C182 PLT INADVERTENTLY ENTERS COS CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLEARANCE.

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ENRTE VFR TO FREDERICKSBURG; TX. PLANNED RTE OF FLT EXPECTED TO PASS AT LEAST 5 MI OUTSIDE (NE OF) THE COS CLASS C AIRSPACE AT 9500 FT. ALTHOUGH I'D HAD A HANDHELD GPS FOR A WHILE; I RARELY USED IT. I DETERMINED TO PRACTICE WITH IT ON THIS TRIP IN AN ATTEMPT TO BECOME MORE PROFICIENT. OVER MANY YRS OF FLYING; I HAVE NAVIGATED BY VOR; DME; ADF; AND PILOTAGE; AND AM WELL EQUIPPED FOR THAT IN MY AIRPLANE. ON THE MORNING IN QUESTION; I WAS STRUGGLING WITH POOR SUCCESS WITH THE GPS. I HAD FOCUSED TOO MUCH ON IT. WHEN FINALLY I CHKED MY OTHER SOURCES; I FOUND I'D DRIFTED UNACCEPTABLY W OF COURSE AND WAS 3 DME ON THE 300 DEG RADIAL OF BRK; ABOUT TO ENTER COS CLASS C WITHOUT ESTABLISHING COM AS REQUIRED! NOT EVEN TAKING TIME TO SELECT THEIR FREQ; I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L TO THE E TO AVOID INCURSION. I DON'T THINK I ACTUALLY ENTERED THE CLASS C BUT MAY HAVE; ONLY BRIEFLY. IT WAS CLOSE. SOON THE POSITION WAS CONFIRMED VISUALLY; PASSING EBOUND AT LEAST 1 MI N OF MEADOWLAKE (00V) BEFORE EVENTUALLY CONTINUING ON COURSE. COMMENTS: POOR JUDGEMENT. TOO MUCH FOCUS ON THE GPS PRACTICE WHILE APCHING COMPLEX AIRSPACE. FAILURE TO CONTACT COS APCH; EVEN THOUGH NOT PLANNING TO PASS THROUGH OR EVEN VERY CLOSE TO THEIR CLASS C. HOWEVER; I DID TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION ONCE THE SITUATION WAS RECOGNIZED. IN THE FUTURE; I'LL NOT BE SO QUICK TO OVERLOOK THE METHODS AND EQUIP THAT HAVE SERVED ME WELL FOR SEVERAL DECADES OF FLYING. MODERN ELECTRONICS (IE; GPS) ARE GREAT BUT REQUIRE A DEGREE OF PROFICIENCY AND CAN ACTUALLY BE A DISTR. I'M QUITE EMBARRASSED. I'M DETERMINED TO GET BETTER AT GPS.