UNAUTH RWY XING IN A NIGHT OP.

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THIS SIT OCCURRED WHILE I WAS TAXIING OUT FROM FBO AT TAMPA INTL. I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND REQUESTED A 'PROGRESSIVE TAXI' TO MY ASSIGNED RWY; RWY 9. GND CTL WAS COMBINED WITH TWR FREQ THIS NIGHT DUE TO A RELATIVELY LIGHT TFC LOAD. I WAS TOLD TO GO TO RWY 9 VIA TXWY E (ECHO) AND NOT TO CROSS RWY 18L. SHORTLY AFTER BEGINNING MY TAXI ON TXWY E; I BECAME LOST AND; AGAIN; REQUESTED A 'PROGRESSIVE' FROM GND CTL. THEY PROVIDED ME WITH VAGUE AND WHAT I FELT WAS AN 'IRRITABLE' RESPONSE RATHER THAN SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS AS I HAD REQUESTED. SOMEHOW; I TURNED OFF OF TXWY E AND GOT ONTO TXWY S AND STOPPED SHORT OF ACTIVE RWY 18L AT THE INTXN OF TXWYS S AND D. AT NO TIME DID I CROSS ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY 18L. HOWEVER; WHEN I ONCE AGAIN REQUESTED DIRECTIONS; TWR/GND STATED THAT THEY 'COULDN'T SEE ME' AND MENTIONED SOMETHING TO THE FACT THAT THEY THOUGHT I HAD EITHER CROSSED; OR HAD TAXIED ONTO RWY 18L. THERE WAS TFC APCHING ON THIS RWY ON A 2-MI FINAL. I AGAIN STATED THAT I WAS AT THE D INTXN AND THAT I WOULD GO BACK (MAKE A 180) A BIT AND PICK UP TXWY E; GETTING FURTHER AWAY FROM RWY 18L. I DID MAKE THE 180 DEG ON TXWY S AND PULLED BACK FURTHER FROM RWY 18L. AT ABOUT THIS TIME GND INSTRUCTED ME TO GO ONTO RWY 18L AND TAXI DOWN THIS RWY FOR DEP ON RWY 18L. LNDG TFC HAD PULLED OFF THE RWY. THE REASON FOR THIS RPT IS THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THE GND CTL FEELS THAT I; IN FACT; DID ACTUALLY PULL ONTO RWY 18L WHEN LOST; OR NOT. HE DID CLRLY STATE THAT HE DID NOT HAVE VISUAL CONTACT WITH ME AT THE INTXN OF TXWYS S AND D AND THEREFORE HAS NO AUTHORITATIVE; CLR PICTURE OF EXACTLY WHAT OCCURRED. I AM WRITING THIS IN THE EVENT THAT ATC AT TAMPA INTL INTENDS TO PURSUE A VIOLATION SUCH AS A RWY INCURSION VIOLATION. I FEEL THAT THERE IS A MAJOR PROB IF GND CTL AT TAMPA CANNOT SEE TAXIING ACFT ON A VFR; GOOD- VISIBILITY NIGHT; OR IF THEY CAN PROPERLY SEE; FAILS TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE ASSISTANCE TO A PLT WHO CONFESSES HIS SIT AND REQUESTS HELP.