LOW TIME PLT JURY-RIGGED RADIOS WHICH EVENTUALLY BECAME UNUSABLE BECAUSE OF FAULTY ANTENNA. ENTERED CTLED ARPT WITHOUT RADIOS.

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BOTH COM #1 AND COM #2 HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN PULLED FROM ACFT FOR SVC (INTERMITTENT RECEPTION). IN PLACE OF THESE RADIOS; I CHOSE TO USE AN A-20 HANDHELD. I USED A 6 INCH LENGTH PIECE OF 50 OHM COAX CABLE AND 50 OHM BARREL TO CONNECT THE A-20'S ANTENNA JACK TO THE VACATED BNC JACK IN THE RG'S AVIONICS STACK. I ALSO CONNECTED A HEADSET ADAPTOR AND PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH TO THE A-20. FROM STOCKTON TO PAO; I MADE RADIO CHKS ALONG THE COURSE OF FLT. OTHER THAN SOME RPTS FROM LUK TWR AND STOCKTON APCH THAT THE XMISSION WAS A LITTLE WEAK; THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE RECEPTION WAS UNDERSTANDABLE. FOR EXAMPLE; I CONTACTED LIVERMORE TWR AT ABOUT 7 MI OUT. I HAD ALSO BEEN ON FLT FOLLOWING PREVIOUS TO PAO. I ASSUMED THAT ALL WAS OK. AFTER RECEIVING PAO ATIS NEAR LIVERMORE; I SWITCHED TO PAO TWR FREQ AT APPROX 10 MI OUT AND DID RECEIVE IT LOUD AND CLR. HOWEVER; WHEN I GOT TO LESLIE SALTS (APPROX 6 MI FROM PAO); THE A-20'S RECEPTION BECAME BROKEN UP. I RADIOED PAO TWR SEVERAL TIMES AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. A NEARBY ACFT RECEIVED MY XMISSION AND RPTED TO PAO TWR THAT AN ACFT HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THEM; BUT THAT THE XMISSION WAS BROKEN UP AND MOSTLY UNREADABLE. AT THIS POINT; I CHOSE TO ROCK MY WINGS AND TURN ON THE LNDG LIGHT. I FORGOT TO SQUAWK 7600; AS I HAVE NEVER PRACTICED USING THE SQUAWK CODE BEFORE. I THEN CHOSE TO CHANGE THE ANTENNA ON THE A-20 FROM THE OUTSIDE UNIT TO THE STICK ANTENNA AND ALSO UNPLUG THE HEADSET ADAPTER CORD FROM THE RADIO; FREEZING THE RADIO FROM ALL EXTERNAL INFLUENCES. SUDDENLY; ALL RECEPTIONS AND XMISSIONS WERE CLR; BUT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR OBSTACLE REMAINED: THE A-20'S UP/DOWN FREQ SCAN BUTTONS ARE ALWAYS ACTIVE! BEFORE THE FLT; I HAD ATTACHED THE HEADSET ADAPTER CORD TO CARRYING STRAP LOOP ON THE SIDE OF THE RADIO TO KEEP THE CORD FROM BEING PULLED OUT DURING FLT. UPON ENTERING THE PATTERN; I PICKED UP THE A-20 TO XMIT MY INTENTIONS. WHILE PICKING UP THE RADIO; ONE OF THE PHONE RECEPTACLES THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE CORD HIT THE 'UPSCAN' BUTTON ON THE A-20 AND CHANGED FREQ FROM '118.60' TO '118.65.' THIS ERROR OCCURRED TWICE -- ONCE ON DOWNWIND AND ONCE ON BASE -- LEAVING ME IN A PANIC. I WAS ALREADY FEELING A LOT OF STRESS FROM THE RADIO FAILURE THAT HAD OCCURRED OVER LESLIE SALTS. EACH TIME I NOTED THE FREQ HAD CHANGED ON THE A-20 I LOST SITUATIONAL CTL OF THE ACFT. FOR EXAMPLE; I LOST ALT AND DID NOT PUT THE GEAR DOWN UNTIL TURNING BASE -- I USUALLY HAVE THE GEAR DOWN BEFORE ENTERING THE PATTERN! ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT AFFECTED MY PERFORMANCE IN THE ACFT WAS LACK OF A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. I HAD STAYED OVERNIGHT IN STOCKTON BECAUSE OF POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS ALONG THE RTE BACK TO PAO. I DID NOT SLEEP WELL THIS NIGHT AND FELT GROGGY THE MORNING OF THE FLT. I ALSO HAD DOUBTS ABOUT THE RADIO HOOK-UP USING THE A-20; FOR I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSES OF PREVIOUS RADIO RECEPTION PROBS IN THE ACFT'S COM SYS ARE NUMEROUS AND MAY INCLUDE POSSIBLE ANTENNA-RELATED ISSUES. I CHOSE TO USE THE ACFT'S ANTENNA SYS DESPITE HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT ITS PERFORMANCE. HAVING THIS HUNCH; I DID CALL PAO TO WARN THEM THAT I WAS HEADING THEIR WAY AND THAT I MIGHT ENCOUNTER RADIO PROBS IN THE PATTERN. UNFORTUNATELY; I GOT AN ANSWERING MACHINE. I CHOSE NOT TO LEAVE A MESSAGE AS I FIGURED THAT I WOULD GET THERE BEFORE THE MESSAGE PLAYED. IN THE FUTURE; I'LL TAKE MY HUNCHES MORE SERIOUSLY!