SMA ON IFR FLT PLAN IS GIVEN WRONG FREQ BY APCH FOR CONTACTING TWR. FREQ HAD BEEN CHANGED. ENTERED ATA WITHOUT CONTACT.

Narrative

WHEN TAMPA APCH HANDED ME OFF TO SPG TWR; I WAS 6 MI OUT. I HEARD 120.4 AS THE TWR FREQ; ALTHOUGH THAT MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT I HEARD BECAUSE IT IS WHAT I EXPECTED. I CALLED TWR TWICE ON COM 1 WAITING A BIT BTWN CALLS. THINKING THAT PERHAPS MY RADIO HAD FAILED; I TUNED COM 2 TO 120.4 AND CALLED TWICE. NEXT; I FELT THAT I MUST BE ON AN INCORRECT FREQ AND CHKED THE TWR FREQ ON THE APCH PLATE. SINCE IT WAS 120.4; I ASSUMED I HAD HAD BOTH COMS FAIL OR THE TWR WAS NOT IN OP. AT THIS POINT; I WAS DIRECTLY OVER SPG AT PATTERN ALT AND FELT THAT I SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR OTHER TFC SO I CALLED MY POS ON 120.4 THROUGHOUT MY APCH AND LNDG. I LOOKED FOR BUT SAW NO LIGHTS FROM TWR. I DID SEE 1 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND FOLLOWED IT; WONDERING WHY THEY WERE NOT RPTING POS. WHEN I TAXIED BY THE TWR; THEY CALLED ME ON 120.4 AND TOLD ME THEY WERE NOW ON 124.4. I FEEL THAT THE 2 FREQS ARE VERY HARD TO DISTINGUISH. HAD I NOT BEEN IN THE PATTERN; I WOULD HAVE SWITCHED BACK TO TAMPA APCH TO TELL THEM I COULD NOT RAISE SPG TWR; BUT I WANTED TO KEEP MY EYES OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT. ADDITIONALLY; SINCE I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND COM FAILURE WAS A POSSIBILITY; I CONTINUED TO LAND. I WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT SPG TWR HAD NO IDEA I WAS APCHING; AND APPARENTLY DID NOT SEE ME UNTIL AFTER I LANDED. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TAMPA APCH WOULD HAVE WARNED THEM. I FEEL THAT IN FREQ CHANGES SUCH AS 120.4 TO 124.4 EVERYONE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL TO MAKE SURE THE FREQ IS READ BACK CORRECTLY. ADDITIONALLY; I THINK THAT FOR ANY FACILITY WHICH CHANGES FREQ; THEY SHOULD MONITOR THE OLD FREQ UNTIL APCH PLATES; AFD; AND SECTIONALS ARE UPDATED TO THE NEW FREQ. SPG TWR DID CALL ME ON 120.4 SO MONITORING THE FREQ WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. I AM AWARE OF A SIMILAR SIT AT ATHENS; GA; WHERE A TWR WAS RECENTLY INSTALLED. THEY DO NOT MONITOR THE OLD UNICOM FREQ AND I HAVE HEARD PLANES IN THE PATTERN ON UNICOM WHILE THE TWR WAS TRYING TO CONTACT THEM.