ALT EXCURSION BY A LOW TIME C182RG PVT PLT DSNDING FOR APCH TO HIS HOME ARPT AT 6I2; KY.

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I WAS ON A RETURN FLT FROM CGF TO MY HOME BASE OF 6I2 ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. THE WX WAS CLR OVER OHIO; BUT AS I STARTED TO GET CLOSE TO KY; A LAYER OF CLOUDS DEVELOPED AT MY CRUISING ALT OF 6000 FT. MY LAST ATC CONTACT HAD BEEN WITH ZID WHILE I WAS STILL SEVERAL MI NE OF LEX. AFTER HEARING NO ATC HDOF TO LEX APCH WHEN I WAS ABOUT 20 MI NE OF LEX; I ATTEMPTED TO RAISE/CONTACT INDIANAPOLIS ON THE ASSIGNED FREQ. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS; I WAS WITHIN ABOUT 2 NM OF LEX AIRSPACE; AND I STILL COULDN'T RAISE INDIANAPOLIS. THEREFORE; I SWITCHED TO LEX APCH AND RPTED IN AND ADVISED THEM OF MY IMC SIT WITHOUT ANY CONTACT WITH INDIANAPOLIS. LEX APCH TOOK ME AND SAID THEY WOULD CHK INTO IT. AFTER XING OVER LEX AND BEING WITHIN 30 MI OF MY DEST; I HADN'T BEEN CLRED LOWER; SO I REQUESTED LOWER. A LOWER ALT WAS GRANTED; WHICH I THOUGHT WAS 3000 FT; AS THAT IS THE STANDARD CLRNC INTO MY HOME FIELD AT 25-30 MI OUT. AS I WAS DSNDING; I WAS HANDED BACK TO INDIANAPOLIS ON A DIFFERENT FREQ AND RPTED THAT I WAS THROUGH 3600 FT FOR 3000 FT. IN THE CONFUSION OF NOT BEING HANDED OFF ORIGINALLY WHILE IN ACTUAL IMC AND HAVING NO RADIO CONTACT WITH INDIANAPOLIS; I GOT FLUSTERED; AND I GUESS I MISUNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC TO 4000 FT AS A CLRNC TO 3000 FT. THE CTLR AT INDIANAPOLIS SAID SHE SHOWED ME 4.6 FOR 4; WHICH FURTHER CONFUSED ME. INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR A CLARIFICATION; I LEVELED AT 3000 FT. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED AND WENT BACK TO 4000 FT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE CONFUSION OF NOT BEING IN RADIO CONTACT OR HANDED OFF NE OF LEX WHILE IN IMC CONDITIONS; AND NO CLR INSTRUCTIONS; SUCH AS; 'MAINTAIN 4000 FT; NOT 3000 FT' FROM THE CTLR. I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT 2 THINGS. FIRST; WHY WASN'T I HANDED OFF PROPERLY? SECONDLY; WHY WAS I CLRED TO A NONSTANDARD 4000 FT INSTEAD OF THE TYPICAL 3000 FT INTO 6I2?