2 ACRS DEVIATING AROUND WX HAVE LTSS.

Narrative

WE WERE APPROX 120 NM SE OF DNJ VOR HDG ABOUT 250 DEGS WHILE DEVIATING AROUND WX AT FL350. AS WE PASSED THE W END OF THE LINE OF TSTMS WE CONTACTED ZLC ON 128.35 AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE WERE TURNING BACK TOWARD THE NW AND REQUESTED A HDG FOR PDT. THE CTLR GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE AND SAID THE NEXT CTLR WOULD GIVE US A HDG. WHEN WE CONTACTED THE NEXT CTLR ON 121.15 HE GAVE US AN IMMEDIATE L TURN TO 190 DEGS. AT THE SAME TIME; OUR TCASII CALLED OUT A TA AND GAVE US A DSND COMMAND. AFTER WE HAD TURNED ABOUT 45 DEGS AND DSNDED ABOUT 500 FT WE LOCATED ANOTHER ACFT HDG THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT THE ALT THAT WE HAD VACATED. WITH THE TCASII DISPLAY ON OUR RADAR WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE THE OTHER ACFT WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. HE DID SEEM TO BE IN A CLBING R TURN BY THE TIME WE WERE ABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENT HIM AS A WDB. I WAS NOT ABLE TO IDENT THE COMPANY. THE CLOSEST APCH BTWN OUR ACFT WAS ABOUT 2 1/2 TO 3 MI. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED WHEN 2 DIFFERENT ACFT IN DIFFERENT ATC SECTORS WERE DEVIATING AROUND WX AND THERE WAS INADEQUATE COORD BTWN CTLRS. AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR WOULD BE THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS AT THE WRONG ALT FOR THE DIRECTION OF FLT. THE TCASII WORKED AS ADVERTISED AND GAVE US TIMELY WARNING AND GOOD DIRECTION. EITHER THE TURN GIVEN US BY THE CTLR OR THE TCASII RESOLUTION WOULD HAVE BEEN ADEQUATE TO AVOID ANY CLOSER APCH BTWN ACFT. COMBINED THEY WERE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 214107: ACR WDB Y WAS EBOUND AT FL350 FOR TFC DEVIATING FOR WX. ACR X; AN LGT; WAS WBOUND AT FL350 ALSO DEVIATING. AS THE ACFT CONVERGED; ACR Y WAS ASKED TO CLB TO FL370 AND WAS UNABLE. ALSO UNABLE TO TAKE TURNS DUE TO WX. ACR X WAS CALLED TO TAKE A TURN OR ALT CHANGE AND WAS NOT ON FREQ. HE FINALLY DID CALL AS HE FINISHED DEVIATING AND TURNED TOWARDS HIS FILED RTE; COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM. THE ACFT PASSED WITH 2 1/2 NM AND 200 FT OR SO VERT.