ZDV ARTCC RADAR CTLR IS UNABLE TO IDENT A TURBOPROP PLT BECAUSE OF RADAR PROBS. WHEN PLT BECAME SURROUNDED BY WX; THE CTLR DECLARED AN EMER FOR PLT AND ISSUED AN IFR CLRNC.

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AT APPROX XA00; I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM BOZEMAN; MT; TO SALIDA; CO. WE WERE CRUISING AT FL230 AND IMC. OVER THE REDTABLE WAYPOINT OF DBL 060N DEG RADIAL; 12 DME; I REQUESTED LOWER AND WAS CLRED TO CRUISE 16400 FT. DURING DSCNT; I BROKE OUT AT ABOUT 17500 FT. CANCELED IFR AT ABOUT 17000 FT AND LANDED AT SALIDA ARPT WITHOUT INCIDENT. DURING DSCNT; I CONTACTED ZDV; TOLD THEM I WOULD BE DEPARTING SALIDA FOR BOZEMAN IN ABOUT 30 MINS AND ASKED THEM FOR THE FREQ TO CONTACT THEM IN THAT AREA. THEY GAVE ME THE FREQ AND SAID NOTHING ABOUT RADAR FAILURE. AT ABOUT XB00; I DEPARTED SALIDA VFR PLANNING TO PICK UP MY IFR CLRNC FROM CTR. THE FLT PLAN WAS ON FILE. AT APPROX 16000 FT; STILL VFR; I MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH CTR. THE CTLR GAVE ME A SQUAWK AND INFORMED ME OF THE RADAR OUTAGE. HE ALSO SAID; UNTIL I WAS IN RADAR CONTACT; HE WOULD NOT GIVE ME CLRNC. I KNEW WE WERE IN RADAR CONTACT IN EXACTLY THE SAME LOCATION DURING MY ARR 1 HR EARLIER; SO I FIGURED THEY WOULD SEE ME SOON. I CONTINUED TO CLB; REMAINED VFR BUT STARTED TO RUN OUT OF VFR OPTIONS. AT 17500 FT I LEVELED OFF BUT I COULD NOT PROCEED ON COURSE; SO I STARTED TO CIRCLE (IN VFR CONDITIONS). I AGAIN CONTACTED CTR WHO ADVISED ME TO BECOME ESTABLISHED ON AN AIRWAY OR FIX BEFORE HE COULD GIVE ME A CLRNC. ALL THE AIRWAYS IN THAT AREA RUN E AND W AND WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME DIRECTLY INTO THE CLOUDS. SO THAT WASN'T AN OPTION. I THEN GAVE THE CTLR MY POS RELATIVE TO TEZNE INTXN. HE SAW ME ON RADAR AND ASKED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT. I DID SO; AND HE SAID RADAR CONTACT. I CONTINUED TO CIRCLE WAITING FOR CLRNC. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER; HE SAID RADAR CONTACT LOST; AND NOTHING ELSE. AFTER ANOTHER CIRCLE; STILL WAITING FOR CLRNC; IT BECAME APPARENT TO ME I WASN'T GOING TO GET ONE. I AGAIN TOLD THE CTLR I COULD PROCEED NO FURTHER WITHOUT A CLRNC AND AGAIN REQUESTED ONE. HE SUGGESTED I'D FLY TO FALCON VOR. THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO DSND DOWN THROUGH A HOLE IN UNFAMILIAR MOUNTAINOUS AREA; GO BACK TO SALIDA; LAND; GET ON THE PHONE AND REQUEST A CLRNC WITH VOID TIME. ABOUT THE TIME I WAS READY TO DO THIS; THE CTLR DECLARED AN EMER AND CLRED ME TO FL180. UPON REACHING FL180; HE HAD ME IN RADAR CONTACT (ABOUT 30 SECONDS) AND ASSIGNED ME A HDG OF 360 DEGS (I THINK). SHORTLY THEREAFTER; HE CLRED ME TO A FLT PLAN WAYPOINT. I ASSUME THAT THE EMER WAS OVER (LASTED ABOUT 1 MIN). THIS WHOLE FIASCO COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE RADAR OUTAGE AND THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF DURING MY DSCNT INTO SALIDA LESS THAN 1 HR BEFORE. IF I HAD KNOWN; I SIMPLY WOULD HAVE PICKED UP A CLRNC ON THE GND BY PHONE.