AN A36 ALTERNATOR FAILED WHILE IMC BUT WITH BOTH A HANDHELD GPS AND RADIO; THE PLT CONTACTED ATC FOR RETURN LAND CLRNC.

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SHORTLY BEFORE XA00 I TOOK OFF FROM ZZZ1 ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO ZZZ2. THE FLT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ABOUT 1 HR. THE CEILING AT ZZZ1 WAS 1500 FT ON TKOF AND THE FORECAST AT ZZZ2 WAS 900 FT. MANY LOCATIONS IN BTWN WERE BELOW MINIMUMS. I FILED ZZZ3 AS MY ALTERNATE. ABOUT 10 MINS INTO THE FLT; WHILE IMC AT 6000 FT WHILE FLYING FROM ZZZ1 VOR TO ABC INTXN; I NOTICED STATIC ON BOTH RADIOS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ATC COULD NOT HEAR ME ALTHOUGH I COULD HEAR THEM. WHEN ASKED TO RECYCLE MY XPONDER; I SAW THAT IT WAS NOT OPERATING EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TURNED ON. NEXT I GOT AN INOP FLAG ON THE HSI AND THEN THE WHOLE PANEL WENT BLACK FOR A SHORT TIME. I SAW THAT THE AMP NEEDLE WAS NEGATIVE; SO I SHUT OFF THE ALTERNATOR; WAITED A WHILE; AND TURNED IT BACK ON IN AN EFFORT TO RESET THE INTERNAL CIRCUIT BREAKER. IT DID NOT WORK. I HAD A HANDHELD GPS WORKING ON AN EXTERNAL BATTERY. WITH THIS; I KEPT FLYING THE CORRECT COURSE AT 6000 FT. I TRIED TO DECLARE AN EMER; BUT NO ONE COULD HEAR ME. MY INITIAL CONCERN WAS GETTING VERTIGO WHILE IMC SINCE I HAD TO REACH DOWN TO GET MY HANDHELD MIKE AND OTHER THINGS. ABOUT 30 MI SW OF ZZZ1 AT 6000 FT; I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS. IN ORDER TO AVOID RE-ENTERING THE CLOUDS AND RISKING VERTIGO; I HAD TO CLB TO 10000 FT. THIS GAVE ME TIME TO GET OUT MY HANDHELD RADIO AND ATTACH IT TO AN EXTERNAL ANTENNA. FINALLY I WAS ABLE TO REACH ATC; DECLARE AN EMER AND RETURN TO ZZZ1. AT 10 MI FROM ZZZ1; I LOWERED THE GEAR MANUALLY AND REQUESTED A RAPID DSCNT TO THE ARPT AT ZZZ1. I WAS TOLD TO DSND TO 5000 FT. I ARRIVED AT 5000 FT OVER ZZZ1 HEADING W. I WAS THEN CLRED TO 3000 FT. I TURNED ON THE BATTERY AND MY GPS. I ENTERED AND ACTIVATED THE ILS. I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH; THEN CLRED TO LAND; AND DID SO. AFTER TAXIING OFF THE RWY; THE ALTERNATOR MAGICALLY STARTED WORKING AGAIN. HOW TO AVOID THIS PROB: 1) THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF ALARM OR WARNING WHEN AN ALTERNATOR FAILS. 2) CHKING THE ALTERNATOR SHOULD BE PART OF EVERY PREFLT -- IFR OR VFR. 3) EVERY IFR AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE A BACK-UP ALTERNATOR. 4) EVERY IFR AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE ALTERNATE NAV AND COM TOOLS WITH INDEPENDENT ELECTRICAL SOURCES.