A SILVAIRE 8A PLT USING A HANDHELD VHF HAS PROBS CITING TWR'S CLAIM OF WEAK XMISSION; GETTING PERMISSION FOR ENTRY INTO THE CLASS D OF APA; CO.

Narrative

FLEW FROM TEXAS TO APA; CO. USED HANDHELD GPS AND HANDHELD COMRDO. NO ELECTRICAL SYS; NO XPONDER; NO LIGHTS; BUT FUEL STOP WAS LAMAR; CO. APCHED APA AT 8000 FT MSL TO STAY UNDER CLASS B AIRSPACE. CALLED APA TWR FROM 15; 12; 10; 7; AND 5 MI OUT. AFTER EACH CALL; APA TWR REPLIED 'ACFT CALLING; RADIO UNREADABLE; REMAIN CLR OF CLASS D AIRSPACE.' THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH DAYLIGHT REMAINING TO FLY TO ANOTHER ARPT. SO I REMAINED AT 8000 FT MSL; 1100 FT HIGHER THAN TROPIC PATTERNS AND APCHED TO WITHIN 3 MI OF APA AND SUCCESSFULLY MADE RADIO CONTACT AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. NO ISSUES UPON THE LNDG. WHILE I HAD BEEN ATTEMPTING TO MAKE RADIO CONTACT ON MY HANDHELD COM RADIO FROM 10 MI OUT; I HEARD 2 OTHER ACFT GIVE WEAK BUT CLR XMISSIONS TO APA TWR. THEY WERE ALSO DENIED ACCESS TO CLASS D AIRSPACE. I HAVE USED THIS HANDHELD BEFORE WITH NO PROBS. I HAD FRESH BATTERIES IN THE RADIO. LESSON: I THINK THE TWR WAS TOO PICKY ABOUT WEAK BUT CLR RADIO XMISSIONS. I BELIEVE MY ACTIONS WERE WARRANTED GIVEN THE TIME OF DAY AND APCHING DUSK.