PVT PLT; BACK FROM A LONG LAYOFF FROM FLYING FLIES IN PROX OF TCA AND UNDER AND WITHIN THE 30 MI VEIL WITHOUT BENEFIT OF XPONDER ON MODE C.

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AFTER 1 1/2 HR HIATUS FROM FLYING; I GOT CHKED OUT TO RENT ACFT FROM LCL FLYING CLUB. ON ACFT USED IN PAST; XPONDER HAD ONLY ON/OFF SETTING. WHEN TURNED 'ON' MODE C WAS AUTOMATIC. IN RENTAL ACFT; XPONDER HAD STANDBY/ON/ALT SETTINGS; ALT=MODE C. DURING CHK RIDE I ONLY TURNED XPONDER TO 'ON' SETTING; INSTRUCTOR POINTED OUT NEED FOR 'ALT' SETTING FOR MODE C. I SHOULD HAVE MADE A NOTE OF THIS ON CHKLIST. I TOOK OFF ON SECOND FLT SINCE CHKRIDE. AFTER START-UP I TURNED KNOB ON XPONDER AND NOTED THE YELLOW RETURN LIGHT FLASHED. I TOOK OFF FROM CMA; AND PROCEEDED E OVER SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. I STAYED ABOVE BUR ARSA; THEN TURNED S UNDER LAX TCA 4900-2500 FT AND 5500 FT; AND THEN FOLLOWED COAST W BACK TO CMA. ABOUT 1/2 WAY THROUGH FLT I NOTED XPONDER WAS ONLY SET ON 'STANDBY.' I IMMEDIATELY SET TO 'ON.' ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; I REMEMBERED I NEEDED 'ALT' SETTING FOR ENCODER. DURING PREFLT I USED A GENERIC CHKLIST. I HAVE NOW MADE MY OWN COPY OF CHKLIST AND HIGHLIGHTED XPONDER CHK AND ADDED NOTE ABOUT CHKING FOR 'ALT' SETTING. WHEN SWITCHING ACFT I NEED TO BE EXTRA ALERT ABOUT DIFFERENCES IN EQUIP; AND CHKING OP OF EQUIP. ALSO; DURING FLT; I MONITORED BUR APCH AND SNA APCH. AT ONE POINT I HEARD CTLR GIVE TFC AS EBOUND; ALT UNKNOWN. THAT SHOULD HAVE TIPPED ME OFF TO CHK MY XPONDER SETTINGS; BUT IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME AT FIRST; THAT I WASN'T IN MODE C.