MD82 ON SID FMG4-FMG CLBING TO 10000 FT. DEP CTLR ADVISED TFC; SEMINOLE; DSNDING. TFC IN SIGHT. SEMINOLE STOPPED HIS DSCNT AND RESULTED IN TCASII IN MD82 GIVING RA WARNING TO DSND. COMPLIED. HAD THE SEMINOLE CONTINUED DSCNT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROB.

Narrative

DEPARTED RNO RWY 16R ON 'SID FMG4.FMG' AT XX46L. SID CALLS FOR L TURN TO FMG VOR AT D3 RNO. AT D2.6 RNO DEP CTL TOLD US TO TURN L HDG 320 DEGS; INTERCEPT J92 N OF FMG VOR; CLB AND MAINTAIN 15000 FT (PREVIOUSLY CLRED TO 10000 FT). IN THE TURN HE TOLD US THERE WAS A SEMINOLE AT 12 O'CLOCK POS BECOMING 2 O'CLOCK POS AT 15 MI AT 9000 FT DSNDING. WE RPTED TFC IN SIGHT AND CONTINUED CLBING TURN; TO PASS AT 2000 FT ABOVE HIM OR BETTER. WE HEARD THE SEMINOLE ASK; 'IS THE JET CLBING?' THE CTLR DID NOT ANSWER. SOON WE GOT HIM ON TCASII AT 6 MI; ABOVE US; WE WERE NOW AT 9500 FT CLBING. THE SEMINOLE HAD NOW CLBED AND TURNED L. THE CTLR ASSUMED THE SEMINOLE WAS LISTENING; THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD AND DSND. WITHOUT SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS; THE VFR SEMINOLE HAD CLBED INTO OUR PATH. WE RECEIVED A TA; FOLLOWED BY AN RA; 'DSND; DSND.' WE FOLLOWED THE RA AND PASSED ONE AND ONE HALF MI LATERALLY AND 1000 FT VERTLY. FROM 9500 FT WE FOLLOWED RA TO 8800 FT MSL WITH A SHARP L TURN; FOLLOWED BY 'CLR OF CONFLICT;' THEN CONTINUED CLB. ATC ASSUMED THE SEMINOLE WAS LISTENING AND ISSUED NO SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS; HAD HE TOLD THE SEMINOLE TO CONTINUE DSCNT; THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO CONFLICT. BUT; AT NIGHT; LIGHTS; EVEN WITH A BRIGHT MOON; MAKE IT ALL DECEIVING -- DISTANCE; RELATIVE ALT; ETC. WE DON'T KNOW IF THE SEMINOLE HAD A TCASII ON BOARD. THERE WAS TYPICAL RNO LIGHT TURB THROUGHOUT THE MANEUVER.