MD80 FLC HAS CLRNC CONFUSION AND MISTAKENLY INTERCEPTS VOR RADIAL CAUSING TCASII RA. CTLR INTERVENES; BUT TOO LATE TO AVOID THE RA.

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THIS FLT WAS A SCHEDULED FLT FROM IAH-TPA. THE RTE FILED WAS SCHOLES 5 DEP TO LEEVILLE; J86 TO BLOND 2 ARR TPA. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF WE TOOK UP A 090 DEG HDG TO DEVIATE AROUND A SMALL TSTM. WE THEN TOOK AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 120 DEGS AT 4000 FT FROM DEP. DEP THEN CLRED US TO 15000 FT. AFTER HDOF TO CTR WE WERE GIVEN A HDG OF 140 DEGS TO JOIN THE 083 DEG RADIAL OFF THE VUH VOR; WHICH IS THE TRANSITION RTE. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER SECTOR AND GIVEN A HDG OF 130 DEGS AND A CLB TO FL230. A SHORT TIME LATER WE WERE GIVEN A HDG BACK TO 140 DEGS. AT THIS POINT BOTH PLTS MUST HAVE MISTAKENLY UNDERSTOOD THIS CLRNC. THE EVENT WORDING IS HARD TO REMEMBER; BUT THE VOR CAPTURE MODE WAS ARMED BY THE FO WHO WAS FLYING. FROM THIS POINT SEVERAL MINS PASSED BEFORE THE 083 DEG RADIAL FROM VUH WAS CAPTURED. SHORTLY AFTER JOINING THE RADIAL; ZHU CTLR ASKED OUR HDG. WE WERE GIVEN AN IMMEDIATE R TURN TO 170 DEGS FOLLOWED BY INSTRUCTION TO MAINTAIN ALT. WE WERE AT FL210. WE THEN GOT A TCASII RA COMMAND TO DSND FOLLOWED BY CLRNC TO DSND TO FL200. I ACQUIRED VISUAL WITH THE OTHER ACFT WHICH PASSED ABOVE AND TO THE L. WE WERE THEN CLRED ON COURSE. EVEN THOUGH I THOUGHT I WAS CLRED TO JOIN THE VOR COURSE I SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED IT. THOUGH IT IS NOT THE CTLR'S DUTY TO MONITOR OUR CLRNC; HAD SHE GIVEN US A R TURN INSTEAD OF ASKING ABOUT OUR HDG; WE MAY HAVE AVOIDED THE REDUCED SEPARATION.