A CESSNA 340 IN CRUISE AT 16000 FT HAS COM FAILURE BUT CAN HEAR CTR AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO SAFELY COMPLETE THE FLT.

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ON JUN/MON/00; I DEPARTED CHA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO SRC. I WAS SINGLE PLT IFR WITH 1 PAX. WX CONDITIONS WERE LEVEL 3 AND 4 BUILDUPS ENRTE REQUIRING THE USE OF AIRBORNE RADAR AND STORM SCOPE. APPROX 100 MI E OF MEMPHIS THE ACFT LOST THE ABILITY TO XMIT ON BOTH RADIOS. I PUT IN A SQUAWKED CODE TO ALERT ATC OF 7777. ATC RECOGNIZED THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO XMIT AND ASKED IF I COULD HEAR THEM TO PRESS MY IDENT BUTTON ON THE XPONDER. I DID AND ATC RESPONDED ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD I WAS NOT ABLE TO XMIT BUT COULD HEAR AND SAID THEY WOULD MONITOR MY SIT AND PASS ON MY CONDITION TO CTLRS AS I MOVED THROUGH VARIOUS SECTORS. MY FLT PATH CAUSED ME TO FLY OVER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE NEAR MEMPHIS. I WAS THEN ASKED TO PUT IN A DIFFERENT XPONDER CODE I BELIEVE IT WAS XXXX. THE FLT CONDITIONS WERE CHALLENGING. I BEGAN TO PICK UP SOME ICE FROM FREEZING RAIN AT 16000 FT. I ENGAGED THE BOOTS ON MY WINGS TWICE AND MADE A DECISION IF I HAD TO ENGAGE THEM 1 MORE TIME I WOULD MAKE A DSCNT. I WAS PASSED ON TO THE SECOND CTLR AND THINGS WENT WELL. I WAS PASSED ON THE THIRD CTLR AS I MOVED THROUGH THE AIRSPACE AND APPARENTLY HE WAS NOT NOTIFIED THAT I HAD A LOST COM SIT. AT APPROX 68 MI OUT OF SEARCY I WAS STILL AT 16000 FT; MY GPS UNIT INDICATED I WOULD NEED DSND AT A RATE OF 1000 FPM TO LAND AT SRC. I WAS STILL IN INST CONDITIONS; I BEGAN MY DSCNT OUT OF 16000 FT TO LOWER ALTS AND THE CTLR QUERIED ME ABOUT WHY I WAS BEGINNING A DSCNT ASKING THAT IF I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS TO PUSH THE IDENT BUTTON; I WAS NOT IN VFR; SO I DID NOT PUSH THE IDENT BUTTON BUT DID AT 13000 FT; ENTER VFR CONDITIONS. HE CONTINUED TO QUERY ME ABOUT WHY I WAS MAKING A DSCNT. AT THIS POINT I SWITCHED FROM ZME TO LITTLE ROCK APCH (BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS TIME TO DO SO HAVING FREQUENTLY FLOWN THIS RTE) FREQ 119.5 AND PUT IN 7777 TO ALERT THEN THAT I HAD A COMS OUTAGE (I NOW KNOW THAT 7600 IS THE CORRECT COM FAILURE SQUAWKED CODE); BUT LITTLE ROCK UNDERSTOOD THAT I HAD A COMS OUTAGE. I LANDED SAFELY AT SRC. SHORTLY AFTER I LANDED I CALLED THE JONESBORO FSS AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. SHORTLY AFTER THAT A MEMBER OF THE SEARCY POLICE DEPT DROVE TO MY ACFT AND ASKED IF EVERYTHING WAS ALL RIGHT INDICATING THAT HE HAD BEEN CALLED BY THE TWR IN LITTLE ROCK WHEN THEY LOST RADAR COVERAGE ON OUR ACFT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS OK AND CALLED THE TWR IN LITTLE ROCK AND LET THEM KNOW THAT I WAS OKAY.