AN ACR MLG TOOK OFF WITHOUT AN AIRWAYS CLRNC OR PROPER TRANSPONDER CODE. PRE-DEP CLRNC WAS IN USE.

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IN PREPARATION FOR DEP; FO USUALLY GETS A CLRNC FOR FLT. 99% OF TIME IT IS ROUTINELY 'AS FILED.' IN PIT WE ARE USERS OF 'PRE-DEP CLRNCS' VIA ACARS. A GREAT SYS BUT; WE MAY HAVE FOUND A FLAW. FO DID NOT; TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE; REQUEST AIRWAYS TO DAY. WE TAXIED WITH CLRNC FROM RAMP UNTIL WE REACHED A SPOT WHERE GND CTL WOULD CLR US TO TAXI ONTO ACTIVE TAXIWAYS. WE SWITCHED TO GND FREQ. GND CTL CALLED US TO TAXI FOR TKOF. THERE WAS MOMENTARY CONFUSION AS ANOTHER ACFT WAS AT ANOTHER RAMP EXIT TRYING TO CALL GND. CONFUSION WAS CLRED UP; AND WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO TAXI. WHEN WE GOT TO THE RWY. WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC FOR TKOF. AFTER TKOF; WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT DEP. I ASKED THE FO TO CONFIRM THE FREQ; AND HE COULD NOT FIND IT WRITTEN ON HIS NOTE PAD. I ASKED TWR -- SWITCHED OVER AND SOON AFTER CONTACTING DEP; THEY WANTED TO CONFIRM OUR SQUAWK. THAT IS WHEN THE BIG DOUBTS BEGAN TO START. WE SET IN THEIR REQUESTED SQUAWK AND PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO DAY -- OUR DEST. ENRTE WE CHKED THE ACARS AND FOUND NO CLRNC. THE FO CHKED HIS NOTEPAD FOR HIS HABITUAL ENTRIES; I.E.; THE DEP FREQ WRITTEN IN A CERTAIN LOCATION; ETC. ALL EVIDENCE POINTED TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD NOT OBTAINED OUR AIRWAY CLRNC. HOW HAD OUR 'STRIP' BEEN SENT FROM CLRNC DELIVERY THROUGHOUT THE SYS? WHEN WE SAT AT THE RAMP EXIT; WHY DID GND NOT ASK IF WE HAD OBTAINED OUR CLRNC? INSTEAD -- THEY INITIATED THE CALL AND GAVE US TAXI CLRNC. EACH SUBSEQUENT FACILITY ACCEPTED US AND ROUTINELY KEPT US ON OUR WAY. I HAVE TAKEN OFF WITHOUT THE DEP FREQ CLRLY IN MIND AND I HAVE TAKEN OFF WITHOUT THE CORRECT TRANSPONDER CODE SET IN; BUT WHEN NEITHER WAS ACCOMPLISHED; I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. WE REALLY SCREWED UP. BUT; THE QUESTION LINGERS -- HOW DID WE GET INTO THE SYS WITHOUT OUR CLRNC? IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FO REQUESTED THE CLRNC BUT IT NEVER ARRIVED AT THE COCKPIT ACARS; BUT ATC GOT A MESSAGE SAYING IT HAD BEEN DELIVERED. WHEN WE CALLED MR X AT PIT TWR; HE SAID OUR CLRNC WAS HANDLED ROUTINELY AND HAD IT NOT BEEN DELIVERED IT SHOULD HAVE READ 'NON PDC PARTICIPANT' AND THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DELIVERED OVER THE RADIO. THE MYSTERY CONTINUES.