CLASS C ENTRY WITHOUT CLRNC WHEN HDOF WAS NOT RECEIVED FROM TRACON. TFC AND FREQ CONGESTION ARE AN ISSUE.

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XA00 ON DSCNT TO SJC; BAY APCH DIRECTED ME TO DSND TO 2500 FT OVER EMBASSY SUITES; BAY APCH. WAS EXTREMELY BUSY. I NEVER RECEIVED A HANDOFF. EMBASSY SUITES IS 4 NM NE OF SJC. IT IS NORMAL TO GET HDOF TO TWR AFTER EMBASSY SUITES DIRECT SJC. AFTER XING EMBASSY SUITES AND UNABLE TO REQUEST FREQ CHANGE DUE TO CTLR FREQ CONGESTION; I CONTACTED TWR AND ADVISED INBOUND WITH ATIS INFO. SJC TWR RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY WITH NORMAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS OVERHEAD 1500 FT FOR L TFC RWY 29. ON TAXI TO RAMP; GND ASKED ME TO TELEPHONE TWR AFTER SHUTDOWN. TWR ADVISED ME THAT THEY DID NOT RECEIVE A HDOF AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE CIRCLED OVER EMBASSY SUITES UNTIL I RECEIVED HDOF INSTRUCTIONS. AT XD00 ON THE SAME DAY I FLEW THE SAME RTE INBOUND AGAIN; SAME CTLR -- FREQ CONGESTION OCCURRED. I CIRCLED OVER WAYPOINT UNTIL I COULD REQUEST FREQ CHANGE. I WAS HANDED OFF TO BAY APCH WITH IMMEDIATE INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY DIRECT SJC AND CONTACT TWR. THIS IS VERY BUSY AIRSPACE AND TO BEGIN CIRCLING COULD CAUSE TFC CONFLICT. ON DEP OF SECOND FLT SAME DAY; I INQUIRED BAY APCH AS TO SECTOR BOUNDARIES. THEY SAID I SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED HDOF 10-15 MI PRIOR TO INCIDENT LOCATION OR 15-20 MI NE OF SJC.