AN MD80 WAS DISPATCHED IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE GPWS INOP PER THE MEL. HAD MEL REF REVISION WRONG.

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ACFT RECEIVED MEL 34-29A GPWS INOP. AFTER THE DISCREPANCY WAS MEL'ED 34-29A WITH REVISION R0 ON PAPERWORK INDICATING 'NEW' THE EFFECTIVE DATE WAS MAY/WED/02; ACCORDING TO OUR MEL BOOK ON THE ACFT. MEL LEP SAID OCT/WED/03 BUT THE SPECIFIC REVISION MEL WAS DATED EFFECTIVE MAY/WED/02. FLT DEPARTED ZZZ1 FOR ZZZ WITH ALL MEL NUMBERS FOR REVISIONS MATCHING OUR DISPATCHER'S COPY. UPON GETTING PAPERWORK IN ZZZ; THE OPS AGENT HAD PRINTED OUT MEL 34-29A BUT THE REVISION NUMBER FOR THE SPECIFIC MEL 34-29A COMPUTER PRINTOUT COPY SAID OCT/WED/03. THAT DID NOT COINCIDE WITH OUR MEL BOOK ON THE ACFT OR MAINT CTL'S IN ZZZ1. CALLED MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH. THE MAINT CTLR'S REVISION NUMBER MATCHED OURS AND I BROUGHT THE PROB UP TO THEM. RECEIVED MEL REVISION AND AMENDMENT FROM DISPATCH VIA ACARS OF MEL 34-29A R3 GPWS INOP BY MR X XC42Z. THEY CHANGED THE REVISION NUMBER TO R3 WHICH NOW MATCHED THE NEW COPY OF THE MEL PAGE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM ZZZ OPS PRINTED OUT FROM ELECTRONIC MEL. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A GAP IN THE SYS. YOU HAVE PRINTED COPIES AND ON-LINE COPIES OF THE MEL MANUAL. ONE CAN BE UPDATED IMMEDIATELY AND ONE CANNOT. THERE ARE GOING TO BE GAPS IN THIS SYS; UNLESS WE TAKE THE TIME TO USE ONLY THE COMPUTER COPY. IF SO; LOOK FOR FURTHER DELAYS; OR BETTER YET; TELL MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH USE ONLY THE ON-LINE PORTION SO WE KNOW WE HAVE THE MOST CURRENT COPY.