PA28-161 PLT CLBED 500 FT ABOVE ASSIGNED ALT; PARTLY DUE TO DISTR WITH ESTABLISHING COM WITH CTR CTLR. ATC CTR WAS HAVING RADIO COM DIFFICULTY.

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I DEPARTED SSF; TX; ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND CLRNC. I HAD BEEN CLRED WITH RADAR VECTORS BY SAT DEP (127.5) ON A HDG OF 140 DEGS TO INTERCEPT V163; CLBING TO 5000 FT; OUT OF 2500 FT ALT RESTR. AT 5000 FT; THE CLRNC LEVELOFF ALT; AT APPROX YENNS INTXN ON V163; I RECEIVED A FREQ CHANGE TO ZHU. THE HOUSTON RADIO WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND UNTIL THEY SELECTED ANOTHER XMITTER; AFTER SEVERAL TRIES; THEN THEY CAME IN LOUD AND CLR. THE ZHU CTLR GAVE ME AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 30.04. MY SETTING ON DEP FROM STINSON HAD BEEN 30.08; AS I REMEMBER IT. THE ZHU CTLR THEN ASKED WHAT OUR ALT WAS. I RPTED '5500 FT; DSNDING.' I REACHED 5000 FT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMMENT FROM THE CTLR AT HOUSTON. DURING THE BROKEN RADIO COM WITH ZHU; WHICH CAME ALMOST AS I REACHED LEVELOFF ALT (5000 FT) I WAS OPERATING AT CLB PWR (2500 RPM) AND HAD NOT REDUCED TO CRUISE PWR (2300 RPM) AND INADVERTENTLY CLBED THROUGH THE ASSIGNED ALT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH COM. THIS WAS THE FIRST 'ALT BUST' THAT I HAVE MADE IN OVER 600 HRS OF IFR FLT EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER; I HAD NEVER ATTEMPTED TO ESTABLISH OR ANSWER COM WITH ANYONE -- AT A CRITICAL LEVELOFF OR PWR CHANGE POINT BEFORE; WHEN FLYING SINGLE PLT IFR.