AFTER DEPARTING ASH ENRTE TO LCI; A PA28 PLT ENTERS CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT AUTH.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA00 LCL TIME ON APR/SUN/03; I MAY HAVE ENTERED MANCHESTER CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT AUTH. I WAS DEPARTING NASHUA; NH (ASH) ON RWY 14 WITH A DISCREET XPONDER CODE FOR VFR ADVISORIES TO LACONIA; NH (LCI). NASHUA TWR CLRED ME FOR A L TURN DEP TO THE N; BUT DID NOT CLR ME TO CHANGE FREQ TO MHT DEP. VERY SOON AFTER THAT; A LENGTHY CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE BTWN THE TWR AND ANOTHER ACFT. I WAS MONITORING MY PROGRESS ON A HANDHELD GPS TO AVOID ENTERING THE INNER CIRCLE OF MANCHESTER'S AIRSPACE. AS I WAITED FOR A BREAK TO REQUEST FREQ CHANGE; I BEGAN TO FEAR THAT I WOULD CLB INTO THE AIRSPACE OF THE OUTER CIRCLE; AT 2500 FT MSL; BEFORE GAINING 2-WAY COM WITH DEP CTL. AS SUCH; I CHOSE TO LEVEL OUT AT ABOUT 2450 FT. I BELIEVED I WAS STILL WITHIN NASHUA'S CLASS D WHEN I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO REQUEST A FREQ CHANGE AND CHKED IN WITH THE DEP CTLR. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY CHASTISED ME FOR AN INCURSION INTO HER AIRSPACE AND TOLD ME I NEEDED TO CALL HER SOONER. I APOLOGIZED AND INDICATED I COULD NOT GET A FREQ CHANGE FROM NASHUA TWR. WHEN LEAVING HER SECTOR; I AGAIN APOLOGIZED AND SHE WAS GRACIOUS. MANCHESTER CTLRS ARE; IN MY EXPERIENCE; VERY PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS. I STILL BELIEVE THAT I HAD REMAINED CLR OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE; BUT I DO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE I HAD CLBED ABOVE 2500 FT AT SOME POINT WITHOUT REALIZING IT. WITHOUT QUESTION; THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REMAIN CLR OF CTLED AIRSPACE IS COMPLETELY MY OWN. HOWEVER; I BELIEVE THAT SAFETY WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED HAD I BEEN CLRED TO CHANGE FREQ IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEP. I COULD NOT IDENT A REASON TO KEEP ME ON TWR FREQ; AS THERE WAS NO TFC IN MY DEP FLT PATH. REGARDLESS; I AM STILL A VERY NEW PLT AND WILL USE THIS EVENT TO REMIND ME OF THE NEED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN MY AVOIDANCE OF CTLED AIRSPACE. ADDITIONALLY; ALTHOUGH I HAD BEEN TAUGHT NEVER TO CHANGE FREQS WITHOUT AUTH FROM THE CURRENT CTLR; POSSIBLY IT IS COMMON PRACTICE TO SWITCH TO DEP REGARDLESS OF BEING TOLD TO DO SO. I WILL ASK MORE EXPERIENCED PLTS ABOUT THIS.