C210 PLT CHOOSES TO USE THE VFR CORRIDOR FOR DEP OUT OF TOA ARPT. HAD SET UP 2 VORS AND USES THE WRONG ONE FOR NAV TO SMO. WAS USING THE ONE SET ON VNY. SOCAL CTLR CATCHES ERROR AND SENDS HIM DIRECT SMO. SAYS; 'CALL ME LATER.'

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BEFORE DEPARTING TORRANCE ARPT I SPOKE TO THE TWR PERSONNEL ABOUT THE DEP PROCS; DUE TO MY UNFAMILIARITY. I HAD A VFR SECTIONAL IN FRONT OF ME SO THAT WE COULD DISCUSS THE 3 DIFFERENT DEPS: SHORE LINE; VFR AND HOLLYWOOD. AFTER TALKING WITH THE TWR I CALLED FLT SVC AND OBTAINED THE WX AND FOUND IT TO BE VFR. 15 MINS LATER; I GOT INTO THE ACFT AND REQUESTED A SHORE LINE DEP. TWR INDICATED THAT IT WOULD BE A 1/2 HR DELAY. I THEN REQUESTED VFR FLT FOLLOWING; BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO USE THE VFR CORRIDOR. I HAD ENTERED THE SANTA MONICA VOR (SMO) AND THE 132 DEG RADIAL IN 1/2 OF THE NAV. RECEIVER AND THE VAN NUYS (VNY) IN THE OTHER HALF; IN THE EVENT I MIGHT NEED IT. WHEN I TOOK OFF I CONTACTED DEP AND INDICATED I WOULD LIKE FLT FOLLOWING -- I WAS GOING TO USE THE VFR CORRIDOR. A SHORT TIME LATER THEY HAD ASKED IF I HAD THE SANTA MONICA VOR TUNED IN AND WHEN I LOOKED I WAS NAVING ON THE VAN NUYS VOR. THEY TOLD ME TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE SMO; WHICH I DID. LATER IN THE FLT THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT COAST APCH BY PHONE. WHEN I ARRIVED IN SACRAMENTO I CALLED COAST APCH. THE PERSON I SPOKE TO WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND I TOLD HIM. WE TALKED AND HE SAID CONSIDER THIS A KIND OF REVIEW AND NO FORMAL ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN. WHEN YOU THINK YOU MADE THE CORRECT SELECTION; CHK IT AGAIN; ESPECIALLY IN AN AREA YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE.