A B737 FLT CREW DETECTS AN ERROR IN THE REQUIRED PAPERWORK FOR A MAINT ITEM.

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THIS RPT INVOLVES OPERATING FLT BTWN ORD AND DCA WITH WHAT I CONCLUDE WAS AN INCORRECT MAINT RELEASE. BACKGROUND: I FERRIED ACFT FROM DCA TO ORD. IN DCA I DISCOVERED THE #1 RADIO WOULD NOT XMIT. I CONTACTED MAINT CTL. UNABLE TO CORRECT/DEFER; SO I RETURNED TO THE HANGAR. MAINT SWAPPED THE #1 RADIO WITH #3 CTL HEAD AND DEFERRED THE #3 RADIO. ARRIVED IN ORD NEARLY 2 HRS LATE DUE TO COMPLICATIONS IN DCA. ORD DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF TURNING US IN 20 MINS AND WE BLOCKED OUT WITH 80 PAX 5 MINS EARLY FOR OUR RETURN TO DCA. THE SIT I EXPERIENCED WAS HIGH WORKLOAD IN A COMPRESSED TIMEFRAME. DURING THE TURN ORD MAINT MOVED THE #1 RADIO HEAD BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL #3 POS; TOOK THE #3 HEAD (BAD) OFF OF THE ACFT; AND PLACED A NEW HEAD IN THE #1 HOLE. NO LOGBOOK INTERACTION WAS REQUIRED SINCE THE RADIO WAS WRITTEN UP IN DCA AND THAT WAS SHOWN ON THE COUPON. I CHKED THE RELEASE NUMBER AND CURRENT MAINT RELEASE TIME GROUP AND CONFIRMED IT MATCHED THE CURRENT MAINT RELEASE (ONE FROM DCA) I ACTUALLY FORGOT THE 5 MIN PROC BY MAINT. WHAT IF I HAD BEEN OFF OF THE ACFT AND NEVER SAW THE RADIO HEAD SWAP? IN CRUISE I BEGAN THINKING ABOUT THE ACTION OF THE MAINT TEAM AT ORD AND RECALLED THE MAINT RELEASE REFLECTED A DEFERRAL #600 FOR THE #3 RADIO. I CALLED MAINT CTL UPON ARR IN DCA TO DISCUSS THE MAINT RELEASE CURRENCY. MAINT CTL FELT THE MAINT RELEASE WAS INCORRECT BUT WAS TROUBLED THAT THE COMPUTER DID NOT REFLECT THE NEED TO GENERATE A NEW MAINT RELEASE. HE FELT THE COMPLEXITY OF THE HEAD SWAPPING ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT THE COUPON REFLECTED NO DISCREPANCIES MIGHT HAVE EXPOSED A COMPUTER GLITCH IN THE PROGRAM REQUIRING FURTHER INVESTIGATION. HE WAS GOING TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE WITH A PROGRAMMER. AT ANY RATE I MISSED THE REMOVAL OF THE DEFERRAL DUE TO HIGH/RUSHED WORKLOAD AND THE SYS WAS NO HELP IN PREVENTING MY OVERSIGHT. AGAIN; IF I DID NOT SEE THE WORK DONE I WOULD HAVE HAD NO IDEA THE DEFERRAL WAS CLRED. FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH; I HAVE RECEIVED NEW MAINT RELEASE ON TAXI OUT THAT ARE COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. I HAVE QUESTIONED WHY I WAS SENT THESE AND THE ANSWERS I HAVE GOTTEN WERE UNSATISFACTORY. KIND OF RUINS YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE PREFLT CHK PROC AND THE RULE OF NO TAXI UNTIL RECEIVING A 'VALID' MAINT RELEASE. THE SYS COMPLEXITY AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCS LEND THEMSELVES TO ERRORS OF OMISSION AND COMMISSION AND SHOULD BE REVIEWED FOR IMPROVEMENT.