MD80S FLC ARE ISSUED DIFFERING CTL INSTRUCTIONS FROM 3 DIFFERENT CTLRS WHILE FLYING THE CEDAR CREEK 2 STAR. PIC CALLS LATER TO DETERMINE IF A PROB EXISTED; QUESTIONING MULTIPLE CLRNCS.

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CTLR #1 CLRED US DIRECT TO HOWDY INTXN AND TOLD US TO DELETE SPDS UNTIL REACHING DIETZ INTXN AT 210 KTS. CTLR #2 TOLD US TO TURN TO A HDG OF 300 DEGS AT DIETZ AND TO 'KEEP THE SPD UP.' WE WERE ABOUT 10 MI FROM DIETZ AT 300 KTS. HDOF TO CTLR #3 ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER TALKING TO CTLR #2. WE EXPECTED A DSCNT AND FO WAS SLOWING FROM 300 KTS; APPROX 7 MI FROM DIETZ. CTLR #3 WAS APPARENTLY SURPRISED BY OUR SPD AND TOLD US TO SLOW; THEN QUESTIONED OUR SPD. WE WERE DOING ABOUT 220 KIAS JUST PAST DIETZ. I ASKED THE CTLR IF THERE WAS A PROB. RESPONSE WAS THAT WE WERE RAPIDLY OVERTAKING AN F100. I NOTED THAT WE HAD BEEN TOLD TO KEEP THE SPD UP. APPARENTLY NO SEPARATION CONFLICT EXISTED. CTLR #3 DID STATE IF THE SPDS WERE DELETED WE WERE CORRECT. I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT EITHER THE THIRD CTLR HAD NOT RECEIVED OUR ACCURATE SPD CLRNC OR PERHAPS WE HAD MISUNDERSTOOD OUR AIRSPD DELETIONS AND/OR RESTRS. I CALLED DFW SUPVR AT APCH CTL FROM SEA ON LAYOVER. HE STATED THAT NO CONFLICT EXISTED AND NO PROB. IN RETROSPECT; THE BETTER CLARIFICATION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ASK FOR A STATED 'KEEP IT UP' SPD TO DEFINE THE PARAMETERS WE SHOULD HAVE MAINTAINED. LESSON LEARNED: EVEN IF NOT IN DOUBT; BACK UP AMBIGUOUS CLRNCS WITH SOLID CLARIFICATION OF SPECIFIC SPDS.