ALTDEV ALT OVERSHOT ON DSCNT DURING APCH PROC.

Narrative

ON A FLT FROM SCAPPOOSE TO SALEM BROKEN CLOUDS FORCED ONE LOWER FROM 3500 ASL OVER HILLSBORO TO 1600 FT MSL JUST N OF THE ATA. ABOUT 25 MI N OF SALEM ARPT LISTENED SEVERAL TIMES TO ATIS; COULD NOT HEAR RWYS IN USE; THOUGHT I HEARD 'WIND CALM' AND ALTIMETER SETTING IDENTICAL WITH VALUE AT SCAPPOOSE; CEILING 1800 BROKEN. EITHER VERY POOR QUALITY TAPE OR TROUBLE WITH MY RECEIVER. SWITCHED TO TWR AND HEARD 16 AND 13 IN USE. TWR ASKED ME TO CALL 4 MI OUT. BEFORE I WAS THAT CLOSE TWR TOLD ME TO FOLLOW SMA ON L BASE. QUERIED TWR WHETHER THEY WANTED ME TO FLY A L BASE OR CONTINUE STRAIGHT IN; WHILE LOOKING FOR TFC; BUT NOT SEEING IT TWR CHIDED ME THAT IT WAS THE TFC THAT WAS ON L BASE. THEN MY PLT PAX SPOTTED THE OTHER SMA ON BASE AND ABOVE US. MY ALTIMETER READ 1250 FT AND TFC WAS AT 3 MI WHEN I SAW IT TURN FINAL BUT LOST IT ON ITS DSCNT. IT WAS DRIZZLING NOW AND VISIBILITY WAS POOR. I STARTED A SLOW DSCNT AS TWR HAD CLRED ME TO LAND WITH MY ATTN FOCUSED ON WHETHER THE PLANE I FOLLOWED HAD CLRED THE RWY AND THE # 16 AND TOOK 2 CLOSE TOGETHER RED LIGHTS FOR SOME OBSTRUCTION TILL THE TWR ORDERED ME TO CLB BECAUSE I WAS EXCESSIVELY LOW. I THEN REALIZED THE TWO RED LIGHTS WERE A VASI AND CLBED TO RED/WHITE; BEFORE RESUMING MY APCH TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. MOST OF MY FLYING IS AT UNCTLED ARPTS. I HAD NOT FLOWN A PLANE WITH A RADIO FOR SEVERAL MONTHS; SINCE I HAD BEEN BUILDING MY TAIL DRAGGER TIME AT AN UNCTLED ARPT WITH RWYS SHORTER THAN 2500 FT. OH YES; I KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY ON VASI AND FLARE 800 FT DOWN THE RWY. TWR CALLING TFC EXCESSIVELY EASILY; DRIZZLE; NO LIGHTS; LNDG OR STROBE; ON SMA I HAD TO FOLLOW CONTRIBUTED TO ME NOT RECOGNIZING THE TWO RED LIGHTS FOR A 'YOU ARE DEAD' VASI. THE POOR ATIS TAPE AND THE IRRITATION OF THE CTLR WITH SUNDAY TFC DID NOT HELP EITHER. AFTER LNDG MY ALTIMETER READ 220 FT; AND THE LORENTZ SAID WE WERE 1/4 MI OUT.