AN ACR WDB CREW DEVIATED FOR WX WITHOUT PROPER CLRNC.

Narrative

DEV AROUND AN AREA OF TSTMS ACROSS A-300. ATC COM WAS THROUGH NY HIGH FREQ RADIO TO NY OCEANIC. ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED CLRNC FOR DEV 20 MI L (W OF COURSE). AFTER ENTERING AREA OF EMBEDDED TSTMS; IT BECAME CLR FURTHER DEV WOULD BE REQUIRED (ABOUT 50 NM TOTAL). I ASKED THE CAPT IF I SHOULD REQUEST FURTHER DEV; HE SAID NO. TOTAL DEV WAS 58 NM FROM COURSE. NY OCEANIC INFORMED US THAT WE HAD STRAYED INTO MIAMI OCEANIC AIRSPACE AND ASKED US HOW FAR WE HAD DEVIATED. THE CAPT REPLIED 30 MI. I DIDN'T INSIST ON CONTACT WITH ATC AFTER EXCEEDING 20 NM DEV FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON: WORKLOAD WAS HIGH IN THE COCKPIT CIRCUMNAVING CELLS. HIGH FREQ COM IS SLOW AND DIFFICULT (IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE) WHEN FLYING IN CLOUDS. EXAMINATION OF THE CHART SHOWED NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER AIRWAYS. HIGH FREQ COM THROUGH A THIRD PARTY IS AN OUTDATED; SLOW AND TEDIOUS METHOD OF COM WITH ATC WHEN DEVIATING AROUND WX. WHEN FACED WITH A CHOICE OF EXCEEDING A DEV CLRNC OR FLYING THROUGH A TSTM; MOST PLTS WILL AVOID THE WX. IMPLEMENTATION OF GPS AND SATELLITE COMS (IE; REAL TIME) WITH ATC ON OVERWATER RTES WILL HELP THESE SITS IN THE FUTURE. ALSO; THE WX RADAR IN OUR ACFT WAS OLDER. NEWER DIGITAL EQUIP COULD MORE EASILY FIND A SAFE RTE.