B727-200 AT 5000 FT; COPIED CLRNC TO CLB TO 13000 FT. FO NOTED TFC ON TCASII. CAPT LEVELED ACFT AT 6000 FT AND NOTED ACFT 700 FT ABOVE. CTLR QUESTIONED ON CLRNC AND SAID CLRNC WAS FOR ANOTHER ACR. ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS; PLUS OBSERVER USING HEADSET; SAID CLRNC WAS FOR THEM.

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DUE TO PAX BOARDING PROBS WE WERE APPROX 20 MINS LATE OFF THE GATE AT ORD. THE ACFT; A B727-200 SERIES WAS BOOKED FULL AND ALSO HAD 3 FLT ATTENDANTS; CAPT; FO; FE AND 2 COCKPIT OBSERVERS FROM ANOTHER COMPANY; ONE OF WHICH TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO MONITOR ATC WITH AN ADDITIONAL HEADSET. AFTER A NORMAL PUSHBACK; ENG START; TAXI WITH SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF ALL NORMAL CHKLISTS; WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 32L T10 INTXN. THE ATIS RPTED CALM WINDS; 3100 FT SCATTERED; 4200 FT BROKEN; 5000 FT OVCST; 5 MI VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT RAIN. TEMP 10 DEGS C; DEWPOINT 7 DEGS C; ALTIMETER 29.64. WE WERE CLRED TO DEPART VIA 220 DEGS AFTER DEP; FLY THE ORD 9 DEP TO ROBERTS VORTAC. WE SATISFACTORILY COMPLIED WITH THE DEP RESTR AFTER TKOF TO CROSS THE 8 DME FROM ORD AT 4000 FT TO MAINTAIN OUR ASSIGNED 5000 FT. ONCE LEVEL AT 5000 FT ON A 220 DEG HDG; WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO TURN TO A 190 DEG HDG AND CLB TO 13000 FT. THESE INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN WITH OUR APPROPRIATE CALL SIGN AND APPROPRIATELY ANSWERED WITH OUR CALL SIGN. ALL CREW MEMBERS AND ONE OF THE COCKPIT OBSERVERS (THE ONE MONITORING ATC; ALSO A B727 PLT) HEARD THIS. AFTER RESPONDING; I LOOKED AT MY TCASII DISPLAY AND SAW A TARGET 1200 FT ABOVE US; LEVEL AND APPROX 4 MI AWAY. THE CAPT BEGAN THE CLB AND I POINTED THE TFC OUT ON THE TCASII AS WE WERE IMC. HE SHALLOWED THE CLB AND REQUESTED ME TO CLARIFY THE CLRNC. AS I BROKE INTO THE FREQ AND REQUESTED CLARIFICATION; THE CTLR DENIED GIVING US THE CLRNC AND SAID HE GAVE IT TO ANOTHER COMPANY'S ACFT; REQUESTED OUR ALT AND CALLED THE PROXIMATE TFC FOR US WHICH BY THEN GAVE US A TA. IT CAME WITHIN 700 FT AND 1 MI AWAY FROM US IN IMC. ALL CREW MEMBERS AGREED ON WHAT WE HEARD -- IT WAS OUR CLRNC; A CTLR ERROR. THE CTLR WAS QUITE BUSY. WE AVOIDED THE OTHER ACFT USING REF FROM TCASII BUT NEVER GOT AN RA AS WE LEVELED OFF EARLY. THE REST OF THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL.