GA SMA UNAUTH PENETRATION OF IAH TCA AIRSPACE.

Narrative

WE LEFT CONROE FOR HOUSTON HOBBY AND I WAS IN CTL. I WAS USING MY NAVCOMS AND LORAN FOR NAV. UPON COMPLETION OF TKOF PROCS I TUNED MY #1 RADIO AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT HOU APCH CTL. I DID NOT GET A REPLY; BUT THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL AS THEY ARE QUITE BUSY. I WAITED A FEW MINS AND CALLED AGAIN; AND AGAIN GOT NO ANSWER. MY LORAN; WHICH I WAS USING FOR A DME; WAS SET FOR HOU WHICH IS HOUSTON HOBBY; BUT I MISTAKENLY WAS THINKING I WAS STILL 40 MI OUT FROM THE CENTER OF THE TCA. I SUDDENLY SAW HOU AT ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK AND REALIZED THAT I WAS IN THE TCA. MY #1 RADIO AS NOT XMITTING SO I SWITCHED TO #2 RADIO; WHICH WAS SET ON HOBBY CLRNC DELIVERY AND ASKED THEM TO GIVE ME A FREQ TO CONTACT HOU APCH. THEY DID AND I USED MY #2 RADIO TO CONTACT THEM; GAVE MY POS AND THEY VECTORED ME ON THROUGH THE TCA. I CONTACTED HOU CTL BY TELEPHONE UPON ARR AT HOBBY AND EXPLAINED MY CONDUCT. I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY WROTE UP THIS INCIDENT. THERE WAS NO NEAR MISS INVOLVED. WE USED #2 RADIO TO RETURN HOME; HAD #1 REPAIRED ASAP. MY ERROR WAS DUE TO MY THINKING THAT HOUSTON HOBBY WAS THE CENTER OF THE CTL ZONE. THE LORAN IS QUITE ACCURATE--IF I HAD SET IT FOR IAH; I WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT I WAS IN THE CTL ZONE.