HANDOFF TO ZOA QUESTIONED BECAUSE NOT CLEAR OF REPORTED TRAFFIC.

Narrative

FAT DEP (FREQ 119.6 MHZ) CALLED OUT 12 O'CLOCK TFC AT 10 MI; ALT UNKNOWN. WE WERE THEN PASSED ON TO ZOA (121.25 MHZ) AND ZOA ADVISED US OF TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK; 2 MI THAT WAS ABOVE 13000' MSL. THEREFORE; THEY CLRED US TO CONTINUE CLB TO 13000'. AT ABOUT XA07Z WE NOTICED AN SMA AT 12 O'CLOCK. OUR HDG WAS 300 DEGS (ASSIGNED) ALT CLBING THROUGH 8500'. WE MADE A TURN TO ABOUT 340 DEGS. THE OTHER ACFT APPEARED TO BE AN SMA HDG ABOUT 270 DEGS AT ABOUT 8500' MSL. WE WERE PROBABLY 1000' ABOVE AND 1 MI FROM HIM WHEN WE PASSED ABEAM. IF WE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING; WE ESTIMATE THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 500' ABOVE HIM AND 1/2 MI HORIZ AT THE CLOSEST PROJECTION. THE MAIN FACT TO LEARN HERE IS THAT THERE WERE 2 SMA'S IN THE AREA. THE ONE FAT DEP CALLED OUT AND THE ONE ZOA KNEW ABOUT ABOVE 13000'. WE LATER TALKED TO ZOA AND THEY SAID THEIR RADAR COVERAGE IN THAT AREA ONLY WENT DOWN TO 10000' AND THEREFORE COULD NOT PICK UP THE FIRST ACFT (SMA). THEY SAID THEY HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH FAT DEP WITH HDOFS BELOW 10000'. WE FEEL THAT WE WERE HANDED OFF TOO EARLY AND FAT SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH US UNTIL WE PASSED THE ACFT.