NMAC.

Narrative

DURING CRUISE CLB AT ABOUT 3000 FT MSL ON A HDG OF APPROX 340 DEGS; ANOTHER ACFT (C-172 OR C-182) SUDDENLY CAME INTO VIEW JUST ABOVE THE TOP OF THE INST PANEL AT ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK. THE OTHER ACFT WAS TRAVELING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; IN LEVEL FLT; IN A 20 TO 30 DEG R BANK. THERE WAS NO TIME FOR ME TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. THE BANK ANGLE MAY INDICATE THE OTHER ACFT WAS TAKING EVASIVE ACTION (THE OTHER ACFT APPEARED TO BE AN OHIO HWY PATROL ACFT -- IT MAY HAVE BEEN FLYING AN OVAL PATTERN). 3 FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NEAR MISS: SLIGHT NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE DUE TO CRUISE CLB. MORE FREQUENT CLRING TURNS WOULD HELP. I WAS PRACTICING NAV BY PILOTAGE (XCHKING TERRAIN FEATURES WITH THE DETROIT SECTIONAL CHART); ALTHOUGH HAVING DUAL VORS; LORAN C; AND ADF. THE ACFT RADIO STATION LICENSE HAD EXPIRED; AND DESPITE CONSIDERABLE EFFORT; I HAD BEEN UNABLE TO OBTAIN AN FCC 404 FORM. THEREFORE VHF XMITTER; XPONDER; AND DME WERE NOT BEING USED TO AVOID FCC RULES VIOLATION. I HAD MONITORED CTAF AT THE DEP (3G6) ARPT; AND THEN AT 4G3 AND HAD JUST SWITCHED TO MONITOR AKRON-CANTON APCH CTL. SAFETY WOULD HAVE BEEN ENHANCED BY USING AT LEAST XPONDER WITH MODE C DESPITE LACK OF CURRENT LICENSE! THE XPONDER HAD JUST BEEN RECERTIFIED!