C172 PLT INADVERTENTLY XMITTED ON GUARD FREQ 121.5 IN ZNY CLASS E AIRSPACE.

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I AM RPTING THIS INCIDENT; NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE IT IN ITSELF WAS SERIOUS; BUT BECAUSE IT MIGHT HAVE LED TO MORE SERIOUS CONFUSION. SINCE THE 'MONITOR GUARD NOTAM;' I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR THIS TYPE OF EVENT TO BE CONSIDERED AS MUCH MORE PROBABLE TODAY THAN IN THE PAST. DURING CLBOUT FROM 39N; I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT NEW YORK ON 132.8. I HAD SET UP 121.5 FOR MONITORING ON MY SECOND RADIO; BUT FAILED TO FLIP THE XMIT SWITCH; SO THAT MY FIRST (AND POSSIBLY SECOND) CALLS WENT OUT ON 121.5. SOMEONE ON GUARD SAID; 'YOU ARE XMITTING ON GUARD' AND I REALIZED MY MISTAKE. I CONTACTED NEW YORK ON 132.8; RECEIVED A SQUAWK CODE AND CONTINUED MY CLB TO 5500 FT. I ALSO MONITORED GUARD. I BEGAN TO HEAR GUARD TRYING TO CALL ME. AFTER SEVERAL SUCH CALLS; I TOLD 132.8 ABOUT THE CALLS AND ASKED IF I SHOULD RESPOND. HE SAID; NO; IT WAS OK. GUARD; HOWEVER; CONTINUED TO CALL. EVENTUALLY; ONE OF GUARD'S CALLS SOUNDED LIKE 132.8 AND I RESPONDED ON 132.8. THE 132.8 CTLR SAID; 'I DID NOT CALL YOU.' I EXPLAINED I WAS STILL GETTING GUARD CALLS AND HE SAID; OK; GO TALK TO THEM. I CALLED ON GUARD; EXPLAINED I HAD INADVERTENTLY CALLED NEW YORK ONCE OR TWICE ON GUARD; GAVE THEM MY PRESENT FREQ AND SQUAWK. GUARD RESPONDED; 'THANK YOU FOR THE INFO;' AND I WENT BACK TO 132.8. I OBSERVED NO FURTHER CALLS FROM GUARD. AS I CONTINUED N TO SAX AND THEN TOWARD HUO; HOWEVER; I BELIEVE I HEARD SEVERAL NEW YORK CTLRS ISSUING APCH VECTORS AND CLRNCS ON GUARD. EVENTUALLY; SOMEONE TOLD THEM THEY WERE XMITTING ON GUARD AND THAT; TOO; STOPPED. I HAVE 2 COM RADIOS -- EACH WITH ONLY A SINGLE FREQ. TO CHANGE FREQS SINCE THE 'MONITOR GUARD' NOTAM; I TURN OFF 'BOTH;' CHANGE THE RADIO WITH GUARD TO A NEW FREQ; TOGGLE THE XMITTER SWITCH; ESTABLISH COMS ON THE NEW FREQ; AND ONCE I HAVE COMPLIED WITH INITIAL INSTRUCTIONS ON THE NEW FREQ; PUT GUARD IN THE OLD FREQ RADIO AND RETOGGLE 'BOTH.' IN THIS CASE; I FORGOT TO TOGGLE THE XMIT UPON LEAVING UNICOM AT 39N. THE COST OF UPGRADING RADIOS IN MY AIRPLANE TO NEWER RADIOS WITH DUAL FREQS WOULD BE ABOUT 50% THE VALUE OF THE ACFT; SINCE THE WHOLE STACK WOULD REQUIRE REWORK. (I ACTUALLY PRICED THIS.) FAILING A RADIO CHANGE; THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY AND BEST WAY TO MONITOR GUARD AND YET BE CERTAIN YOU HAVE A WORKING FREQ AND RADIO SETTING TO RETURN TO IF COM CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED ON THE NEXT FREQ. I HAVE ALWAYS MONITORED GUARD ON LONGER FLTS; BUT NEVER AS RELIGIOUSLY AS TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT REQUIRES. YET I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT I FREQUENTLY SEEM TO FORGET THE LAST STEP OF SELECTING GUARD. I WILL GET INVOLVED IN COMPLYING WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON THE NEW FREQ AND SIMPLY FORGET WHEN I AM DONE. IN DEPARTING 39N; I REMEMBER THINKING; 'LET'S TRY PUTTING IN GUARD NOW; SO I WON'T FORGET; I KNOW I CAN GET 39N BACK IF I HAVE TO.' BAD IDEA. I SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO THE NEW REGIME; EVEN IF IT TOO HAS PROBS. OF COURSE; I WILL REDOUBLE MY EFFORTS TO DO THE SWITCHING CORRECTLY; BUT GIVEN THAT ONE ALWAYS HEARD CTLRS TELLING PLTS (EVEN COMMERCIAL AIRLINES) THAT THEY FORGET TO SWITCH; THIS EVENT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A POSSIBILITY. I DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION. GUIDANCE ON WHEN TO GIVE GUARD PRIORITY OVER THE NORMAL FREQ MIGHT HELP RESOLVE OCCURRENCES.