ACFT CABIN PRESSURE WAS RISING WITH ACFT. CLB WAS DELAYED UNTIL PRESSURE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED BY FLT ENGINEER. CTLR PROTESTED DELAY IN CLB AND GAVE VECTORS.

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WE WERE FLYING A CHARTER FROM KPHL TO BIKF AND CLBING OUT OVER THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. WE WERE CLRED TO FL230. THERE WERE TSTMS TO THE N OF US. THE CAPT WAS FLYING. I HAD ASKED THE SO TO CALL FSS FOR THE DETAILS ON NEW SIGMETS AND SEE IF THEY APPLIED TO OUR RTE OF FLT. WE WERE PASSING THROUGH FL180 WHEN THE SO BEGAN GIVING US HIS BRIEFING ON THE WX. AS HE WAS DOING THIS I HEARD THE CABIN ALT HORN BEGIN SOUNDING. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT HORN THAT SOUNDS WHEN THE CABIN EXCEEDS 10000 FT. THE SO TURNED BACK TO HIS PANEL. WE HAD A MECH WHO RIDES JUMP SEAT WITH US AND THE 2 OF THEM BEGAN WORKING ON THE PROBLEM. I WAS TURNED AROUND IN MY SEAT AND WORKING WITH THEM. THE CAPT BECAME INVOLVED IN WORKING ON THE PROBLEM ALSO. HE HAD REDUCED THE RATE OF CLB TO ABOUT 200-300 FPM WHEN HE HEARD THE HORN. AT THIS TIME I SUGGESTED THAT I FLY THE ACFT WHILE EVERYONE ELSE CONCENTRATED ON THE PRESSURIZATION PROBLEM. HE HAD REDUCED THE RATE OF CLB IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE SITUATION AND SEE IF IT COULD BE RECTIFIED OR IF A DSCNT WOULD BE REQUIRED. BY THIS TIME WE WERE JUST APCHING FL190. HE TOLD ME NOT TO CLB ANY HIGHER UNTIL THEY COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CALL ATC (NY CENTER) WHEN WE GOT A CALL FROM THEM WANTING TO CONFIRM OUR ALT. I ANSWERED FL190 TO WHICH HE ASKED IF WE WERE CLBING TO FL230. AT THAT TIME I INFORMED HIM OF OUR SITUATION. HE WAS PERTURBED AND SAID HE WAS PLANNING ON US CLBING TO FL230 AND THAT HE HAD XING TFC AT FL190. (I THEN RECALLED THAT HE HAD MENTIONED THAT EARLIER) BUT I HAD FORGOTTEN IT DUE TO BEING BUSY FIRST WITH THE PRESSURIZATION PROBLEM AND JUST WITH ACCLIMATING MYSELF TO BE THE PF THE ACFT. HE THEN GAVE THE OTHER ACFT A VECTOR FOLLOWED BY A VECTOR FOR US. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE PRESSURIZATION PROBLEM WAS SOLVED AND WE CONTINUED THE CLB. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY NEED TO DISTRACT THE SO TO OBTAIN WX INFO IF WE COULD HAVE CONTACTED FLT WATCH FROM THE GND IN PHL VIA A REMOTE TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER. I TRIED TO DO THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES DURING TAXI OUT BUT WAS UNABLE. THIS WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE SO TO SEE THE PROBLEM DEVELOPING SOONER BEFORE IT DISTRACTED US FROM OUR DUTIES. AS FAR AS NOT NOTIFYING ATC IMMEDIATELY; GIVEN THE RELATIVELY LOW ALT THE SITUATION WAS NOT AN EMER AND WE DID NOT WANT TO BEGIN A DSCNT UNTIL WE COULD EVALUATE WHAT WAS GOING ON. THERE IS ALSO A TRANSITIONAL TIME FRAME FOR ALL OF US AS THE SO EVALUATES WHAT HE'S GOT. THE CAPT GOES FROM PF TO WORKING OUT THE PROBLEM AND I SWITCH FROM THE PROBLEM TO FLYING THE ACFT. ALL OF THIS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 3-4 MINS.