TEMPORARY LOSS OF RADIO CONTACT.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM MGW TO HEF. THE CONDITIONS OUT OF MGW WERE VFR BUT SOON TURNED TO IMC AT 5000 FT. I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH ZDC (133.65) AND WAS TOLD TO RPT KESSEL VOR DUE TO LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT. ABOUT 6-7 MI BEFORE KESSEL; CTR GAVE ME AN AMENDED CLRNC (V4 TO ARMEL THEN DIRECT HEF). ALSO; CTR ASKED THAT I IDENT; AND RADAR CONTACT WAS MADE; BUT I STILL NEEDED TO RPT PASSING KESSEL VOR. UPON PASSING KESSEL VOR; I TRIED TO RPT TO CTR BUT GOT NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I TRIED A COUPLE OF MORE TIMES TO NO AVAIL. NEAR WINCHESTER ON V4 AN ACR PLT CONTACTED ME AND ASKED IF I HAD BEEN RECEIVING CTR -- THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH ME. I TOLD THE ACR PLT THAT I HAD RECEIVED CTR EARLIER BUT NOT LATELY. HE PASSED ON TO CTR THAT I HAD BEEN RECEIVING THEM BUT NEVER TOLD CTR OF MY PROBS RECEIVING THEM. THE ACR PLT PASSED ALONG A NEW FREQ FOR DULLES APCH. I CALLED DULLES AND THE CTLR GAVE ME A DIRECT CLRNC TO HEF. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS ROUTINE. THE LOSS OF COM OCCURRED BECAUSE; I BELIEVE; DUE TO TOO LOW OF AN MEA. I WOULD SUGGEST; AND I WILL FILE IN THE FUTURE; THAT A MORE PROPER ALT WOULD BE 7000 FT EBOUND. ALSO; I SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT DULLES APCH ON MY OWN. HOWEVER; I WAS IN HARD IMC AND HAD MY HANDS FULL FLYING THE PLANE (NO AUTOPLT). MY JUDGEMENT WAS QUESTIONABLE BY NOT RECOGNIZING THAT I WAS NOT RECEIVING CTR. I HEARD OTHER PLTS TALKING SO I KNOW THE RADIOS WERE ALL RIGHT. IT NEVER DAWNED ON ME THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION (THE CTR PART) WAS MISSING UNTIL THE ACR PLT CALLED. I NEVER HEARD ANYONE TRYING TO CONTACT ME; SO I ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS OK. A LESSON THAT I WILL REMEMBER FOR YRS TO COME.