PLT OF CORPORATE JET WAS ISSUED AN INITIAL ALT RESTR BELOW RADAR COVERAGE BY ATC FOR A SID THAT STATES RADAR AND DME REQUIRED. PLT STATED THAT NAV AND COM WERE NORMAL FOR THE PROC AND THEY WERE CLBED TO A HIGHER ALT AND RADAR IDENTED APPROX 10 MI NW OF SDL.

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MAY/XX/96; I WAS DEPARTING SDL (SCOTTSDALE) FOR 3KM (JARARA) IN OUR COMPANY'S LR35. WE WERE CLRED TO THE BANYO 3 DEP; ZUNI TRANSITION. DEP WAS RWY 03; WHICH STATES AFTER TKOF A HDG OF 260 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE BANYO INTXN. THENCE A RADAR VECTOR TO THE PXR 034 DEG RADIAL. WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO 5000 FT BUT UPON TKOF THE TWR TOLD US TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT. AFTER GOING TO PHOENIX DEP I ASKED FOR A VECTOR. WE WERE TOLD THAT AT 4000 FT WE WERE TOO LOW FOR RADAR COVERAGE; AS YOU CAN IMAGINE THERE WAS A BIT OF CONFUSION. AT ALL TIMES; HOWEVER; I FOLLOWED THE BANYO 3 TO THE LETTER. PHX DEP ASKED THAT I CALL HIM UPON ARR TO JARARA WHICH I DID; AND HE WOULD STRAIGHTEN OUT THE CONFUSION! PER OUR PHONE DISCUSSION I WAS TOLD THAT AT 4000 FT THERE WAS NO RADAR COVERAGE; BUT AT 5000 FT THEY COULD PICK US UP ON RADAR. THIS SEEMS TO ME TO HAVE SERIOUS POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT; SINCE THE MINIMUM SECTOR ALT IS QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN 4000 FT. I MIGHT ADD FOR GOOD REASON! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED DURING CALLBACK WHEN ATC SAID HE WAS TOO LOW FOR RADAR IDENT HE ADVISED THEM THAT HE WAS COMPLYING WITH HIS CLRNC AND IF THEY COULD NOT IDENT HIM AT THEIR ASSIGNED ALT THEN THE PROC WAS NOT SAFE. APPROX 10 MI NW OF SDL THEY WERE CLBED TO A HIGHER ALT AND IDENTED. PRIOR TO CHANGING TO ZAB HE WAS ASKED TO CALL THE TRACON SUPVR AT HIS DEST. THE SUPVR ADVISED HIM THAT THE PROC IS LEGAL AND USED WHEN INBOUND TFC TO PHX IS DSNDING TO 5000 FT. HE IS NOT CONVINCED THAT IT'S SAFE TO BET ON THE COME.