PLT IN SMA; IMC; UNABLE TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH CTLR AT ZDV FOR APCH CLRNC. RADIO COVERAGE LIMITATION.

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MY WIFE AND SON AND I WERE ON AN IFR FLT FROM 3NO-OFK- ONL-ANW-VTN. BEFORE XING ONL WE FLEW INTO CONSTANT RAIN/SNOW. WE CHKED WX AND WERE TOLD ANW AND VTN WERE BELOW MINIMUMS. ENRTE FROM ONL TO ANW WE WERE TOLD THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST ABOUT 40 MI E OF ANW; AND WERE TOLD TO RPT POS 20 MI E OF ANW. WE RPTED POS 20 E OF ANW; AND HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME RECEIVING ZMP. WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT ZDV. WE CALLED AND COULD NOT MAKE CONTACT. WE HEARD A GARBLED ALTIMETER SETTING. I THEN TRIED TO REESTABLISH CONTACT WITH MINNEAPOLIS; NOW BEING NEARLY OVER THE ANW VOR (AND ARPT). I COULD NOT ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH EITHER ZMP OR ZDV. BEING OVER THE ANW VOR; AND HAVING NO CONTACT WITH CTR; FLYING IN SOLID IMC WITH RAIN AND SNOW; AND KNOWING BOTH ANW AND VTN WERE BELOW MINIMUMS AND LOWERING; I FELT I SHOULD FLY THE APCH AT ANW. I CONTACTED THE ANW UNICOM; WHO RPTED NO TFC; AND ASKED THEM TO CONTACT ZDV TO TELL THEM I WOULD FLY THE ANW VOR APCH; WHICH THEY DID. I FLEW THE APCH AND LANDED AT ANW WITHOUT DIFFICULTY OR INCIDENT. WITHIN 1/2 HR AFTER LNDG; WE WERE IN A FULL SCALE BLIZZARD AT ANW. I WAS REPRIMANDED BY ZDV FOR LNDG WITHOUT A CLRNC. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE HELD AT THE ANW VOR AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT FSS OVER THE VOR FOR A CLRNC. CONSIDERING THE WX; IF I HAD BEEN REQUIRED TO HOLD FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME OR HAD PROCEEDED TO VTN; I WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO LAND. IN SPEAKING WITH PLTS AT ANW; I AM TOLD IT IS COMMON IN THE ANW-VTN AREA TO NEED TO BE AT 7000-8000 FT TO CONTACT CTR. I FEEL THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS INCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF ADEQUATE COMS FACILITIES IN THIS AREA. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WERE MY LACK OF PRIOR IFR EXPERIENCE IN THE AREA; AND THE RAPIDLY DEGRADING WX CONDITIONS (INCREASING MY ANXIETY) AND MY FAILURE TO THINK TO TRY FSS OVER THE VOR FOR A CLRNC BEFORE FLYING THE APCH.