A C414 PLT; ATTEMPTING TO NAV BY GND REF; FLIES INTO A RESTR AREA. AN APCH CTLR CONFIRMS THEIR LOCATION AND PROVIDES EXIT VECTORS.

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WE WERE LEVEL AT 14500 FT VFR (SOME CLOUDS IN THE DISTANCE APPROX 50 MI AHEAD). IN RADAR CONTACT WITH ZLC RECEIVING VFR FLT FOLLOWING TO NAPA; CA. COULD HEAR OTHER ACFT TALKING; BUT CTR HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH US IN ABOUT 15- 20 MINS. WHEN I CAN ONLY HEAR OTHER ACFT TALKING AND NOT CTR I GET LEERY. TRIED SEVERAL TIMES (MAYBE A DOZEN OVER A 10 MIN PERIOD) TO GET SLC WITH NO LUCK. THE C414 IS WELL EQUIPPED; SO WE IDENTED OURSELVES USING BOTH VORS AND A LORAN TO BE APPROX 5 MI N OF A RESTR AREA (R6404). SINCE CTR WAS VERY DOUBTFUL I FOUND AN ADVISORY FREQ FOR CLOVER APCH ON THE SECTIONAL AND USED OUR #2 COM TO TRY THEM. THEY RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY TO OUR XMISSION AND TOLD US WE WERE INSIDE R6404. I ASKED FOR VECTORS AND ALT TO GET US OUT OF THEIR WAY ASAP AND THEY OBLIGED. WE CHKED OUR POS AGAIN AND STILL SHOWED OURSELVES N OF THE AREA. I EXPLAINED THIS TO CLOVER AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE TROUBLE. SHE KEPT US ON RADAR AND EVENTUALLY TURNED US TO ZLC EXPLAINING THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WAS TELLING HER. REST OF FLT WENT WITHOUT OCCURRENCE. BECAUSE WE WERE OVER A BROKEN LAYER I COULD NOT MAKE A 100% POSITIVE IDENT BY GND BASED VISUAL LANDMARKS AND HAD THE VORS TO RELY ON FOR POSITIONAL AWARENESS. THE VORS HAD BEEN CHKED AGAINST EACH OTHER IN A DUAL GND CHK 2 WKS PRIOR AND SHOWED TO BE WITHIN THE +/-4 DEG TOLERANCE; SO I AM STILL UNSURE HOW OUR POS DIFFERED SO MUCH WITH RADAR'S. MORE ATTN BY CTR WOULD HAVE HELPED US CERTAINLY; AND WE ALSO COULD HAVE FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN RATHER THAN RELY ON FLT FOLLOWING; WHICH MAY BE OUR COURSE OF ACTION IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE THIS RPT HELPS YOUR ORGANIZATION.