IMC IN VFR FLT -- NON INST RATED PLT CONTINUES TO DSND BELOW THE CLOUDS UNTIL BELOW 500 FT AGL.

Narrative

I LEFT SAV WITH CLR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS FROM THE E; WHICH WERE FORECAST TO CHANGE TO THE W. ABOUT COLUMBUS; GA; I BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER CLOUDS BUT NOT LOW ENOUGH TO CAUSE A CHANGE OF ALT. AS I CONTINUED W TO SEM I WAS TRACKING WITH A GPS WHICH I HAD PURCHASED BEFORE MAKING THE TRIP AND WAS PROBABLY OVER CONFIDENT IN. AS I NEARED MGM I WAS FORCED LOWER TO STAY BELOW THE CLOUDS. I PASSED OVER FRANKLIN (07A); BUT DID NOT SEE IT IN THE TREES. I LOOKED FOR IT IN CASE I HAD TO COME BACK TO LAND. AS I NEARED MGM I PLANNED TO SLIDE S OF MGM'S CLASS C AIRSPACE AND PICK UP THE HWY TO SEM. FIRST SE OF MGM I LOOKED AT THE MAP AND REALIZED THAT SW OF MGM WERE NUMEROUS TWRS THAT HAD ELEVATIONS ABOVE THE CLOUD CEILING. I CALLED MGM APCH AND THEY SAID THEY HAD IMC CONDITIONS AND TO STAY CLR OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. I DECLARED AN EMER AND WAS ALLOWED TO FLY IN AND LAND. THE TWR CALLED ME AT FBO AND LATER MR X FROM BIRMINGHAM'S FLT STANDARDS CALLED ME. LATER THAT DAY I LEFT MGM WITH A 1300 FT CEILING AND 5 MI VISIBILITY. AS I LEFT I WAS GIVEN A VFR XPONDER CODE AND DEPARTED ON RWY 10 WITH A R TURN OUT. I CIRCLED THE FIELD AND FOLLOWED THE HWY OUT TO THE W. THE CEILING WAS SOON ABOVE 5000 FT WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AS I CONTINUED W. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS PROBABLY THE NEW GPS WHICH I WAS NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH. IT PROVIDED WONDERFUL INFO; BUT ABOVE MY ABILITY TO USE EFFECTIVELY. THE SECOND FACTOR WAS THE REALIZATION THAT THE CEILING WAS LOWER THAN MOST OF THE TWRS ON THE MAP AND I WAS NOT POSITIVE OF MY EXACT LOCATION. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION FOR ME IS TO GET TO WORK AND OBTAIN AN INST RATING ALLOWING ME TO WORK WITHIN THE SYS INSTEAD OF HAVING TO TRY TO MOVE AROUND IT.