A CL601 CHALLENGER WAS GIVEN A DIRECT TO LARRI INTXN; THEN A CLB TO FL370. THIS PLACED THE ACFT IN THE PATH OF AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION ACR AT FL350. AFTER THE FREQS WERE SORTED OUT IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CLRNC SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLB TO FL370 AND THEN DIRECT LARRI INTXN. RPTR HAD THE OTHER ACFT ON HIS TCASII AND STOPPED THE CLB.

Narrative

WHILE CLBING OUT OF TETERBORO ENRTE TO ST LOUIS ON J80 WE WERE GIVEN 'CLB TO FL390' BY ZNY (FREQ 132.1) AND WE WERE CLRED 'DIRECT LARRI.' SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE WERE GIVEN AN AMENDED ALT OF FL370 AND A FREQ CHANGE TO 134.47. AT THIS POINT WE WERE CLBING OUT OF ABOUT FL310. UPON INITIAL CALL UP TO FREQ 134.47 WE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. BELIEVING THAT THE CTLR WAS BUSY AS OFTEN HAPPENS; WE WOULD WAIT A MIN OR TWO THEN TRY TO CALL HIM BACK. CLBING THROUGH FL330 THE FO (PF) NOTICED TFC 12 O'CLOCK POS; LEVEL AT FL350. (HE SAW THE TFC ON TCASII. WE NEVER SAW THE TFC VISUALLY.) HE CALLED MY ATTN TO THE TFC WHICH WAS APPROX 10-15 MI DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US AND APPEARED TO BE CLOSING RAPIDLY. I IMMEDIATELY COMMANDED HIM TO 'STOP CLBING -- HOLD YOUR ALT;' HE LEVELED OFF AT FL335. I TRIED TO CALL CTR AGAIN TO VERIFY OUR LAST CLRNC TO CLB TO FL370. THIS TIME CTR ANSWERED BUT INFORMED ME WE HAD THE WRONG FREQ -- TO RETURN TO MY PREVIOUS FREQ (132.1) WHICH I DID. THEY THEN GAVE ME A NEW FREQ OF 133.47 (NOT 134.47). WHEN I CALLED 133.47 TO CHK ON; I ASKED THEM TO VERIFY OUR CLB TO FL370. HE SAID WE COULD CLB TO FL390 NOW AND PROCEED DIRECT LARRI. I TOLD THE CTLR ABOUT THE TFC I SAW ON TCASII AND ASKED IF WE WERE GIVEN THE CORRECT CLRNC. HE SAID WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN 'CLB TO FL370 THEN DIRECT LARRI' AND THAT WE GOT 'A LITTLE CLOSER THAN WE NORMALLY LIKE' TO THE OTHER ACFT AT FL350. (BY THIS TIME WE HAD ALREADY PASSED UNDERNEATH THE TFC.) IF WE WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN THE TFC ON OUR TCASII MONITOR I AM CERTAIN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE AN RA HAD WE NOT STOPPED OUR CLB. IF WE WOULD NOT HAVE PAID THE EXTRA MONEY TO INSTALL THE TCASII SYS 2 YRS AGO -- WHO KNOWS WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. I LOVE TCASII -- AGAIN.