PLT OF SMA LOST COM WITH CTR. LOST FREQ. SCRAMBLED TO FIND APPROPRIATE FREQ. REGAINED COM.

Narrative

I WAS ON V485 S OF FLW CLRED FOR THE FERNANDO 3 ARR OHIGH TRANSITION TO VNY. I WAS TRYING TO THINK AHEAD AND TUNED IN AND LISTENED TO THE VNY ATIS; THEN SET VNY TWR FREQ IN THE STANDBY FREQ WHEN I WENT TO TALK TO LA CTR AND REQUEST LOWER; I DISCOVERED I HAD TURNED MY ACTIVE RADIO AND ERASED THE FREQ. I WAS TALKING ON AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS AS I HAD NEGLECTED TO WRITE IT DOWN. I HURRIEDLY SCANNED MY CHARTS AND TRIED TO FIND A FREQ TO REESTABLISH COM AND TRIED TO REMEMBER THE LOST COM PROC. I FOUND A FREQ FOR BUR APCH BUT THEY DID NOT ANSWER. I FINALLY CALLED ANYONE ON 121.5 AND GOT BUR APCH. THE CTLR SWITCHED ME TO HIS FREQ AND COORDINATED WITH LA CTR TO GET ME BACK IN THE LOOP. MEANWHILE I REALIZED I HAD FLOWN PAST OHIGH INTXN BY A FEW MI AND HAD DSNDED BELOW MY ASSIGNED ALT BY 300-400 FT. I GOT BACK ON COURSE AND ALT AS QUICKLY AS I COULD. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE FOLLOWING FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT. I HAD NOT FLOWN AT NIGHT FOR QUITE A WHILE AND HAD NOT FLOWN A LONG IFR TRIP FOR QUITE A WHILE ALSO SO I WAS TENSE BECAUSE I WAS NOT AS PROFICIENT AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I DID NOT WRITE ALL FREQS DOWN AS I SHOULD HAVE BECAUSE I WAS HAVING TO CONCENTRATE TOO MUCH ON ROUTINE FLYING AND PROC AS I WAS NOT PROFICIENT. I FORGOT THE RULE: AVIATE; NAV; THEN COMMUNICATE. SO I FLEW PAST MY TURN POINT AND DEVIATED FROM ALT WHILE I WAS TRYING TO REESTABLISH COM. MORAL: I NEED MORE PROFICIENCY TRAINING IN NIGHT AND IFR.