POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS IN A NIGHT OP. LATE TA GIVEN TO ACR X WHILE ON SID DEP PROC BY TWR REGARDING ACFT Y. NO FURTHER DIRECTIONS ISSUED.

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WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 22 AT HOBBY ARPT. CLRNC WAS A L TURN TO 360 DEGS ON THE HOBBY 9 DEP. RIGHT AFTER LIFT-OFF; TWR CALLED TFC AT 9-10 O'CLOCK POS; 3 MI; 1300 FT; SEBOUND. WE CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT; AND HEARING NO FURTHER INSTRUCTION FROM TWR; I ASSUMED WE WERE TO CONTINUE THE DEP AND MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. I TOLD MY FO THAT I INTENDED TO START A SHALLOW L TURN; KEEPING THE TFC IN SIGHT UNTIL WE WERE ABOVE HIM; AND THEN INCREASE THE BANK TO COMPLY WITH THE SID. AS WE PASSED 1300 FT WE WERE ABOUT 2 MI ON THE TCASII FROM THE TFC. WE THEN RECEIVED A TCASII RA TO 'DSND.' I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE CLB INSTEAD OF DSNDING BACK INTO A CONFLICTING ALT. AT THIS TIME; IT APPEARED OUR TFC INITIATED A R TURN; AS HORIZ SEPARATION DECREASED RAPIDLY TO BTWN 1-1/2 MI. AT THE CLOSEST POINT; I WOULD ESTIMATE WE PASSED BEHIND AND ABOVE THE TFC (1/2 MI BEHIND AND 500 FT ABOVE). THE TFC PASSED OFF TO OUR R ON A DIVERGING COURSE WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. I DON'T THINK THEY EVER SAW US. WHILE I DON'T CLASSIFY THIS AS A NEAR MISS; IT WAS TOO CLOSE FOR MY PERSONAL COMFORT. I BELIEVE THE FOLLOWING FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT: 1) THE REQUIREMENT TO STAY WITHIN 3 MI OF HUB ON THE SID. IN A L TURN THE LONG WAY TO 360 DEGS; IT REQUIRES A TIGHT TURN. 2) THE LATE CALL OF TFC BY THE TWR AND THE LACK OF ANY FURTHER GUIDANCE. 3) MY DECISION TO CONTINUE THE DEP UNTIL WE WERE WELL CLR OF THE TFC. NEXT TIME; I WILL GO NO FURTHER THAN A PARALLEL HEADING UNTIL I AM ABOVE THE TFC.