTACT. I FIGURED THAT I WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF REACHING THEM AT A HIGHER ALT. I WAS CALLING THEM ON CLBOUT; BUT NO CONTACT. I FINALLY CALLED ST LOUIS FSS AND INFORMED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. I WAS GIVEN A DIFFERENT FREQ. I TOLD FSS ABOUT MY RADIO'S INABILITY TO DIAL IN THE FREQ ASSIGNED BUT THAT I HAD HOPED TO REACH THEM ON THE OTHER FREQS. FSS SAID THAT I SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED THEM OF MY INABILITY TO DIAL IN THE ASSIGNED ALT FREQ. SINCE IT'S A COMMON PRACTICE TO DIAL IN THE CLOSEST FREQ; I SUGGEST THAT YOU PUT THE WORD OUT TO THE EFFECT THIS PRACTICE IS WRONG. IF A PLT CANNOT DIAL IN THE EXACT FREQ THAT HE IS GIVEN; HE IS APPARENTLY SUPPOSED TO SAY SO.