SMA DEPARTS ARPT WITHOUT WX BRIEFING. CAUGHT IN DETERIORATING WX CLBS INTO CLOUDS. ALSO HAD XMITTING PROBS.

Narrative

THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT HAD BEEN TO MAKE A TOUR OF THE LCL AREA. SINCE THE FLT WAS LCL AND MY TELEPHONE WAS OUT OF ORDER I DID NOT OBTAIN A WX BRIEFING. THE TELEVISION NEWS WX HAD CALLED FOR AFTERNOON CLRING SO I DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THE FLT WITH THE MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED. FOR ABOUT 1/2 HR I TOURED THE AREA 10 MI W OF Q68 (PINE MOUNTAIN LAKE) IN A VFR 'BUBBLE.' AS I RETURNED TO Q68 IT HAD BECOME OBSCURED. WHILE ENRTE TO MY ALTERNATE ARPT; O22 (COLUMBIA); IT HAD ALSO BECOME OBSCURED. THE VFR BUBBLE THEN COLLAPSED TO GND LEVEL. IN ORDER TO INSURE THAT I WOULD CLR ANY TERRAIN IN THE AREA I STARTED A CLB AND A HDG TO THE W AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS WHICH FORCED ME TO ASCEND INTO THE CLOUDS. TO FIND THE NEAREST VMC I GOT IN CONTACT WITH RANCHO MURIETA FSS. UPON MAKING CONTACT WITH RANCHO MURIETA AND BEFORE REQUESTING WX; I LOST THE XMIT FUNCTION WITH MY RADIOS. RANCHO MURIETA THEN HAD ME CHANGE FREQ TO ZOA. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS AFTER TKOF I HAD ASCENDED TO 7000 FT MSL; HDG W AND WAS TRYING ALL THE AUDIO PANEL SETTINGS TO SEE IF I COULD FIND A SETTING THAT WOULD WORK. I THEN RAN INTO SNOW SO I DECIDED TO DSND TO AVOID IT. IN DSNDING I RAN INTO A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS WHICH APPEARED TO HAVE PLENTY OF ALT BTWN THE CEILING AND THE GND. I MADE A CIRCLING DSCNT UNDER THE CEILING; HEADED W INTO CLR WX AND LANDED AT O27 (OAKDALE). I BELIEVE THAT IF I HAD GONE THROUGH THE EFFORT TO GET AN AVIATION WX BRIEFING I MAY HAVE TAKEN OFF A COUPLE OF HRS LATER WHEN THE WX HAD CLRED. THEN AFTER TAKING OFF I FAILED TO REALIZE HOW QUICKLY THE CLOUDS COULD OVERTAKE ME. I HAD TAKEN OFF IN THE SIMILAR CONDITIONS AND HAD GOTTEN USED TO IT. THE RADIO PROB TURNED OUT TO BE CAUSED BY A BROKEN WIRE IN MY PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH. I HAD ALSO FAILED TO REMEMBER THAT I COULD HAVE USED MY HAND MIKE AS A BACKUP.