PLT RELOCATING A PA20 FROM CPM TO BIL ENCOUNTERS WX AND IS REQUIRED TO LAND AND OVERNIGHT AT INS; A MIL FIELD.

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I WAS RELOCATING A PIPER PA20 FROM CPM-COMPTON MUNICIPAL TO LAS; LAS VEGAS; WITH A FINAL DEST OF BILLINGS; MT. THE MORNING OF APR/XA/03; I WAS BRIEFED BY FLT SVC THAT THE WX ENRTE WOULD BE CLR OVER PALM SPRINGS AND SOME SCATTERED TSTMS DUE TO A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER LAS VEGAS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON BUT GOOD VFR ALL THE WAY. I DEPARTED CPM AROUND XA30 LCL AND MADE MY WAY TO PALM SPRINGS. I CROSSED PALM SPRINGS WITH GOOD WX AND A TAILWIND AS WELL. MY ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO TRANSIT LAS VEGAS FROM THE S TO N AND LAND AT MESQUITE; NV; TO REFUEL AS THE TAILWIND HAD BUMPED MY PLANNED FUEL. THE MANUAL STATED THAT THE NORMAL BURN WAS AROUND 7 GPH WITH 36 USABLE ONBOARD. I FIGURED I HAD AT LEAST A GOOD 4 HRS WITH A 45 MIN RESERVE. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPLANE SO I ESTIMATED EVERYTHING CONSERVATIVELY INCLUDING MY FUEL. AS I APCHED S LAS VEGAS THE WX WAS DETERIORATING ENOUGH THAT I WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO TRANSIT VEGAS VFR SO I TURNED NW WHERE IT APPEARED TO BE CLR AND GOOD VFR AROUND THE MOUNTAINS AROUND BEATTY. JUST AS I THOUGHT; THE WX WAS VERY GOOD AND I CONTINUED TO TRY AND TRANSIT LAS VEGAS FROM THE N. AS IT TURNED OUT; ANOTHER SHOWER WAS MOVING INTO THE LAS VEGAS AREA AND AGAIN IT LOOKED LIKE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE VFR SO I DIVERTED TO BEATTY. I CALLED LAS VEGAS APCH ON MY CELL PHONE AND ADVISED THEM OF MY SIT AND THAT I WOULD BE THERE SHORTLY ON MY WAY TO MESQUITE. THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE WX WAS IMPROVING TO THE N AND TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE IT WAS VFR. I TOOK THIS ADVICE OVER THE FSS DUE TO LIMITED RPTING STATIONS ALONG THAT RTE. I DEPARTED BEATTY AND NOTICED THAT NORTH VEGAS DID LOOK GOOD AND I CONTINUED. WHILE ENRTE I STARTED HAVING PROBS COMMUNICATING WITH NELLIS CTL AND OTHERS. WHEN I GOT DOWN CLOSE TO VEGAS THE RADIOS HAD FAILED ENTIRELY. I RESORTED TO MY HANDHELD TO COMMUNICATE; THE ONLY PROB BEING THE LINE OF SIGHT RECEPTION. KNOWING THAT I DID NOT WANT TO ENTER CLASS B OR RESTR AIRSPACE TO THE N I CONTINUED TO HOLD ABOUT 5 MI SE OF INDIAN SPRINGS UNTIL I COULD RAISE SOMEONE. AFTER GETTING A HOLD OF NELLIS THEY FINALLY REFERRED ME TO INDIAN SPRINGS TWR; WHICH I WAS ABLE TO GET GOOD RECEPTION AS LONG AS I WAS FLYING TOWARDS THEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I STAYED S OF THE HIGHWAY I WOULD BE OUT OF CLASS B AND THE RESTR AIRSPACE TO CONTINUE TO MESQUITE. AS I DEPARTED MY HOLD THE WX WAS ONCE AGAIN DETERIORATING AND IT WOULD BE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE VFR. I TURNED AROUND AGAIN TOWARD INDIAN SPRINGS AND ADVISED THEM OF THE RAIN SHOWERS AND TOLD THEM I WOULD BE CONTINUING BACK TO BEATTY TO LAND AND HURT FOR FUEL (MY ONLY OPTION FOR FUEL AT THIS POINT). THE RADIO XMISSIONS WERE AGAIN GETTING WORSE AS I PASSED INDIAN SPRINGS. I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS OK ON FUEL BUT NEEDED TO GET A PLAN OF ATTACK SHORTLY DUE TO THE LIMITED ARPTS IN THE AREA (30-45 MINS PLUS A RESERVE OF 45 MINS); WHICH THEY MUST HAVE UNDERSTOOD TO BE 30-35 GALS USABLE. WITH MY CURRENT GND SPD AND TRACK DIRECT TO BEATTY; MY GPS INDICATED 32 MINS TO ARR. AS I PASSED TO THE NW OF INDIAN SPRINGS I LOST COMS AGAIN WITH THEM SO I TURNED 180 DEGS TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I WOULD BE LEAVING THE RADIO COVERAGE. AS I TURNED I HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND STRAIGHT IN RWY 8 AT INDIAN SPRINGS AND THAT AN EMER HAD BEEN DECLARED FOR ME (THEIR COMPUTER SHOWED ME 45 MINS TO BEATTY AND THEY THOUGHT I WOULD BE OUT OF FUEL). AT THIS POINT I CONTINUED TO LAND AT INDIAN SPRINGS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING FUEL AND THE FACT THAT THE EMER HAD ALREADY BEEN DECLARED. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND WITH A LOT OF PAPERWORK I WAS DOWN FOR THE EVENING. I AM IN THE MIL RESERVES AND WITH THAT I WAS ABLE TO STAY ON BASE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING AND GET SOME FUEL.