SMA HAS ELECTRICAL PROBS IN FLT. XPONDER INOP IN 30 MI VEIL.

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ON A PLEASURE FLT FROM SANGER ARPT S OF CHICAGO TO WAUKESHA; WI; FLT WOULD BE A DOGLEG OF ABOUT 320 DEGS ENTERING THE ORD CLASS B AIRSPACE BELOW 3600 FT FLOOR AND LATER A 4000 FT FLOOR. CLOSEST POINT WOULD BE 22 MI FROM ORD; THENCE BTWN 2 CTLED ARPTS (ABOUT 15 MI APART); AURORA AND DUPAGE ARPTS; THEN ON THE W SIDE OF DUPAGE ARPT HEAD N TO WAUKESHA. LEFT SANGER; CLBED TO 1500 FT MSL UNDER BROKEN CLOUDS AND ABOUT 4 MI VISIBILITY. A FEW MI AWAY THEY BECAME SCATTERED; I CLBED TO 3000 FT IN CLR AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED. ABOUT 15 MI SE I CALLED DUPAGE TWR JUST TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS THERE AND WOULD BE PASSING TO THE SW OF THEIR ATA. THEY DIDN'T ANSWER. CALLED AGAIN A MIN LATER; NO ANSWER. CALLED AGAIN ABOUT 10 MI S AND THEY ANSWERED; BUT NOT SURE WHAT THEY SAID. I WAS THINKING WHAT A LOUSY XMITTER THEY HAD. CLOUDS BELOW ME WERE NOW BROKEN AND I COULD SEE OVCST SKIES WITH A FEW HOLES AHEAD. VISIBILITY WAS STILL UNLIMITED. I HEARD THEM CALL AND ASK ME TO IDENT WHICH I DID AND I ACKNOWLEDGED. I THEN HEARD THEM SAY THEY DID NOT RECEIVE MY IDENT AND WAS I SOME MI S OF FERMI LAB. BY NOW I WAS PAST THAT AREA AND TOLD THEM SO. NO ANSWER. NOW I BEGAN TO GET SUSPICIOUS. I LOOKED OVER AT MY ALTERNATOR LOAD METER AND IT APPEARED TO NOT BE PUTTING OUT. DUPAGE TWR CALLED AGAIN AND I ACKNOWLEDGED. NO ANSWER. I WAS NOW ON THE W SIDE OF DUPAGE ATA;. TOOK UP A 270 DEG HDG FOR 8-10 MINS MAKING SURE I WAS OUTSIDE ANYBODY'S CTLED AIRSPACE; THEN HEADED BACK SE TO THAT BROKEN AREA; DSNDED BELOW THE CLOUDS AND WENT STRAIGHT BACK TO SANGER ARPT. AT THIS POINT; I DO NOT KNOW HOW WELL MY XPONDER WAS WORKING WHILE I WAS IN ORD'S 30 MI VEIL. AND I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF I WANDERED A LITTLE CLOSE TO DUPAGE ATA; BUT I'M ALMOST SURE I DIDN'T. EXAMINING THE AIRPLANE ON THE GND; WE FOUND A LOOSE WIRE ON THE ALTERNATOR AND BY THEN A DEAD BATTERY. I AM NOW GOING TO PUT AN ALTERNATOR IDIOT LIGHT ON THE INST PANEL. WHEN I DISCOVERED THE MALFUNCTION; I TURNED ALL THE NON ESSENTIAL ITEMS OFF.