SINGLE PLT ON VFR FLT NEAR SBA INADVERTENTLY USES IDENT OF HIS OWN; REGULARLY FLOWN C182 VICE THAT OF THE FRIEND'S ACFT THAT HE WAS; IN FACT; PLTING ON THIS DAY. CAUSED A SHORT PERIOD OF CONFUSION ON ATC COMS.

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FOR THE PAST FEW YRS; I HAVE FLOWN MY C182 (ACFT X) EVERY WK. TODAY I FLEW WITH A FRIEND IN HIS C182 (ACFT Y). RETURNING FROM SMX AT 5500 FT; I CALLED SBA APCH; ASKED FOR VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE. AFTER A WHILE; THEY TOLD ME TO SWITCH TO ZLA. WHEN I CHKED IN; I MUST HAVE RPTED 'CESSNA X WITH YOU LEVEL AT 5 PT 5 INSTEAD OF CESSNA Y. CTR ASKED IF THIS WAS MY FIRST CALL. I THOUGHT HE MEANT MY FIRST CALL TO HIM. I HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SBA APCH; BUT THIS WAS MY FIRST CALL TO CTR. SO I REPLIED 'YES.' (I NOW REALIZE HE WAS ASKING BECAUSE HE HAD NO STRIP FOR ACFT X.) HE GAVE ME A NEW SQUAWK CODE; WHICH I ENTERED. AFTER A WHILE; HE CALLED ACFT Y AND ASKED IF WE WERE ON FREQ AND OUR ALT. WE SAID WE WERE. AFTER A WHILE I NOTICED HE WAS CALLING ACFT X AND REALIZED I MUST HAVE GIVEN THE WRONG CALL SIGN. I TOLD CTR I HAD INADVERTENTLY GIVEN THE WRONG CALL SIGN AND THAT THERE WAS NO ACFT X ON FREQ. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT AND WE GOT THE CONFUSION RESOLVED. THE NAVS AND RADIOS IN ACFT Y ARE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE IN MY AIRPLANE AND WHILE NAVING; LOOKING FOR TFC AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE COMS; I JUST RESPONDED BY HABIT WITH THE CALL SIGN I'VE USED FOR MANY YRS. IN FUTURE; I WILL PUT A CARD WITH THE CORRECT CALL SIGN NEAR COMS #1 WHERE I WILL SEE IT.