C185 PLT HAD RADIO FAILURE IN ZAN CLASS C. PLT WAS OPERATING ON FERRY PERMIT; AND HAD 18 OTHER INOP ITEMS ON THE ACFT THAT WERE NOT RECORDED IN MAINT RECORDS OR DEFERRED IN THE MEL.

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FLEW ACFT FROM BETHEL; AK; TO ANCHORAGE WITH STOP IN KENAI; AK. WX AT ANCHORAGE WAS RPTED AS IMPROVING. 700 FT BROKEN AND 1000 FT BROKEN WAS RPTED AT AREA ARPTS. AFTER LOSING MY ONLY NAV RADIO 10 MINS FROM MY DEST; I WAS FACED WITH NAVING ACROSS A CONGESTED AREA AT ALTS LOWER THAN I NORMALLY FLY. THE ALTS WERE BELOW THOSE SPECIFIED IN THE REGS. I CHOSE NOT TO DECLARE AN EMER WHEN THE GPS/COM RADIO FAILED. APCH CTL WAS VERY BUSY; THOUGH HELPFUL. ANC INTL WAS BELOW BASIC VFR AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WORK ALL THE TFC ON ONE RWY. Z41 WAS AWOS CLOSED. THE PATH BACK TO KENAI WOULD HAVE BEEN VFR. THE NAV RADIO FAILURE PROMPTED ME TO WANT TO GET THE AIRPLANE ON THE GND ASAP. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE 40 MIN FLT BACK TO KENAI WOULD INCLUDE A TOTAL RADIO FAILURE. I HAD ALREADY REQUESTED A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC TO THE DEST (ALTERNATE) ARPT. THE WX AT THE FIELD WAS 700 BROKEN AND 10 MI VISIBILITY. THE FILED DEST WAS Z41. RWY WAS CLOSED FOR SNOW REMOVAL. I HAD ASKED FOR A SPECIAL VFR INTO ANC; BUT IT WAS DENIED. ANC ARPT COULD HAVE BEEN NAVIGATED TO WITHOUT OVERFLYING (LOW OVER) A CONGESTED AREA. IF THERE IS EVER A NEXT TIME FOR THIS SCENARIO; THE DECISIONS AND ACTIONS COULD BE HANDLED DIFFERENTLY. I WOULD NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO GET THE AIRPLANE TO ANC. I WOULD TELL ATC THAT I HAD LOST NAV RADIOS EVEN THOUGH I WAS 'A VFR FLT.' I WOULD DECLARE AN EMER IN ORDER TO HAVE ACCESS TO ANC WHERE THE FLT COULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITHOUT FLYING OVER HOUSES.