M20 PLT ENTERING THE US FROM MEXICO IS UNABLE TO CONTACT FSS TO OPEN FLT PLAN AND GET TRANSPONDER CODE TO FACILITATE CROSSING THE BORDER INTO THE US.

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THIS RPT CONCERNS MY INABILITY TO MAKE CONTACT WITH A US FSS WHEN APCHING THE BORDER FROM MEXICO. I WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF MY MOONEY M20K ACFT; ON A PLEASURE FLT RETURNING TO THE US FROM MEXICO. THE POINT OF ORIGIN WAS LZB; OR CAMPO LORENZO; IN SAN QUINTIN; BAJA CA. I HAD FILED A DVFR FLT PLAN VIA DUATS FROM PUERTO PANASCO (MMPE); MY PORT OF EXIT FROM MEXICO; TO TUCSON; AZ (TUS). I HAD GIVEN A RETURN CUSTOMS NOTIFICATION TO PRESCOTT FSS ON THE MORNING I LEFT THE US; JUL/XA/08 WITH THE PLANNED RETURN VIA NOGALES; AZ (OLS). WHEN I CHKED WX OVER THE INTERNET THE MORNING OF DEP; IT APPEARED THAT WX MIGHT BE A PROB AT OLS; SO I INTENDED TO USE TUS AS MY ARPT OF ENTRY. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT CUSTOMS AT TUS BY PHONE; NOT UNUSUAL AS PHONE SVC IN MEXICO IS NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE. ON THE LEG FROM LZB TO MMPE; I CONTACTED PRESCOTT RADIO VIA THE YUMA RCO. I ADVISED THE FSS SPECIALIST THAT I WANTED TO CHANGE ARPTS OF ENTRY AND WOULD NEED HIM TO NOTIFY CUSTOMS AT TUS. THIS WAS ACKNOWLEDGED; AND THE NOTIFICATION WAS SUCCESSFUL. I FURTHER ADVISED THAT I WOULD BE LNDG AT MMPE; AND WOULD RE-CONTACT PRESCOTT IN ABOUT 1 HR TO ACTIVATE MY DVFR FLT PLAN. I LANDED AND REFUELED AT MMPE AND DEPARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I CLBED TO MY CRUISING ALT OF 7500 FT MSL AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT PRESCOTT RADIO TO ACTIVATE THE DVFR PLAN AND RECEIVE A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. I TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES; BUT I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH PRESCOTT RADIO USING THEIR RCO'S AT YUMA; NOGALES OR TUCSON. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY PUZZLING; SINCE I HAD CONTACTED THEM THROUGH THE YUMA RCO FROM THE SAME ALT; BUT I WAS CLOSER TO THE STATION AT THE TIME I COULD NOT MAKE CONTACT. I THEN TRIED TO CONTACT ZAB USING THE FREQ FOR THE CLOSEST SECTOR SHOWN ON THE ENRTE LOW ALT IFR CHART; BUT I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE ON THAT FREQ; NOR DID I HEAR OTHER TFC. I MADE AT LEAST A DOZEN CALLS TO PRESCOTT ON 122.2; 122.4 AND 122.6; BUT NEVER RECEIVED AN ANSWER. AT THAT TIME; I WAS WITHIN 5 MINS OF THE ADIZ; AND FELT GREAT URGENCY TO REACH US ATC. I THEN BROADCAST ON 121.5; CALLING 'ANY RADIO OR ANY CTR;' WITH MY CALL SIGN. I AM DISMAYED TO RPT THAT I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM ANY ATC STATION; WHEN CALLING ON THE EMER FREQ. I WAS ANSWERED BY SEVERAL AIRLINERS; ONE OF WHOM OFFERED TO RELAY MY REQUEST; BUT HE WAS COMMUNICATING WITH ZLA; AND I WAS NOT NEAR THEIR AIRSPACE. A SECOND AIRLINER SUGGESTED ANOTHER FREQ FOR ZAB; AND I WAS ABLE TO REACH CTR AND OBTAIN A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE FROM THEM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE CTR CTLR FORMALLY OPENED THE DVFR FLT PLAN; I AM ACCUSTOMED TO DOING THAT WITH FSS. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TUS AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY; AND THE PROCESS WITH CUSTOMS WAS ROUTINE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT FOR A PERIOD OF 30 MINS AND AT LEAST A DOZEN SEPARATE CALLS I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE CTLING FSS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE HAD I NOT GOTTEN AN ANSWER FROM ZAB WHEN I DID. HOW IS IT THAT A CALL ON THE EMER FREQ WOULD GO UNANSWERED? I AM CERTAIN MY RADIOS WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY; AS I HAD NORMAL COMS WITH CTLRS IN BOTH COUNTRIES; BEFORE AND AFTER THE PERIOD IN QUESTION. THE FSS SYS NEEDS TO EXAMINE THEIR PROCS AND EQUIP TO ENSURE THAT PLTS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO CONTACT THEM IN ORDER TO ENTER THE COUNTRY ARE IN FACT ABLE TO DO SO.