FLC OF MD80 IS DISPATCHED WITH FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES INOP. THEY ARE GIVEN WRONG INFO REGARDING FUEL ON BOARD. RETURN TO DEP ARPT REQUIRED.

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ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITH COCKPIT AND WING STATION CTR FUEL TANK QUANTITY GAUGES INOP. ACFT WAS FUELED BY PDX STATION MAINT; USING THE 'DRIPLESS STICK' METHOD; TO 30400 LBS. 11900 LBS WAS RPTED TO DISPATCH AS USABLE CTR TANK FUEL. 20 MINS AFTER DEP THE 'CTR TANK BOOST LOW' LIGHT ILLUMINATED STEADY; INDICATING THE CTR TANK WAS EMPTY. FUEL BURN AT THIS POINT INFLT PLUS FUEL REMAINING IN THE WING TANKS INDICATED THE ACFT DEPARTED PDX WITH 1100 LBS VICE 11900 LBS AS RPTED BY MAINT. ACFT RETURNED TO PDX AND WAS REFUELED BY PDX MAINT USING 'KNOWN QUANTITY METHOD.' ACFT CONTINUED OP TO LAS UNEVENTFULLY. OBSERVATIONS: THE ACFT WAS FUELED EXACTLY BY THE MEL DESCRIPTION; USING EITHER 'DRIPLESS STICK' OR 'KNOWN QUANTITY.' THE MAINT PERSON WHO SUPERVISED AND DIRECTED THE FUELING WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH DRIPLESS STICK METHOD AND MISREAD THE STICKS. HE RPTED THE FUEL IN ERROR TO DISPATCH. NO OTHER CHK OR BAL OCCURS WHEN THE CTR TANK QUANTITY IS INOP. CONCLUSION: IN THE FUTURE; REGARDLESS OF THE MEL DESCRIPTION; I WILL MENTALLY NOTE ARR FUEL IN LBS (SAY 5000 LBS); TAKE GALLONS ADDED (SAY 1000 GALLONS); MULTIPLY GALLONS ADDED BY 6.7 (6700 LBS); TAKE ARR FUEL IN LBS + LBS ADDED AND COME UP WITH A REALITY CHK AGAINST THE DISPATCH FUEL LOAD. IF THE 2 NUMBERS DIFFER BY A LOT; I'LL START ASKING QUESTIONS. WHILE THIS IS NOT A COMPANY PROC; IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED A NEEDLESS INFLT ABORT.