MISSED ALT CHANGE ON PDC.

Narrative

AFTER TKOF FROM RWY 22R AT NEWARK; NJ; ARPT AND UPON CHKING IN WITH DEP CTL; DEP SAID TO CHK TRANSPONDER. AT THIS TIME WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT SET THE PRESCRIBED TRANSPONDER CODE AND ALSO HAD NOT XCHKED THE PDC FOR DEP AND RTE INFO. THE NEWARK 4 DEP WHICH WAS FILED BY THE COMPANY HAS A DETAILED PROC WHEN DEPARTING ON 22R AND HAS AN ALT RESTRICTION OF 5000 FT. THE PDC HAD MODIFIED THE ALT TO 2500 FT. WE HAD MISSED THIS AND HAD SET 5000 IN THE ALT WINDOW. AT 2800 FT DEP SAID TO MAINTAIN 2500 AND WE RETURNED TO 2500 FT. I BELIEVE THE DETAILED DEP BRIEFING THAT WE DISCUSSED AS A CREW ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST MADE IT SEEM AS IF WE HAD DISCUSSED THE DEP CLRNC THAT WAS A PART OF THE PDC. ALSO; MANY ARPTS DO NOT HAVE PDC'S SO IT IS NOT AN ACQUIRED HABIT TO CHK FOR A PDC. I BELIEVE THAT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY THAT THE 22R DEP ALT SHOULD BE 2500 FT SINCE THAT IN NORMALLY GIVEN ON THE PDC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 218711. THE EWR 4 SID ALT IS ALMOST ALWAYS AMENDED FROM 5000 FT TO 2500 FT; AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE AT MOST ARPTS. PERHAPS THE SID SHOULD BE CHANGED ALSO; A MORE STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS SHOULD PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.