SMA PLT REQUESTS AND OBTAINS CLASS B TRANSITION WITH MALFUNCTIONING XPONDER. PLT QUESTIONS 1 OF 2 CTLR'S RESPONSE TO HIS EQUIP PROB.

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THE DAY BEFORE THE OCCURRENCE MY XPONDER WORKED SATISFACTORILY ON A FLT OVER LAX. I LANDED AT SNA ARPT. I LEFT SNA VFR. I REQUESTED A HOLLYWOOD PARK TRANSITION OVER LAX AT 7500 FT. DEP CTL THEN RPTED THAT I HAD NO XPONDER; AND SOCAL WOULD NOT APPROVE A TRANSACTION; AND ASKED MY INTENTIONS. I REQUESTED TO FLY AROUND THE CLASS B OVER THE OCEAN OR INLAND VFR. THEY WOULD NOT APPROVE EITHER COURSE AND TOLD ME TO RETURN TO SNA AND GET MY XPONDER FIXED THERE. IT WAS FRIDAY EVENING SO I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK THERE UNTIL AT LEAST MONDAY. I REPEATED MY DESIRE TO CONTINUE TO MY DEST. FINALLY; A SOCAL CTLR SAID HE WOULD GET ME A WAIVER TO USE A VFR CORRIDOR AT 4500 FT. I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH IT; SO HE TOLD ME TO FLY THE 132 DEG RADIAL TO VNY. WHEN CHKING IN WITH THE NEXT CTLR; HE SAID I COULDN'T CROSS WITHOUT A XPONDER. I TOLD HIM I HAD BEEN GIVEN A WAIVER. HE THEN TOLD ME TO CHANGE TO THE COMMON PLT FREQ. I DID SO; COMPLETED THE TRANSITION WITHOUT SIGHTING ANOTHER ACFT AND PROCEEDED TO MY DEST. THE WX WAS GOOD; I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL AND I WANTED TO STAY OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE; BUT DEP/SOCAL WOULDN'T APPROVE MY DEPARTING THE AREA. IT SEEMS INAPPROPRIATE TO TELL ME TO RETURN TO SNA. FORTUNATELY; AN UNDERSTANDING CTLR FOUND A SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR EVERYONE. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE; THERE WERE NO SAFETY OF FLT ISSUES. IT WAS SIMPLY UNCOMFORTABLE TO HAVE TO ARGUE A BIT OVER THE AIR TO DO SOMETHING I THOUGHT WAS REASONABLE AND PRUDENT.