CAPT OF AN ACR LGT DEVIATED AROUND WX BUILDUPS WHILE ON AN OCEANIC FLT ON HIS OWN COMMAND AUTH AFTER WAITING 15 MINS; AND MAKING 3 RADIO REQUESTS WITHOUT SUCCESS IN OBTAINING AN ANSWER. AFTER INTERCEPTING ASSIGNED COURSE HE INQUIRED AGAIN; AND AGAIN NONE HAD BEEN RECEIVED. AFTER SEVERAL YRS OF FLYING THE OCEANIC RTES; THE CAPT BELIEVES THAT THIS IS AN INADEQUATE CTL SYS FOR THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE.

Narrative

SBOUND ENRTE TO SAN JUAN OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC APCHING DIDLE INTXN; I NOTED A SOLID LINE OF TSTMS XING OUR RTE ABOUT 100 NM S OF DIDLE INTXN. I REQUESTED A DEV 20 NM W OF COURSE FOR WX THROUGH NEW YORK OCEANIC ON 129.9. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; WE HAD NOT RECEIVED A CLRNC TO DEVIATE AND I INQUIRED AGAIN. NEW YORK ON 129.9 SAID THEY WOULD REQUEST IT AGAIN BUT WE WERE GETTING OUT OF VHF RANGE AND SHOULD CONTACT NEW YORK ON HF. I ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF OUR REQUEST ON HF AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY STILL HAD NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM ATC. AT THIS POINT I ADVISED THEM THAT WE WERE DEVIATING 20 MI W OF COURSE. LATER; I RPTED BACK ON COURSE AND ASKED IF THEY HAD EVER GOTTEN A DEV CLRNC FROM ATC FOR US AND THEY SAID NO. THIS DELAY/LACK OF ABILITY TO RECEIVE AMENDED ALT/RTE CLRNC FROM NEW YORK OCEANIC IS INDICATIVE OF WHAT I'VE EXPERIENCED IN 10 YRS OF FLYING THIS RTE TO THE CARIBBEAN. 100 MI/15 MINS SEEMS TO ME TO BE ABOUT AS GOOD A LEAD TIME FOR A REQUEST AS CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED FROM A HIGH SPD TURBOJET. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE IN THIS AGE OF ADVANCED COMS/COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THAT MORE TIMELY RESPONSES FROM ATC ARE NOT POSSIBLE. FROM MY MANY YRS EXPERIENCE AS A FO ON THESE RTES; I KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF THIS SIT MANY PLTS DON'T EVEN BOTHER MAKING REQUESTS VIA OCEANIC WHEN A SHORT NOTICE DEV IS REQUIRED -- THEY JUST DO IT; BANKING ON THE BIG SKY THEORY. IN MY SIT; I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DEVIATE BUT; DESPITE ADEQUATE NOTICE; THE SYS WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DO SO WITH AN ATC CLRNC.