A PA28 PLT WITH AN UNRELIABLE VOR AND A HANDHELD GPS WAS IMC WHILE VFR. HE DECLARED AN EMER AND WAS GIVEN AN IFR APCH CLRNC.

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ON JAN/FRI/05; I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM ZZZ2 TO ZZZ. I WAS CONDUCTING A FERRY FLT TO RELOCATE A PIPER CHEROKEE FOR FLT TRAINING FOR A FLT SCHOOL AT ZZZ. I AM A RELATIVELY LOW TIME PLT WITH MOST OF MY INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE IN NEW AIRPLANES WITH GPS AND BETTER AVIONICS THAN THE CHEROKEE I WAS FLYING. THE CHEROKEE WAS IFR EQUIPPED WITH ONE VOR RECEIVER. MY BOSS HAD GIVEN ME AN OLDER HANDHELD GPS THAT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH AND TOLD ME I COULD ACCEPT DIRECT ROUTING AS LONG AS I HAD VFR HANDHELD GPS IN THE REMARKS SECTION OF MY FLT PLAN. THIS IS WHEN I SHOULD HAVE DECIDED NOT TO GO. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL GETTING CLOSE TO ZZZ. THE VOR CDI SEEMED TO BE JUMPING AROUND A LOT SO I WAS TRYING TO USE BOTH THE GPS AND THE VOR TO NAVIGATE. I SHOULD HAVE PICKED ONE. WHEN ABOUT 20 MILES NW OF ZZZ I WAS TOLD TO DESCEND DOWN TO 2300 FT; RADAR CONTACT LOST AND CONTACT ZZZ1 CTR ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. AT THIS POINT I WAS BREAKING OUT OF THE CLOUDS WITH ABOUT 5 MILES VISIBILITY AND I COULD SEE A FAMILIAR HIGHWAY. I CONTACTED THE CTLR WHO ASKED MY LOCATION ACCORDING TO WHATEVER I WAS USING. ACCORDING TO THE GPS I WAS 10 MILES NW OF THE FIELD SO I TOLD HIM THAT. I COULD HEAR THE ZZZ3 FSS TRANSMITTING OVER THE VOR CLRNCS FOR OTHER ACFT TRYING TO DEPART ZZZ. THE ZZZ1 CTLR AGAIN ASKED MY POS AND I TOLD HIM I WAS NEAR THE ARPT AND I WOULD CANCEL IFR. I'VE ASKED MYSELF A THOUSAND TIMES WHY I DID THIS. THE CTLR TOLD ME TO SQUAWK VFR AND CONTACT CTAF-123.0. I TOLD CTAF THAT I WAS APPROX 10 MILES NW INBOUND FOR LNDG. WHEN I DID NOT SEE THE AIRFIELD I KNEW I HAD GOTTEN MYSELF INTO A MESS. I IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO CLB TO MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE OF 2400 FT WHERE I FOUND MYSELF BACK IN IMC. I BEGAN TO USE MY VOR TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I WAS AND I THINK I WAS REALLY CLOSE TO THE VOR CONE OF CONFUSION BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT RADIAL I WAS ON. THE ACR PLTS ASKED ME ON CTAF IF I NEEDED ANY HELP AND IF I WAS IFR RATED. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THE DIALOGUE WENT BUT I TOLD THEM TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WOULD TAKE OFF. THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AND I SAID YES. I CLBED UP TO GET HIGH ENOUGH FOR CTR TO SEE ME ON RADAR. THE ACR PLTS HAD GIVEN ME A SQUAWK CODE AND A FREQUENCY TO CONTACT CTR WITH. I CONTACTED CTR AND A NICE VOICE VECTORED AND DESCENDED ME TOWARD THE CITY WHICH LINED ME UP WITH RWY 18. ONCE ON THE GND AT ZZZ I THANKED THE ACR CREW WHO PRACTICALLY SAVED MY LIFE. I GOT THE HINT THAT THEY WEREN'T HAPPY WITH ME. WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT APPRECIATION I HAVE FOR THOSE THAT HELPED ME. I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IN ALL OF THIS IS THAT I EXCEEDED MY ABILITIES AS A PLT WITH THE EQUIPMENT THAT I HAD. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER CANCELLED MY IFR WITH CTR NOR SHOULD I HAVE RELIED ON 1 VOR AND A HANDHELD GPS. I LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON THAT DAY THAT I THOUGHT I HAD LEARNED IN COLLEGE. I HAVE STUDIED EVERY PARAMETER OF THIS INCIDENT AND HAVE TALKED TO PLTS THAT FLY IN AND OUT OF ZZZ. I AM LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T HURT MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE IN THIS INCIDENT. MY BOSS TOLD ME 'WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD OF AVIATION.' I DIDN'T FIND IT FUNNY. I AM THE ONE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE AND WILL MAKE SURE I DON'T FIND MYSELF IN A SIT LIKE THIS AGAIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVELED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT STATED THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE VOR UNRELIABLE BUT THE HANDHELD GPS WAS BASICALLY USELESS FOR HIM. IT HAD A 2 INCH X 2 INCH SCREEN; WAS AN OLD MODEL; AND USED A SIMPLE POINTER DIRECTING THE OPERATOR TO THE NEXT WAYPOINT. THE RPTR FELT THE GPS MAY HAVE BEEN MORE USEFUL TO HIM IF HE HAD BEEN MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT.