PLT ENCOUNTERS FOG AT DEST AT NON TWR ARPT. RECEIVES SVFR FROM CENTER.

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UPON ARRIVING IN THE EMPORIA AREA WE WERE SURPRISED TO FIND A WIDE BAND OF HVY GND FOG COVERING THE EMPORIA AREA. I HAD TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO REACH WICHITA FLT SVC BEFORE ARRIVING; BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET A RESPONSE. I BELIEVE I MIGHT HAVE SOME RADIO PROBLEMS. IN TALKING WITH EMPORIA; I FOUND THEY HAD 400 FT CEILINGS WITH THE ARPT COVERED WITH FOG. BUT IT WAS VFR ON TOP; NO CLOUDS AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED. WE WERE CIRCLING THE AREA TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER TO RETURN TO BARTLESVILLE; OR WAIT FOR THE FOG TO LIFT. SINCE WE WERE CLR ON TOP; IT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND THAT THE CTL ZONE WAS EFFECTIVE. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT I FLEW IN THE CTL ZONE WITHOUT KNOWING IT. SINCE WE NEVER SAW THE ARPT I AM NOTE SURE IF I ACTUALLY WAS IN THE CTL ZONE. AS FAR AS SAFETY WAS CONCERNED; SINCE IT WAS CLR VFR ON TOP; I DON'T THINK I PRESENTED ANY THREAT TO OTHER TFC. AFTER CIRCLING ABOUT 45 MINS TO THE S AND E OF THE ARPT WHERE IT WAS MUCH CLRER; WE DECIDED TO TRY AND HAVE A LOOK AND SEE WHERE THE CEILING WAS. WE FOUND IT TO BE ABOUT 1000 FT. A PLT DEPARTING EMPORIA TOLD US THE FREQ TO USE TO GET SVFR ON 123.5. I CALLED AND GOT SVFR AND WENT ON INTO THE ARPT. I WAS CLRED TO ENTER THE CTL ZONE AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE LCL FREQ. UPON LNDG; I TRIED TO CONTACT KANSAS CITY; WAS UNABLE. AFTER PARKING THE PLANE; I NOTICED ANOTHER PLANE ON APCH. I ASSUMED THAT I DIDN'T NEED TO CONTACT ZKC SINCE ANOTHER PLANE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR LNDG. AS FOR FLT PLANNING IT WAS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST. I GOT MY DUAT WX; AND ALL STATIONS WERE RPTING CLR; WITH EMPORIA RPTING PATCHY FOG; 10 MI VISIBILITY AND CLR. SINCE I HAD BEEN TO EMPORIA 3 OTHER TIMES SINCE MAY; I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT FOR WX. IN BARTLESVILLE; IT WAS CLR AND VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT A MILLION MI. SINCE I ONLY FLY ON NICE CLR DAYS; AND CONSIDER MYSELF A VERY CONSERVATIVE PLT; WHEN I ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT I HAD EXPECTED; AND TRY TO AVOID; I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO. THE THINGS I AM STILL NOT SURE OF: DID I NEED TO CONTACT CENTER AND CANCEL SVFR CLRNC? SECOND WAS CIRCLING OVER THE ARPT A VIOLATION; WHEN I WAS IN VFR ON TOP OF THE FOG? THIRD; I MAY NOT HAVE MAINTAINED 1000 FT ABOVE THE FOG WHILE CIRCLING IN THE ARPT AREA. I THINK MORE STRESS NEEDS TO BE PLACED ON WHAT TO DO IN UNUSUAL SITUATIONS. ALSO THE NEED TO CONTACT FSS DIRECTLY.