AN E120 CREW UNABLE TO ACTIVATE THEIR CLRNC ON THE GND AT MCE; DEPARTED VFR THEN CALLED ATC IN THE AIR.

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ON A SCHEDULED FAR PART 121 DEP FROM MCE ARPT; FLT WAS CLRED AS FILED TO VISALIA MUNICIPAL ARPT BY SCK RAPCON. CLRNC WAS OBTAINED DURING PRE-TAXI WITHOUT A VOID TIME OR HOLD FOR RELEASE RESTR. FLT TAXIED TO RWY 30 AND HELD SHORT TO COMPLETE PRE-TKOF ITEMS AND ESTABLISH RADIO COMS WITH SCK RAPCON. DUE TO LOCATION OF ANTENNAS ON ACFT OR SOME OTHER FACTORS; WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT SCK RAPCON PRIOR TO TKOF. AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING OUR OPTIONS; A DECISION WAS MADE TO DEPART IN VFR CONDITIONS. A DECISION WAS MADE TO DEPART IN VFR CONDITIONS IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH RADIO COMS AS SOON AS PRACTICAL. THE DECISION TO DEPART WAS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: 1) VFR CONDITIONS (AWOS RPTED SCK; VISIBILITY 10 MI). 2) NO RPTED TFC. 3) COMPANY OPS SPECS APPROVAL. 4) FLT WAS ALREADY DELAYED. 5) NO VOID TIME OR HOLD FOR RELEASE ISSUED. ONCE FLT AIRBORNE; RADIO COMS WERE IMMEDIATELY ESTABLISHED WITH SCK APCH (120.95 MHZ) WITH POSITIVE RADAR IDENT AND UNDER POSITIVE CTL. CTLR THEN ADVISED US TO 'COPY A NUMBER DOWN.' UPON LNDG IN VISALIA; I CONTACTED SAID NUMBER AND AN APCH CTLR FROM SCK RAPCON ANSWERED CALL. I IMMEDIATELY INFORMED CTLR I WAS AWARE OF THE REASON TO CALL AND THEN EXPLAINED THE NATURE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. AFTER LISTENING TO THE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FOR DEPARTING WITHOUT FIRST ESTABLISHING RADIO COMS; CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED REASONING AND INFORMED ME HE WOULD NOT PURSUE VIOLATION. HE DID; HOWEVER; WARN US TO NOT DEPART IN THE EVENT WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT THEM WITHOUT FIRST ATTEMPTING TO CALL OUR OPS AND OBTAIN A PHONE PATCH; OR THIRD PARTY INTERVENTION.