PA28 PLT ENTERS IMC WHILE VFR. HAS DIFFICULTY OBTAINING ATC ASSISTANCE.

Narrative

A WX BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED FROM FSS AT APPROX XA00. THE FORECAST WAS FOR VFR UNTIL AFTER XC00. THE BRIEFER DID MENTION THAT THE WX ABOUT 50 NM AWAY WAS 2000 FT; 2 MI; IN SNOW SHOWERS. I AM A COMMERCIAL STUDENT AND DEPARTED (VFR) FROM ZZZ AT XA45. THE ZZZ ASOS WAS RPTING 8500 FT FEW AND 10 MI. I HEADED TO THE PRACTICE AREA ABOUT 8 NM E OF ZZZ IN ORDER TO PRACTICE COMMERCIAL MANEUVERS. MY THOUGHT WAS THAT IF THE WX BEGAN TO DETERIORATE; I COULD QUICKLY RETURN TO ZZZ. AT ABOUT XB30 I COMPLETED MY PRACTICE SESSION AND TURNED W TO RETURN TO ZZZ. AS I HEADED W; I COULD NO LONGER SEE ZZZ DUE TO SNOW SHOWERS. I DSNDED TO 1500 FT MSL AND CROSSED A RIDGE LINE ABOUT 4 MI E OF ZZZ. I THEN DSNDED TO 1000 FT MSL. THE VISIBILITY WAS NOW DOWN TO NO MORE THAN 3 MI (IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LESS) SO I COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT BUT I COULD CLEARLY SEE THE GND. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS PIPER ARROW DOES NOT HAVE AN AUTOPLT; GPS; OR DME; SO I COULD NOT GO DIRECT TO THE ARPT. AT THIS POINT; I HEARD A RADIO CALL FROM A DEBONAIR SAYING HE WAS ABOUT 5 MI E OF ZZZ AND INBOUND FOR LNDG. I LOOKED TO MY L; AND SAW THE DEBONAIR. I CLBED; HE DIVED AND WE MISSED EACH OTHER. AT THIS POINT; I DECIDED IT WOULD BE MUCH SAFER TO CLB; CONTACT ZZZ1 APCH AND GET A 'POP UP' IFR CLRNC. AS I WAS CLBING TO THE ESE (NOW IN IFR CONDITIONS); I CALLED ZZZ1 APCH. I REQUESTED AN IFR CLRNC TO DO THE VOR APCH INTO ZZZ. HE TOLD ME TO CONTACT ZZZ2 APCH. (ZZZ LIES NEAR THE BOUNDARY BTWN ZZZ1 AND ZZZ2 AIRSPACE.) I NOW MADE THE SAME REQUEST OF ZZZ2. THEY SAID TO GO BACK TO ZZZ1; WHICH I DID. THE ZZZ1 CTLR ASKED ME TO IDENT ON 1200; WHICH I DID. HE SAID I WAS DEFINITELY IN ZZZ2 AIRSPACE. I ASKED HIM FOR A POS. HE SAID I WAS 3 MI N OF THE VOR. THIS SURPRISED ME AS I THOUGHT I WAS MORE TO THE SE OF ZZZ. AT THIS POINT; I DISCOVERED THAT MY DIRECTIONAL GYRO HAD PRECESSED DUE TO THE PRACTICE COMMERCIAL MANEUVERS. I SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT AT THIS POINT I AM SOLID IFR AND HAND FLYING THE ARROW. SO; I CALL ZZZ2 APCH AGAIN. I TELL THE CTLR THAT I AM 3 MI N OF VOR AND NEED A POP-UP IFR CLRNC. HE THINKS I SAID 3 MI N OF ZZZ AND TELLS ME TO CONTACT ZZZ1. I CLARIFY TO HIM THAT I AM 3 MI N OF VOR; THAT I NEED AN IFR CLRNC TO DO THE VOR APCH INTO ZZZ. HE RESPONDS SAYING TO CONTACT FSS AND FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN! I MUST SAY THAT AT THIS POINT I AM IN IFR CONDITIONS; IN CLOUDS/SNOW SHOWERS; THERE IS AN AIRMET FOR ICING TO 15000 FT; UNSURE OF MY EXACT POS WITH ZZZ1 AND ZZZ2 CTLRS BOUNCING ME BACK AND FORTH AND UNWILLING TO HELP ME. THE PROSPECT OF TRYING TO FILE A FLT PLAN AND HAND FLY AN AIRPLANE THAT I ONLY HAVE 12 HRS IN AND HAVE NEVER FLOWN IFR DID NOT APPEAL TO ME AT ALL. TO SAY I WAS FEELING A SENSE OF URGENCY IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. AT THIS POINT I RADIOED ZZZ2 APCH AND SAID 'ACFT X IS DECLARING AN EMER. I NEED AN IFR CLRNC FOR THE VOR AT ZZZ.' I WAS IMMEDIATELY GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE; TOLD TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT; FLY HDG 180 DEGS AND CLRED FOR THE VOR INTO ZZZ THE APCH WASN'T THE BEST I'VE EVER FLOWN; BUT IT DID THE JOB AND IN A FEW MINS I CIRCLED TO RWY AT ZZZ AND SAFELY LANDED. I STILL THINK THAT I DID THE RIGHT THING (AND THE SAFE THING) BY CLBING AFTER THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE DEBONAIR. HOWEVER; I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I COULD NOT GET ZZZ1 OR ZZZ2 APCH TO HELP ME UNTIL I DECLARED AN EMER. I WOULD NEVER ASK (AND MOST IFR PLTS I KNOW WOULD NEVER ASK) FOR A POP-UP IFR CLRNC UNLESS I REALLY NEEDED IT. CTLRS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS.