MIL HELI PLT HAS DIFFICULTY CONTACTING TWR ON UHF. DEPARTS CTL ZONE WITH LESS THAN VFR WX.

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PLT FILED A VFR FLT PLAN FROM ISP TO OQU. PLT TRIED TO CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY ON UHF; GOT NO RESPONSE; THEN TRIED TWR WITH NO RESPONSE. IN THIS ACFT THE ONLY RADIO WAS A UHF. AFTER 5 MINS OF TRYING TO CONTACT THE TWR; PLT THOUGHT THE TWR WAS CLOSED. PLT THEN CLRED THE ACFT AND HOVERED OUT TO THE HELIPAD. PLT THEN LOOKED AROUND FOR ARRIVING AND DEPARTING ACFT. WITH NO ACFT IN SIGHT; PLT TOOK OFF FROM HELIPAD AND CONTACTED NY APCH CTL FOR ADVISORIES. IT WAS THEN THAT THE CTLR INFORMED THE PLT HE HAD DEPARTED ISP WITHOUT A CLRNC. HE THEN GAVE ME A SQUAWK CODE AND I PROCEEDED TO MY DEST. UPON MY RETURN TO ISP; TWR ASKED ME TO CALL THEM. WHEN I CALLED THEM; THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE DEP PROB (DEP WITHOUT A CLRNC WHEN THE ARPT WAS IFR 2 MI VISIBILITY). WHEN I EXPLAINED THE ABOVE INFO TO THEM; THEY AGREED THEY WERE HAVING UHF RADIO PROBS; BUT I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THEM ON THE TELEPHONE TO GET A CLRNC PRIOR; SINCE THE TWR WAS OPEN SINCE 0600. I OFFERED MY APOLOGY; AND TOLD HIM THAT I WILL MAKE IT A POINT TO CARRY A HAND-HELD VHF RADIO WHENEVER I FLY A UHF ONLY EQUIPPED ACFT. I THEN ASKED THE TWR IF MY DEP CAUSED A PROB; HE SAID NO; BUT ZNY CALLED TWR ABOUT MY DEP AND HE HAD NO INFO ON IT. AT THAT TIME WAS WHEN I CONTACTED NY APCH FOR ADVISORIES. DURING MY TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH TWR; THE TWR OPERATOR WAS BOTH INFORMATIVE AND COURTEOUS.