C150 PLT DEPARTED WITH ONLY A HANDHELD VHF RADIO. INTO MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS. THE PLT DID NOT DETECT SEVERE CARB ICE UNTIL THE ENG WOULD NOT PRODUCE PWR.

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I WAS CONDUCTING A VFR FLT FROM HWV TO SSI IN MY C150. IN THE PREVIOUS WKS; THERE WERE SOME PROBS WITH MY ACFT RADIO; AND MAINT COMPANY X INSTRUCTED ME TO SHIP IT TO THE MANUFACTURER COMPANY Y FOR REPAIR. BECAUSE OF THIS; I PLANNED MY RTE OVER NO AIRSPACE AND BROUGHT A HANDHELD RADIO FOR BACKUP. I CHKED THE WX ON INTERNET WEATHER SITE FOR MY ENTIRE RTE JUST PRIOR TO LEAVING FOR THE ARPT. FURTHERMORE; I CALLED NEW YORK FSS FOR AN IN-DEPTH BRIEFING ON THE FIRST LEG OF MY TRIP TO OCEAN CITY BEACH; MD. THE FIRST LEG WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH A REFUELING STOP. THE NEXT LEG IS WHERE I ENCOUNTERED SOME DIFFICULTY. WHILE CHKING THE WX THAT MORNING; I KNEW I WOULD ENCOUNTER SOME MVFR CONDITIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. HOWEVER; I ALSO KNEW I HAD AROUND 400 MI OF RANGE PLUS RESERVES. THEREFORE; I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT WITH VFR OVER THE TOP. AS I CONTINUED THE FLT; THE TOPS OF THE STRATUS LAYER BEGAN TO RISE. I DECIDED TO INITIATE A CLB TO MAINTAIN 1000 FT ABOVE THE CLOUD LAYERS. UPON APPLYING FULL PWR; THE ENG COMPLETELY CHOKED. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A RESTART PROC (CARB HEAT ON; MIXTURE RICH; THROTTLE FULL AND CYCLE; PRIME THE ENG; ETC). AT FIRST; NOTHING WOULD WORK AND IT JUST WINDMILLED AROUND 1000 RPM. AT THAT POINT I SQUAWKED 7700 AND HIT 'IDENT' TO NOTIFY ATC OF MY INFLT EMER. I CONTINUED MY RESTART PROC AGAIN AS I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE CLOUDS. IT SEEMED LIKE THE CARB HEAT WAS STARTING TO WORK AND PWR WAS VERY GRADUALLY COMING BACK (AROUND 1500 RPM). I PRIMED SOME FUEL IN; AND IT BROUGHT IT UP TO ABOUT 2000 OR SO RPM. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLT. AT ONE POINT; I FOUND A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS AND TRIED TO CIRCLE DOWN THROUGH IT IN ORDER TO LAND IN A FIELD. HOWEVER; IT REQUIRED A VERY STEEP TURN AND I FEARED LOSING CTL OF THE AIRPLANE. I USED MY HANDHELD GPS TO NAV TO ELIZABETHTOWN; NC; AND CHKED THE AWOS ON MY HANDHELD RADIO. AT THE TIME; IT WAS INDICATING A CEILING OF 1000 FT AGL. DURING THIS TIME; I REQUIRED A LOT OF CONCENTRATION TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE AIRPLANE AND KEEP IT HEADED TOWARDS ELIZABETHTOWN. A LOT OF THINGS WERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND SUCH AS LOSING THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR IN THE CLOUDS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF SUCTION. IN ADDITION; I WAS CONTINUALLY PRIMING FUEL INTO THE ENG BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO HELP KEEP IT RUNNING. I THOUGHT ABOUT USING THE HANDHELD RADIO TO GIVE A MAYDAY CALL ON 121.5 MHZ. HOWEVER; I DECIDED MY PRIORITY SHOULD BE ON AVIATING AND NAVING (NOT COMMUNICATING). WHILE I WAS DSNDING; THE CARB HEAT EVENTUALLY MELTED AWAY THE ICE AND I REGAINED FULL PWR. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE MY EMER LNDG WITH FULL PWR. I OBTAINED VISUAL ON THE RWY; MADE A QUICK CALL ON THE HANDHELD SAYING; 'ACFT IN DISTRESS ENTERING L BASE RWY 15 AT ELIZABETHTOWN.' I MADE A R 270 DEG TURN TO LOSE ALT AND JOINED THE FINAL APCH COURSE. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON DEPLANING; I ASKED THE FBO ATTENDANT IF HE HAD A NUMBER FOR ATC; AND HE TOLD ME FAYETTEVILLE APCH HAD CALLED HIM WITH A PHONE NUMBER. I SPOKE WITH FAYETTEVILLE APCH AND EXPLAINED THE SIT IN DETAIL. SHE SAID SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT SHE COULD NOT GET A HOLD OF ME ON ANY FREQ TO HELP. I TOLD HER MY PRIORITY WAS TO AVIATE AND NAV AND HAVE AS FEW DISTRS AS POSSIBLE. I ASKED HER IF I SHOULD FILE A RPT AND SHE SAID NO BUT ASKED FOR MY CONTACT INFO IN CASE ANYONE ELSE HAD QUESTIONS. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE SIT AND TOLD HER THAT I HOPED I HAD NOT CREATED ANY TFC CONFLICTS. SHE SAID IT DID NOT AND THAT THEY WERE JUST WORRIED ABOUT ME. I HAVE TAKEN MANY AVIATION SAFETY COURSES IN MY COLLEGIATE CAREER. AS I DSNDED; FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE; I THOUGHT I WOULD BECOME A STATISTIC. HERE IS THE ACCIDENT CHAIN WE SO FREQUENTLY HEAR ABOUT: NO ACFT RADIO; MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING; DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR OVER THE TOP; FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR CARB ICING; ENG FAILS AND NOW ITS VFR INTO IMC. IN RETROSPECT; I FEEL I MANAGED THE EMER EFFECTIVELY. HOWEVER; I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET MYSELF GET SUCKERED INTO THAT SIT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I THINK I WAS PUSHING MYSELF TO GET THISFLT DONE (IE; GET THEREITIS). FURTHERMORE; MY PERSONAL MINIMUMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED BASED ON THE EQUIP I WAS OPERATING (HANDHELD RADIO; HANDHELD GPS; VFR ONLY ACFT; ETC). IN ADDITION; I SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED ANOTHER IN-DEPTH WX BRIEFING FOR MY SECOND LEG. UPON LNDG; I DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THE WX TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE BEFORE GOING ANYWHERE. THE BRIEFER KEPT SAYING MARGINAL CONDITIONS WITH SCATTERED TSTMS FROM EYF TO SSI. I DECIDED I HAD PUSHED IT TOO FAR AND ABORTED THAT TRIP AND TOOK THE AIRPLANE TO TULLAHOMA; TN (THA). THAT WAS WHERE I WAS PLANNING TO GO AFTER SSI IN ORDER TO GET AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE; AND MY INITIAL CONVERSATION WITH FAYETTEVILLE APCH SUMS IT ALL UP 'BOY AM I HAPPY TO BE ON THE GND SPEAKING WITH YOU.'