LGT FLC DEPARTS WITHOUT USING XPONDER CODE AND WITHOUT OBTAINING ENRTE CLRNC. THEY CLB THROUGH ASSIGNED ALT DUE TO POSSIBLE FAILURE OF ALT CAPTURE. CHKLIST DEFICIENCIES CITED.

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MANY DISTRS PRIOR TO DEP (STATION MGR CONVERSATIONS REGARDING CLEANING OF ACFT; 2 OTHER MEMBER CREWS); CONTINUED INTERRUPTION OF COCKPIT SETUP. WAS DISTR WITH 1 ITEM LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH -- XPONDER. SO; FAILED TO NOTICE NO CODE IN XPONDER. PUSH BACK AND TAXI OUT NORMAL. RECEIVED TKOF CLRNC AS USUAL. TKOF ROLL WAS EXTREMELY DISTR BY LENGTHY CONVERSATION BTWN THE TWR CTLR AND A SMALL ACFT THAT APPEARED TO BE DISORIENTED. DURING CLB OUT; IT TOOK AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF TIME (LONG) BEFORE THE CONVERSATION STOPPED; AND WE COULD GET IN A WORD TO ASK IF WE SHOULD GO TO DEP CTL FREQ. ALSO DURING CLB OUT; OUR TCASII SHOWED US RAPIDLY APCHING AN ACFT AHEAD OF US AND SLIGHTLY TO THE L. WHEN WE FINALLY CONTACTED TWR; THEY ASKED US TO CHK OUR XPONDER; THEN GAVE US A SQUAWK (CODE). WE WERE TURNED OVER TO DEP CTL AND GIVEN A HDG OF 350 DEGS; WHICH THE FO'S MISTUNED TO 250 DEGS. I CORRECTED HIM AND ASKED HIM TO VERIFY THE HDG WITH ATC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; I NOTICED WE WERE AT 5900 FT MSL; CLBING RAPIDLY. THE AUTOFLT SYS HAD FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY; AND THE ALT ALERT WAS NOT NOTICEABLE ENOUGH TO CATCH OUR ATTN -- SMALL LIGHT ON ALTIMETER; NO AURAL WARNING. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE CLB; REACHING 6280 FT MSL AS WE RETURNED TO 6000 FT MSL (NO ALT ALERT INDICATING 300 FT OFF ALT). I REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT RECEIVED OUR ENRTE CLRNC; THEREFORE; WE HAD NOT SET THE XPONDER. DURING CLBOUT; WE WERE FLYING MANUALLY; WITH AUTOTHROTTLE ENGAGED; NOT FOLLOWING PITCH BAR TO KEEP SPD LOW AND CLB RAPIDLY. CAUSES: 1) NO DEFINITIVE 'XPONDER' ON BEFORE TKOF OR STARTING ENGS CHKLIST. THIS ITEM IS COMBINED WITH 'RADIOS AND NAV EQUIP.' IT'S A NO NAVAID DEP TO AN AUTO-FLT RTE; THEREFORE; EXCEPT FOR XPONDER; THERE'S NO NAVAIDS TO SET. 2) MULTIPLE DISTRS; COMBINED WITH PAVLOVEON CONDITIONING OF AUTO-FLT SYS; AUTOMATICALLY PULLING THROTTLES TO IDLE WHEN APCHING A LEVEL OFF ALT DURING CLB. 3) 2 PLT CREW -- A THIRD PLT COULD HAVE LOOKED FOR THE TFC; TAKEN CARE OF THE OTHER MEMBER CREW; VERIFIED THE XPONDER; POSSIBLY CAUGHT THE AUTO-FLT MALFUNCTION AND THE APCHING ALT LIMIT. 4) CAPT'S AND FO'S FAILURE TO GET ATC ENRTE CLRNC. I THOUGHT THE FO HAD GOTTEN THE CLRNC -- HE HAD NOT.