C206 PLT FLIES INTO IMC BEFORE RECEIVING IFR CLRNC IN ZOA AIRSPACE.

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FILED IFR FLT PLAN WITH RANCHO MURIETTA FSS (GROVELAND Q68 TO PALO ALTO PAO). DEPARTED VFR FROM Q68 (ALT 3000 FT). AT APPROX 4000 FT; CALLED ZOA FOR CLRNC. ZOA HAS ALWAYS (IN THE PAST) BEEN ABLE TO SEE MY XPONDER AT 4000 FT. NORMAL SEQUENCE IS TO DEPART AND CALL FOR CLRNC AT 3500-4000 FT. ZOA TOLD ME THEY WERE NOT RECEIVING MY XPONDER AND TO REMAIN VFR. THEY TOLD ME ANOTHER ACFT WAS IFR INTO COLUMBIA (AN ARPT APPROX 15 MI AWAY) AND THAT THEY HAD LOST RADAR CONTACT WITH THAT AIRPLANE. AT THIS TIME I TOLD ZOA I WAS IMC AS I WAS IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS. ZOA THEN ASKED ME FOR DME AND RADIAL TO MANTECA VOR. I TOLD THEM 40 DME AND 250 DEG RADIAL. AT THIS TIME HE TOLD ME HE HA D RADAR CONTACT AND PROCEEDED TO GIVE ME MY CLRNC TO PALO ALTO. THE FLT CONTINUED NORMALLY TERMINATING IN A VOR DME APCH TO PAO. I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS OAKLAND OR STOCKTON APCH THAT GAVE ME THE TELEPHONE NUMBER OF THE ZOA MGR AND TOLD ME TO CALL UPON LNDG. I DID; AND HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO FILE A RPT AND TOOK ALL THE PERTINENT INFO. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE INCIDENT; AND TOLD HIM I WOULD CALL FOR CLRNC ON THE TELEPHONE BEFORE DEPARTING IN THE FUTURE.