A CPR G1159 TURBOPROP CLBS TO ASSIGNED ALT OF FL230 AND RECEIVES A TCASII FROM SAME ALT; OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC 40 MI SW OF JNC; CO.

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WE DEPARTED ASE ENRTE TO PHX. WE WERE ON THE 4TH LEG OF THE DAY WHICH STARTED AT XA15 FROM OUR BASE AT PTK AND HAD US RETURNING TO PTK AT ROUGHLY PM00. AFTER BEING HANDED OFF TO ZDV WHILE FLYING THE LINDZ 3 DEP; ZDV CLRED US DIRECT TO JNC; CLB AND MAINTAIN FL230; AND ADVISED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TFC AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS AND (I DON'T RECALL THE MILEAGE). HE SAID THAT WE WOULD BE GIVEN A HIGHER ALT WHEN CLR OF THE TFC. I HEARD THE PNF READ BACK; 'ROGER DIRECT GRAND JUNCTION AND CLB AND MAINTAIN FL230.' THE TFC WAS NOT VISIBLE ON THE TCASII PRIOR TO THE TURN OR DURING THE CLB. I HAD MY SCALE SET AT 20 MI. SHORTLY AFTER LEVELING OFF AT FL230; THE TFC APPEARED AT ROUGHLY 11:30 O'CLOCK POS AND 15 MI ON THE TCASII UNIT. I THOUGHT THIS ODD AND DOUBLECHKED THE ALT PRESELECT WINDOW WHICH SHOWED FL230. I STATED TO THE PNF THAT THIS WASN'T GOOD AND THAT I WAS GOING TO CLB BECAUSE THE TFC HAD NOW TURNED YELLOW ON THE TCASII. AT THIS POINT; ZDV CALLED US ASKING OUR ALT. PNF REPLIED FL230; AT WHICH TIME ZDV DIRECTED US TO CLB TO FL240. AS I INITIATED THE CLB; THE TCASII GAVE US AN RA INDICATING ROUGHLY A 1500 FPM RATE OF CLB. AFTER ABOUT 500 FT OF CLB THE RA CLRED. I SPOTTED THE TFC PASSING OUR L SIDE AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS; ROUGHLY 3-5 MI AND AT LEAST 1000 FT BELOW US. I DON'T RECALL ZDV GIVING THE OTHER ACFT A DSCNT. I AM NOT SURE OF THE TYPE OF THE OTHER ACFT; IT APPEARED RATHER SMALL; POSSIBLY A COMMUTER. THE QUESTION AROSE AS TO WHICH ALT WE WERE CLRED TO; WHEN THE NEXT SECTOR CTLR ADVISED US THAT ZDV WANTED US TO CALL REGARDING THE INCIDENT. THE PIC; WHO WAS THE PNF; CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD ONLY BEEN CLRED TO FL220. HE EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT HE HAD HEARD AND READ BACK FL230. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAD LISTENED TO THE TAPE WHICH WAS GARBLED DURING HIS READBACK AND THAT THE ONLY NUMBERS THEY COULD UNDERSTAND ON THE ALT READBACK WERE THE TWO AND THE ZERO. THE MIDDLE NUMBER WAS GARBLED. THE SUPVR INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD REVIEW THE INCIDENT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT WE HAD A MISCOM. I WAS FLYING AND IT WAS JUST PRIOR TO DUSK. THE SKY WAS CLR AND THE SUN WAS DIRECTLY IN OUR EYES. I WAS BUSY FLYING AND TRYING TO BLOCK THE SUN SO THAT I COULD SEE THE INSTS; WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC TO CLB. I DIDN'T HEAR ALL OF THE CLRNC; BUT DID HEAR THE PNF READ BACK THE CLRNC TO PROCEED DIRECT TO GRAND JUNCTION AND TO CLB TO FL230; WHICH HE THEN SET IN THE ALT PRESELECT WINDOW AND I ACKNOWLEDGED. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE NO SUGGESTIONS FOR CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. I THINK WE WERE USING SOUND CREW MGMNT AND DIVISION OF DUTIES. WHILE I DON'T RECALL FEELING TIRED; FATIGUE AND DISTR WITH THE SUN. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A FACTOR ON OUR PART; IF IN FACT THE CTLR HAD CLRED US TO FL220 AND WE MISTOOK IT FOR FL230. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 465590: WE RECEIVED A TA AND THEN AN RA. THE PF CLBED AND TURNED R RESPONDING TO THE RA. I CALLED ZDV RESPONDING TO THE RA. ZDV ASKED WHAT ALT WE WERE CLBING TO. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO FL240. SUBSEQUENT AIRBORNE TELEPHONE CALL WITH ZDV 30 MINS LATER INDICATED CONFUSION FROM THE TAPES AS TO ALT ASSIGNMENT GIVEN AND ACKNOWLEDGED. I AM GRATEFUL THAT BOTH ACFT HAD FUNCTIONAL TCASII EQUIP AND THEREBY AVOIDED A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS INCIDENT. THE CLB RATE OF OUR ACFT FROM FL210-FL230 WAS NOT EXCESSIVE (APPROX 1500 FPM) AND WE WERE LEVEL FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE RA OCCURRED. I FEEL THERE WAS SUFFICIENT TIME TO ALERT US IF WE HAD A WRONG ALT ASSIGNMENT.