PREMATURE DSCNT IN EXECUTING IAP VOR APCH. POS DEV. ALTDEV ALT EXCURSION.

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WHILE VFR OVER THE TOP OF A FOG UNDERCAST; I CALLED TRAVIS APCH; ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A POP-UP VOR APCH INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF DAVIS ARPT. I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A VFR DSCNT TO 2000 FT. TRAVIS HAD GIVEN ME A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE RADIAL WHICH FORMS THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 16. I ASKED TRAVIS TO RADAR THE FINAL APCH FIX AND THEY AGREED. TRAVIS CLRED ME FOR THE APCH BUT DID NOT GIVE ME AN ALT; WHICH I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR. I DSNDED; INSTEAD; TO THE MSA AND; WHEN MY VOR NEEDLE INDICATED FINAL APCH FIX OUTBOUND; I DSNDED TO THE PUBLISHED PROC REVERSAL ALT. AT THIS TIME I WAS IN AND OUT OF THE TOPS OF CLOUDS. TRAVIS COULD NOT SHOW ME ESTABLISHED AND; IN FACT; STATED I WAS 2 MI W OF COURSE. THEY ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE ANOTHER GO; BUT I DECLINED. THEY HANDED ME OFF TO SAC APCH WHERE I WAS VECTORED FOR A SUCCESSFUL ILS TO SMF. THERE WERE MANY FACTORS THAT LED TO THE BOTCHED VOR APCH. 1) MY VOR NEEDLES; WHEN CTRED; WERE NOT ACCURATE; AS PROVEN BY TRAVIS TELLING ME I WAS OFF COURSE. 2) WHEN CLRED FOR THE VOR; I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED A MINIMUM ALT. I WAS NOT ASSIGNED A '...MAINTAIN XXXX FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED....' INSTEAD; I DSNDED TO MSA AS PUBLISHED ON THE PLATE. 3) TRAVIS WAS GOING TO IDENT THE FINAL APCH FIX BUT WHEN I SHOWED MYSELF PASSING THE FINAL APCH FIX THEY DID NOT INFORM ME OF PASSAGE. I WAS PROBABLY DISTRACTED BY MY INABILITY TO GET ON COURSE DUE TO THE UNCALIBRATED; OR ERRONEOUS NEEDLE INFO. 4) I THINK THE COMS WITH A MIL APCH FACILITY WAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I WAS USED TO. I GOT THE FEELING HE DID NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I AM GETTING BOTH VOR RADIOS CALIBRATED. IN THE AIR; WITH 1 COMPARED TO THE OTHER; THEY WERE IN TOLERANCE. I DO NOT FEEL; ANYMORE; THAT THIS IS A GOOD CHK.