UNAUTH HDG TRACK DEV DURING DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ARPT ACCOUNT SEVERE WX ENRTE.

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WE WERE ENRTE FROM LEE TO PBI ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. THE WX RPT OBTAINED FROM ST PETERSBURG FSS INDICATED VFR CONDITIONS ALONG OUR RTE OF FLT AND THE CURRENT RADAR SHOWED NO RETURNS ON THE PROPOSED RTE. AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE ORLANDO TCA AT 3000 FT WE ASKED AND RECEIVED A CLRNC TO 6000 FT. WE WERE IN VISUAL CONDITIONS AND OUR RTE APPEARED CLR UP TO THIS POINT; BUT THE WX WAS STARTING TO DETERIORATE. WE BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER PRECIPITATION AT INCREASING INTENSITIES AND INCREASING TURB. SINCE WE WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH WX RADAR WE BEGAN TO QUERY THE ZMA CTLR WITH REGARD TO THE DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS. THE CTLR; WHILE WILLING; WAS UNABLE TO OFFER ANY HELPFUL ASSISTANCE DUE TO HIS EQUIP LIMITATIONS. WE; ALONG WITH THE OTHER ACFT ON THE FREQ; WERE FORCED TO DEVIATE SUBSTANTIALLY FROM OUR ASSIGNED RTE AT TIMES WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO NOTIFY THE CTLR OR OBTAINING HIS APPROVAL. DUE TO THE SUBSTANTIAL TURB WE ALSO WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN OUR ASSIGNED ALT; AND AGAIN; WERE UNABLE TO NOTIFY THE CTLR OR OBTAIN HIS APPROVAL DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION CAUSED BY OTHER ACFT APPARENTLY IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. EVENTUALLY; WE DEVIATED TO VRB TO OBTAIN SOME RELIABLE WX INFO ON THE GND; HOWEVER; THE FSS THERE WAS SHUT DOWN; EVIDENTLY A VICTIM OF CONSOLIDATION. THE BEST SOURCE OF WX; THEREFORE; WAS THE WX CHANNEL ON CABLE TELEVISION. ADDITIONALLY; MIA FSS WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY USEFUL GUIDANCE DUE TO THEIR LACK OF WORKING EQUIP BECAUSE OF LAST YRþS HURRICANE DAMAGE. THE SIGNIFICANT PROB IS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS IN THIS LETTER IS THE LACK OF WX INFO AVAILABLE TO ENRTE ACFT THAT ARE EITHER NOT EQUIPPED WITH RADAR OR HAVE INOP RADAR WHICH COMPRISES MOST ACFT FLYING TODAY. I HOPE WE CAN ADDRESS THIS PROB BY COLLOCATING WX DETECTION EQUIP; PERHAPS DOPPLER RADAR; IN ALL CTR AND APCH CTL FACILITIES TO PROVIDE ENRTE WX ASSISTANCE ESPECIALLY TO ADVISE PLTS OF RTES THAT AVOID CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. THIS WOULD ELIMINATE THE CURRENT GUESSWORK; FREQ CONGESTION; DANGEROUS EMER; UNINTENTIONAL DEVS; NOT TO MENTION THE PROCESS OF FREQ CHANGES NECESSITATED BY THE CURRENT SYS OF OBTAINING REAL TIME CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY INFO FROM FLT WATCH OR FSS; WHICH THEN HAS TO BE INTERPRETED ONTO A MAP DURING WHICH THE PLT'S ATTN IS FOCUSED AWAY FROM FLYING AND THE CTLR. IF THE CTR CTLR WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH VECTORS TO AVOID THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY; PERHAPS WITH WX RADAR SUPERIMPOSED ON HIS RADAR DISPLAY; OUR DANGEROUS DEV AND THAT OF THE OTHER ACFT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NECESSARY.