DEPING BUR VAN NUYS 7 SID; MD80 FLT CREW TURN EARLY FROM A SOCAL HDG CHANGE TO INTERCEPT THE PMD 218 DEGS R DUE TO A FALSE SIGNAL WHILE CLBING THROUGH 4;000 FT. FO AND SOCAL DEP RECOGNIZE ERRONEOUS TURN AND CALL FOR CORRECTION.

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ON DEP FROM BURBANK AFTER TURNING 210 DEGS PER VAN NUYS 7 DEP PROC; SOCAL DEP TOLD US TO TURN TO 360 DEGS AND INTERCEPT THE 218 DEG RADIAL TO PALMDALE. THE CAPT TURNED TO 360 DEGS AND SET IN THE 038 DEG COURSE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; HE GOT A VOR CAPTURE AND TURNED THE ACFT PER COMMAND BARS TO INTERCEPT COURSE (APPROX 030 DEG HDG). TO BACK HIM UP; I PLUGGED INBOUND COURSE TO PMD INTO GFMS AND NOTICED THAT WE WERE NOT YET APCHING THE COURSE. THAT'S WHEN I REMEMBERED THIS EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME LAST MONTH; SO I IMMEDIATELY TOLD THE CAPT THAT I THOUGHT THE VOR CAPTURE NOTIFICATION WAS INCORRECT. HE BEGAN TURNING BACK TO 360 DEGS. AT THE SAME TIME; DEP MUST HAVE NOTICED THAT WE HAD TURNED TO APPROX 030 DEGS AND REQUESTED THAT WE TURN BACK TO 360 DEGS; WHICH THE CAPT WAS ALREADY DOING. I RESPONDED TO SOCAL; TOLD HIM WE WERE GOING BACK TO 360 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE AND ALSO TOLD HIM THIS FALSE VOR CAPTURE HAD HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. SOCAL RESPONDED THAT HE'D SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE ALSO. SOCAL NEVER MENTIONED THE INCIDENT AGAIN. IN MY OPINION; IF SOCAL WANTS US TO FLY OFF THE DEP PROC SO SOON; THEY NEED TO GIVE US A 360 HDG ONLY. THEN ONCE WE ARE HIGH ENOUGH OVER THE MOUNTAINS TO GET GOOD RECEPTION FROM PMD; WE SHOULD BE CLEARED TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE INBOUND. THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING AS ONE TAKES OFF ON RWY 15; TURNING; CLBING; CLEANING UP; RESPONDING TO RADIO CALLS; THAT WE'D HAVE TO IGNORE THE FALSE CAPTURE; WHICH WE'D NOT KNOW WAS FALSE (UNTIL WE HAD A CHANCE TO TUNE AND ID). HARD CHOICE TO MAKE GIVEN THE INFO ONE HAS AT THE TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT SUBSEQUENT DEPS FROM BUR VIA THE VAN NUYS 7 PRIOR TO LANGE INTXN; CONFIRM A PMD RADIAL DEFLECTION WHEN APCHING 4;000 FT.