VFR C182 DEP FROM CCR WITH SUU TRACON; EXPERIENCING FREQ PROBS; ENCOUNTERED WX AND ENTERED APC CLASS D WITHOUT CLRNC.

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I DEPARTED CONCORD BUCHANAN FIELD (CCR) WITH 6 MI VISIBILITY UNDER 1800 FT OVCST; HEADED FOR BELLINGHAM; WA (BLI) WITH A PLANNED FUEL STOP AT MEDFORD; OR (MFR). I EXPECTED CONDITIONS TO IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE TO THE N; ACROSS THE RIVER; AS TRAVIS AFB (SUU); 20 NM TO THE N; WAS RPTING CLR BELOW 12000 FT. I DID NOT FILE A VFR FLT PLAN; AS I INTENDED TO REQUEST FLT FOLLOWING; AND EXPECTED THAT IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE ALONG MY INTENDED RTE. I PROCEEDED TOWARD SCAGGS ISLAND VOR (SGD) VIA GPS. UPON EXITING CCR AIRSPACE; I CONTACTED TRAVIS APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING. I HAD TO MAKE A FEW MANEUVERS TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE SKY CONDITIONS N OF SGD; AS I EXPECTED TO FIND RAPIDLY RISING CEILINGS. AS I TURNED N FROM SGD; CONDITIONS WERE NOT IMPROVING AS ANTICIPATED. I CONTINUED TO MANEUVER TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. I WAS HAVING INCREASING DIFFICULTY STAYING IN RADIO CONTACT WITH TRAVIS. THERE WAS A PULSING STATIC INTERFERENCE ON THE FREQ THAT I COULD NOT SQUELCH OUT; EVEN WHEN SWITCHING TO THE ALTERNATE COM. TRAVIS APPEARED TO HAVE DIFFICULTY TRACKING MY POS AS WELL. DURING ONE RADIO CALL; THEY RPTED ME TRAVELING WBOUND; WHILE MY INSTS INDICATED NBOUND. I LOOKED FOR AREAS TO CLB TO IMPROVE RADIO AND XPONDER RECEPTION; BUT FOUND NO CLR AREAS. AT THAT POINT I TURNED S TO RETURN TO CONCORD. TRAVIS ADVISED ME TO CONTACT NAPA TWR (APC) ON 119.7. I TRIED 3 CALLS AND RECEIVED NO REPLY. THE STATIC CONTINUED ON THIS FREQ. I CHKED THE SECTIONAL AND FOUND THAT NAPA IS ON 118.7. I CALLED NAPA; AND AT THE SAME TIME COULD SEE THE ARPT ABOUT 3 MI OFF MY L WING. THE STATIC CONTINUED ON THIS FREQ; AND COM WAS DIFFICULT. NAPA TWR ASKED ME TO COPY A NUMBER TO CONTACT THE TWR CHIEF. AFTER COPYING THE NUMBER; I RETURNED TO CCR AND LANDED. I CALLED THE TWR CHIEF; AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD TO HOLD 2 IFR ACFT UNTIL THEY DETERMINED MY INTENTIONS. I DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER TFC. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE MARGINAL CONDITIONS WERE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR VFR FLT IN THAT COMPLICATED AIRSPACE; PARTICULARLY FOR ME AS A LOW TIME PLT. THE AIRSPACE AROUND SAN FRANCISCO BAY IS COMPLEX. ON THE SAN FRANCISCO SECTIONAL; NAPA ARPT IS SHOWN INSIDE THE COMPASS ROSE OF THE SGD VOR. BOTH THE CLASS D OF NAPA AND THE INFO ON THE VOR ARE PRINTED IN BLUE; AND THE APC CLASS D IS NOT PARTICULARLY PROMINENT. I WAS ALSO RELATIVELY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. HAD I KNOWN THE AREA BETTER; I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT THE RIDGE BTWN APC AND SUU IS ENOUGH TO ALLOW LOW CLOUDS TO PERSIST ON THE NAPA SIDE; WHILE IT IS CLRING ON THE OTHER. RADIO DIFFICULTIES WERE AN ADDITIONAL DISTR. THIS IS CLRLY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME. AS A LOW TIME PLT; I HAVE SLOWLY BEEN EXPANDING MY PERSONAL WX MINIMUMS. I MADE TOO LARGE OF A STEP. ALSO; I DID NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF MANEUVERING TO REMAIN FREE OF CLOUDS HAD ON MY INTENDED TRACK; AND DID NOT MAKE FULL USE OF THE NAVAIDS I HAD AVAILABLE; VOR AND GPS. I WAS OCCUPIED WITH FLYING THE ACFT; AND TRYING TO MAINTAIN RADIO CONTACT; AND DID NOT DEVOTE ENOUGH ATTN TO NAV. ALTHOUGH THIS INCIDENT AND THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES ARE FIRMLY FIXED IN MY MIND; I INTEND TO PURSUE THE FOLLOWING TRAINING TO REINFORCE THE LESSONS; AND LEARN ALTERNATE COURSES OF ACTION: 1) I WILL SCHEDULE WITH A LCL AREA FLT INSTRUCTOR TO REVIEW WX MINIMUMS; CHART READING; AND AN AREA FAMILIARIZATION FLT. 2) I HAVE OBTAINED A COPY OF THE AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION 'WX DECISION MAKING' VIDEO; AND WILL STUDY IT. 3) I WILL GET FURTHER TRAINING IN THE USE OF MY GPS UNIT. 4) I WILL COMPLETE AN INST RATING AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE. HAD I BEEN INST RATED ON THE DAY OF THIS FLT; I WOULD HAVE SIMPLY FILED IFR; AND THEN WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE SYS; RATHER THAN A DISTR TO IT. 5) WHEN FLYING IN COMPLEX AIRSPACE; I WILL STUDY THE CHARTS MORE THOROUGHLY PRIOR TO LAUNCH; AND AS NECESSARY HIGHLIGHT CTLED OR SUA TO MAKE IT MORE PROMINENT ON THE CHART.