SMA ATTEMPT CLRNC THROUGH TCA. TOLD UNABLE. CONTACT ON DIFFERENT FREQ. SECOND CTLR DENIES CLRNC AND HANDS OFF TO FIRST CTLR. PENETRATES TCA.

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ZSE HANDED ME OFF TO APCH AT ABOUT 39 MI. I REQUESTED A TRANSIT OF THE TCA AT 8500 FROM APCH (THE BASE OF TCA WAS 8000 AND THE TOP WAS 10000). I WAS TOLD THAT A CLRNC WAS UNAVAILABLE FROM HIM AT THE TIME; BUT TO CONTACT APCH ON A DIFFERENT FREQ WITH MY REQUEST. THE DME NOW SHOWED ABOUT 35 MI (THE TCA STARTS AT 31 MI). I DID NOT CHANGE ALT OR COURSE AT THE TIME BECAUSE I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I WAS GOING TO RECEIVE A CLRNC FROM THE NEXT CTLR. MY SAME REQUEST WAS DENIED BY THE SECOND CTLR THAT HAD JUST HANDED ME OFF TO HIM. BY THE TIME I SWITCHED BACK TO THE ORIGINAL APCH CTLR; I LOOKED AT THE DME; WHICH SAID 28 MI. I STARTED A L DSNDING 180 DEG TURN TO GET BELOW OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARY OF THE TCA. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN; I WAS GIVEN A CLRNC TO ENTER THE TCA AT 8500. THE SITUATION AROSE WHEN I BECAME DISTRACTED FROM FLYING THE AIRPLANE TO HANDLE THE VARIOUS RADIO CALLS. EACH CTLR LEFT ME WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO GRANT MY REQUEST. IT WOULD BE EASIER IF THE ORIGINAL CTLR WOULD JUST SAY YES OR NO ON THE REQUEST INSTEAD OF PASSING THE RESPONSIBILITY ON TO THE NEXT PERSON. THE PLT COULD THEN JUST CIRCUMNAV THE TCA INSTEAD OF CONTINUING ON AND SKIRTING INTO A TCA WHILE WAITING FOR A CLRNC THAT DOESN'T COME UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.