A PA31 AERIAL SURVEY PLT WITHOUT HIS MODE C TURNED ON HAS AN NMAC WITH AN UNKNOWN TYPE ACFT WHO CLBED THROUGH HIS ALT AT 14500 FT ABOVE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT SLC; UT.

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I WAS TAKING OVER A COMPANY ACFT FROM ANOTHER PLT. I HAD NOT FLOWN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT FOR 8 MONTHS. I AM AN EXPERIENCED AERIAL SURVEY PLT; BUT I WAS DISTR BY MY RUSTINESS WITH THE ACFT AND THE USE OF A NEW AERIAL SURVEY NAV SYS. WHILE I TRIED TO BE ATTENTIVE; THE ONE CHKLIST ITEM I MISSED WAS TO PUT THE XPONDER TO 'ALT.' IT WAS DURING THE RETURN TO OUR BASE ARPT THAT I DISCOVERED THE OMISSION AND I DID TURN IT ON AT THAT TIME. I HAD BEEN FLYING OVER THE SLC CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR SOME 3 HRS. NO CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS VIOLATED; BUT I WAS IN THE VEIL AREA. FROM THE START I DECIDED NOT TO TALK TO ATC BECAUSE WE COULD COMPLETELY AVOID CLASS B AIRSPACE AND WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE ARPT TO AVOID CORRIDORS AND I DIDN'T NEED THE ADDED DISTR ATC ADDS TO THESE MISSIONS. THE NMAC WAS A COMBINATION OF NO SQUAWK AND NO TALK. HAD I CONTACTED ATC; THE SQUAWK PROB WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED. ALTHOUGH TALKING WITH ATC VERY EVIDENTLY CAUSES PROBS FOR US IN THAT ATC SEEMS TO CONSIDER US AN ANNOYANCE AND IS OFTEN UNCOOPERATIVE IN ALLOWING US TO UTILIZE OUR AIRSPACE; IF ATC WERE MORE COOPERATIVE WITH AERIAL SURVEY MISSIONS I WOULD NOT BE SO RETICENT TO USE THEM WHEN; TECHNICALLY; I DIDN'T HAVE TO. WHENEVER I FLY IN CTLR'S AIRSPACE (CLASS B; C; OR D); I AM IN CONTACT WITH THE CTLRS. THIS NMAC WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY A FLAWLESS CHKLIST COMPLETION AND/OR TALKING WITH ATC.