THOUGHT MAINT SUPVR HAD MEL'D CABIN EMER LIGHTS LEGALLY.

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UPON PREFLTING THE ACFT THE FO AND I DISCOVERED THAT SOME OF THE EMER LIGHTS IN THE PAX CABIN WERE INOP. READING OUR MEL IN THE ACFT I THOUGHT IT WAS VAGUE IN STATING WHETHER OR NOT IT COULD BE MEL'ED OR FLC PLACARDED. I DECIDED TO CALL MAINT CTL AT HEADQUARTERS; USING THE RADIO ON THE ACFT. HE ASKED A FEW QUESTIONS AND THEN STATED I WOULD BE OK FOR FLT. HE GAVE ME A MEL NUMBER OVER THE RADIO AND STATED THAT IT WOULD BE OK FOR A FLC PLACARD. HIS RADIO XMISSION WAS GARBLED AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. FOR THIS REASON I WROTE DOWN THE WRONG NUMBER IN THE MAINT LOGBOOK. MY SECOND MISTAKE WAS THAT I FAILED TO VERIFY THE NUMBER IN THE MEL BOOK. I REALIZED MY MISTAKE WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEST. LOOKING BACK NOW; I PUT MY TRUST IN THE MAINT CTLR WHEN I SHOULD HAVE MADE MY OWN JUDGEMENT. I ALSO BECAME RUSHED BECAUSE IT WAS 15 MINS BEFORE DEP. IN THE FUTURE; I THINK PLTS SHOULD MAKE MAINT WRITE UPS BY WHAT THEY HAVE IN THE MEL BOOK AND NOT BY WHAT IS VERBALLY COMMUNICATED TO THEM BY SOMEONE IN AUTHORITY.