LOST COM DURING APCH. HAND MIKE NOT ATTACHED.

Narrative

I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN JUST ABOVE BASE OF CLOUDS BEING VECTORED BY APCH FOR A VOR/VISUAL APCH TO TEB. ANOTHER PLANE HAD JUST BEEN TURNED ON TO FINAL WHEN I LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH THE APCH CTLR AND RECEIVED NO OTHER ACFT. FINDING THIS OUT AFTER I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED ON TO FINAL APCH COURSE I ATTEMPTED COMMUNICATING WITH 2 RADIOS ON BOTH THE ASSIGNED FREQ AND OTHER PUBLISHED APCH FREQ AND TWR WITHOUT SUCCESS. I TRIED BROADCASTING FOR 'ANYONE RECEIVING;' WITHOUT SUCCESS. MEANWHILE I DSNDED OUT OF THE CLOUDS TO 2500 FT WHERE I WAS VFR. I FINALLY ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH COLDWELL GND CTLR (121.9) AND THROUGH A LAND LINE SHE VECTORED ME BACK TO THE FINAL APCH. I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO CONTACT TEB TWR AND LAND. MY HAND HELD WAS NOT ATTACHED TO ITS ANTENNA AND HAVING ESTABLISHED CONTACT I DID NOT TRY TO USE IT TO SAY THE LEAST MY APCH WAS SLOPPY BUT I ELECTED TO MAINTAIN VFR RATHER THAN ASCEND BACK INTO THE CLOUDS. DURING THE SIT I TRIED 2 HEAD SETS (BUT FORGOT THE FREE MIKE). THERE WAS NO SIDE BAND INDICATING A STUCK MIKE SWITCH AND I WAS ABLE TO TALK NORMALLY WITH COLDWELL AND SUBSEQUENTLY TEB WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. POST LNDG RADIO CHK BY A SHOP FOUND NO ABNORMALITIES OTHER THAN A POOR MIKE ON MY 2ND HEAD SET. THE MAJOR PROB WAS THAT CONTACT WAS LOST JUST BEFORE TURNING ON TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE AND I THOUGHT I WAS BEING TAKE PAST THE FACILITY FOR SPACING. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO DSND TO VFR AND MAKE CONTACT. NEXT TIME MY HAND HELD WILL BE CONNECTED.