ACR WDB HAD ASKED FOR FL330 ON PREVIOUS POS RPT AT FL280. AT NEXT POS RPT SFO RADIO GAVE WHAT WAS INTERPRETED AS CLRNC TO FL330. FLC CONFIRMED WITH A REPEAT CLRNC FROM SFO AND THEN CLBED TO FL330. RPTING IN LEVEL; SFO RADIO PAUSED AND AFTER CHKING WITH ZOA; STATED THAT THE CLRNC TO FL330 WAS NEVER ISSUED BY CTR CTLR.

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I HAD REQUESTED CLB FROM FL280 TO FL330 AT STEVN. LATER AT BAKON; I MADE A POS RPT AND SFO RADIO READ BACK MY POS RPT AND STATED CLRED TO FL330. I HAD NOT REQUESTED FL330 SINCE MY FIRST REQUEST AT STEVN. THE HF RADIO RECEPTION WAS MARGINAL; SO WE REQUESTED THAT SFO RADIO CONFIRM 'CLRED TO FL330.' HE STATED CLRED TO FL330. WE READ BACK THE CLRNC; 'CLRED TO FL330.' ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; THE CAPT RPTED TO SFO RADIO; 'LEVEL AT FL330.' A FEW MINS LATER; SFO RADIO CALLED AND ASKED US TO CONFIRM LEVEL FL360. WE STATED; 'NEGATIVE; WE ARE LEVEL FL330.' A FEW MINS LATER SFO RADIO CALLED BACK AND ASKED WHEN DID WE RECEIVE A CLRNC TO FL330. WE STATED AT BAKON AT APPROX PM40Z. A FEW MINS LATER; WE WERE TOLD THAT OAKLAND HAD NEVER RECEIVED A CLRNC AND THAT WE WERE TO CALL THEM WHEN ON THE GND. PROBABLE CAUSE: POOR HF RADIO RECEPTION MAY HAVE CAUSED A COM PROB. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 362540: DUE TO STATIC ON BOTH HF FREQ WE HAD HAD PROBS WITH AIR-GND COMS DURING FIRST PART OF FLT. WE ACKNOWLEDGED LEAVING FL280 FOR FL330. I RPTED LEVEL AT FL330; DUE TO THE COPLT BEING BUSY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; SFO RADIO CALLED BACK TO SAY HE HAD US AT FL360. WE STATED WE WERE AT FL330. SFO RADIO THEN CALLED BACK AND SAID OAKLAND NOW CLRED US AT FL330; BUT NO ORIGINAL CLRNC HAD BEEN GIVEN TO FL330 AND TO CALL OAKLAND OCEANIC SUPVR WHEN ABLE. POOR RADIO RECEPTION FOR BOTH ACFT AND GND; EACH ASKING A QUESTION THAT WAS ANSWERED WITH A REF TO FL330 WAS AN UNDERLYING CAUSE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 362541: MY IMPRESSION IS THAT WE WERE CLRED BY MISTAKE BY SFO RADIO. IT SEEMS ODD TO ME THAT BOTH THE CAPT AND FO MISTOOK THE RADIO CALL. HOWEVER; WE ARE USING VERY OLD TECHNOLOGY THAT IS POOR AT BEST -- HF RADIO. I CAN RECEIVE LIVE TV COVERAGE ON ANY OF A HUNDRED CHANNELS FROM ANY POINT ON THE GLOBE; YET WE ARE FLYING PAX ACROSS THE PACIFIC IN UNCTLED AIRSPACE USING WWII TECHNOLOGY HANDED DOWN FROM THE CTLING AGENCY -- WHERE ARE OUR PRIORITIES! IN THE FUTURE; I WILL TRY TO LISTEN (BEST AS I CAN) TO ALL RADIO XMISSIONS. I USUALLY LISTEN TO ALL CALLS; BUT WAS NOT AS ATTENTIVE ON THIS CALL BECAUSE IT WAS INITIALLY A POS RPT.