FSS PUSHED FOR GETTING A CLRNC IN THE AIR AFTER DEP BELOW THE ATL CLASS B. PLT AGREED BUT HAD DIFFICULTY MAKING RADIO CONTACT. HE ENDED UP IMC BEFORE CONTACT WAS MADE.

Narrative

FILED IFR FLT PLAN WITH ANDERSON BY TELEPHONE. BRIEFER HAD INDICATED CEILINGS APPROX 1500 FT 1 HR EARLIER. RECENTLY LANDED PLT INDICATED AS LOW AS 700 FT AGL IN PLACES BUT 1500 FT OTHER. THE RCO (REMOTE COM OUTLET) THERE IS SOMETIMES CONFUSING TO USE (? CONNECTS TO TELEPHONE) AND BRIEFERS HAVE SOMETIMES SEEMED IRRITATED AND ENCOURAGED ME TO OBTAIN CLRNC IN THE AIR. I THOUGHT I COULD REMAIN VFR AND OBTAIN CLRNC FROM ATL APCH. HOWEVER ON CLBOUT I ENTERED SCATTERED CLOUDS AT APPROX 500 FT AGL AND FELT I WAS TOO LOW TO CIRCLE SO I CALLED APCH ON PUBLISHED FREQ 119.8 AND TRIED TO REMAIN VFR. THAT PROVED IMPOSSIBLE SO I PAID ATTN TO FLYING THE PLANE AND USED IFR APPROVED GPS MOVING MAP TO STAY OVER ARPT. FINALLY REACHED ATL APCH ON A DIFFERENT FREQ 119.3 (LAST ONE USED ON ARR DAY BEFORE) AND WAS VERY GRATEFUL TO PICK UP A CLRNC. WAS IN CLOUDS APPROX 3 MINS WITHOUT A CLRNC. I THINK I MAY HAVE INCORRECTLY CALCULATED THE ZULU TIME (DAYLIGHT VERSUS STANDARD TIME) WHEN FILING THE FLT PLAN; WHICH FURTHER DELAYED ATLANTA APCH IN FINDING IT. IN FUTURE IF ANY QUESTION OF CEILING AT AN UNCTLED FIELD I WILL GET A CLRNC BY PHONE OR RCO. NEVER AGAIN WILL I ALLOW MYSELF TO MAKE THIS MISTAKE.