TCASII. MISUNDERSTOOD COM CLRNC.

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USUALLY WHEN TAKING OFF FROM LAX RWY 25R WE ARE RESTR TO 2000 FT; BUT ALMOST ALWAYS GET 3000 FT BEFORE TKOF OR IN THE CLB. THIS TIME IN THE CLB; I THOUGHT I HEARD '3000 FT' JUST AS THE TCASII WENT OFF (TA YELLOW ALERT AT ABOUT 1500-1600 FT). I KEPT MY HAND ON THE THROTTLES TO KEEP THEM FROM COMING BACK (AUTOTHROTTLES) AT THE 2000 FT MCP ALT SO THE FO COULD CHANGE THE MCP WINDOW; FOR THE NEW ALT. AT THAT POINT I ASKED IF HE COULD SEE THE TFC; JUST AS THE RED RA SOUNDED 'DSND; DSND.' I STARTED PULLING THE THROTTLES BACK; BUT WE ROUNDED OFF AT 2200 FT GOING BACK TO 2000 FT. TFC WAS CALLED AT 2500 FT. WE SAW A BEECH KING AIR ABOUT 2300 FT TURNING AWAY FROM US. THE FO SAID HE COULD READ THE N-NUMBER AT 3-4 O'CLOCK. CTR ASKED IF WE HAD FOLLOWED A TCASII ALERT. WE SAID 'AFFIRMATIVE.' AFTER 25 YRS; I HEARD WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR. WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO 3000 FT. THERE WAS A LOT OF NOISE IN THE COCKPIT TA'S; RA'S; QUESTIONS; ETC. BUT; THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SIT AT LAX: JET ACFT IN A HIGH RATE CLB HAVING TO LEVEL AT 2000 FT FOR POSSIBLE 2500 FT TFC. WE CAN EASILY BE GOING UP 3000-4000 FPM IF WE ARE LIGHT. OUR OVERSHOOT AND HIM BEING A FEW HUNDRED FT LOW; COULD MEAN A DISASTER. (NOTE: FO WHO ALSO FILED A RPT; STATED HE HEARD 'CLB; CLB.' I HEARD 'DSND; DSND.') SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 315032: DURING TKOF FROM RWY 25R AT LAX AUG/XX/95; WE RECEIVED A TCASII RA ALERT AT 1900 FT JUST PRIOR TO LEVELING OFF AT 2000 FT. THE TCASII ALERT WAS 'CLB; CLB.' THE TCASII ALSO SHOWED THE TFC TO BE AT THE 3 O'CLOCK POS; WHEN I; THE FO (PNF); OBSERVED IT. THE CAPT; WHO WAS FLYING; IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THE TCASII INSTRUCTION TO CLB WHICH RESULTED IN OUR FLYING THROUGH OUR LEVEL OFF ALT OF 2000-2200 FT. AT THIS POINT THE TFC WAS OFF OUR 4 O'CLOCK AND PASSING BEHIND. THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM ATC ABOUT THE TFC UNTIL I ANNOUNCED WE WERE DEVIATING ON A TCASII ALERT. ATC SAID TFC WAS AT 2500 FT; BUT FROM WHERE WE WERE IT WAS AT 2200 FT.