B737 CREW WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE OF ASSIGNED FREQ.

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DEP CTL CLRED US TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE LDN VORTAC AND TO CONTACT THE DULLES DEP CTL. THE CTLR APPEARED TO BE OVERWHELMED WITH TOO MUCH SIMULTANEOUS TFC AND COM. EXCHANGES WERE FAST AND NOT COMPLETELY VERIFIED. BEING HURRIED; I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WERE CLRED DIRECT DULLES (STILL ACTUALLY PROCEEDING TO LDN; HOWEVER) AND IF HE WOULD REPEAT THE NEW FREQ AS I DIDN'T GET IT ON THE FIRST HEARING. HE NEVER REPLIED TO OUR REQUEST; EVEN THOUGH WE TRIED OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW MINS EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK. GETTING NO RESULTS; WE TRIED A DULLES FREQ THE CTLR GAVE ANOTHER ACFT. THAT CTLR TOLD US HIS FREQ WAS THE WRONG ONE AND TO RETURN TO OUR PREVIOUS CTLR. WE DID SO; AND TRIED AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CTLR WITH NO SUCCESS; DESPITE THE FACT THAT OUR XMISSION APPEARED TO BE GETTING OUT OK. FINALLY; I INFORMED THE CAPT THAT I WOULD TRY TO CONTACT DCA TWR AS HE CONTINUED TRYING TO TALK TO DCA DEP CTL. THE TWR GAVE US A NEW DULLES FREQ TO TRY AND WE DID. THAT CTLR SAID HE WASN'T THE RIGHT CTLR EITHER; BUT GAVE US THE CORRECT FREQ TO USE. I DON'T FEEL WE WERE ADEQUATELY SERVED BY THIS CTLR. I FEEL HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESPOND TO US AFTER OUR MANY ATTEMPTS TO GET OUR FREQ. OUT OF THE MANY TIMES WE CALLED; I BELIEVE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HEAR US. EVERYONE ELSE SEEMED TO.