ACR ATR PIC COMPLAINS ABOUT ARTCC CTLR USAGE OF; AND POS OF ACR A310; WHEN ISSUING VISUAL SEPARATION PROC BTWN THE A310 FROM THE ATR. ATR EXECUTES EVASIVE TURN; PERCEIVING THE A310 IS TOO CLOSE. A310 FLC CALL TO ARTCC SUPVR BRIEFS FLC TO ATR COMPLAINT. A310 FLC NOT CONCERNED WITH VISUAL SEPARATION APPLICATION. PIC STATES TCASII IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THEIR CARGO ACFT.

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WE WERE FLYING A 2-MAN CARGO FLT FROM COLUMBIA; SC; TO MEMPHIS; TN. WHILE LEVEL AT 14000 FT MSL UNDER ZJX CTL; NAV BY FMS DIRECT TO IRQ VOR; CTR ASKED US IF WE HAD TFC IN SIGHT AT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 10 MI. BOTH OF US DID AND WE RESPONDED WE DID. CTR CLRED US TO CLB TO FL230 AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION; WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGED. THE CAPT SET IN THE NEW ALT IN THE FMS AND PULLED THE ARMING KNOB. THE ACFT TOOK A FEW SECONDS AND THEN ADVANCED THROTTLES AND BEGAN TO CLB. THE OTHER COMMUTER ACFT BEGAN QUESTION CTR ABOUT THE TYPE ACFT WE WERE AND WHY WE WEREN'T CLBING QUICKER. CTR WAS ACKNOWLEDGING ANOTHER CALL. BY THEN WE WERE WATCHING THE ATR MOVING L TO R IN THE R SIDE OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. AGAIN BOTH OF US IN OUR ACFT PERCEIVED NO CONFLICT. THE COMMUTER PLT BECAME EXCITED AND ABOUT THE TIME HIS ACFT PASSED OUR R SIDE (WE ESTIMATE 1 MI ABEAM AND 200 FT LOWER) HE BEGAN A QUICK BANK TO THE L (AWAY FROM US). HE TOLD CTR HE HAD A TCASII ALERT AND ESTIMATED THE DISTANCE BTWN US AS 200 FT AND LESS THAN 1/2 MI. WE TOLD CTR WE HAD NO TCASII BUT HAD NOT PERCEIVED A NEAR MISS. THE ATR PLT SAID HE WOULD RPT ONE. LATER DISCUSSING WITH THE ZJX CTLR HE SAID THE OTHER PLT WAS DISSATISFIED WITH OUR CLB RATE AND SAID OUR ACFT WAS HALFWAY THROUGH HIS 3 MI TCASII ALERT RING. THE CTLR THOUGHT WE WERE 1 TO 1 1/2 MI SEPARATION BUT WOULD NOT KNOW FROM THE FAA DATA UNLESS THE OTHER ACFT MADE A FORMAL COMPLAINT. THE CTR NEVER RPTED A CONFLICT ALERT OR EVER INTERVENED AND GAVE DIRECTIVE HEADINGS TO EITHER ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 412008: WE WERE LEVEL 14000 FT MSL. CTR ADVISED TFC AT 15000 FT DSNDING (FO UNDERSTOOD 15000 FT LEVEL) HEADING EBOUND. WE RPTED TFC IN SIGHT. AFTER LNDG WE CALLED ZJX AND THE SUPVR STATED THAT THE OTHER ACFT CAPT SAID WE WERE 1/2 WAY BTWN THE 3 MI CALIBRATION RING -- THUS APPROX 1 TO 1 1/2 MI SEPARATION. NEITHER OF US HAD ANY CONCERN ABOUT OUR SEPARATION. IT SEEMS IF WE ARE CLRED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION; THEN THAT IS WHAT IS REQUIRED -- A VISUAL JUDGEMENT OF SEPARATION. THE OTHER ACFT USED 'ELECTRONIC' MEANS TO DETERMINE THEIR SEPARATION. OUR CARGO ACFT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH TCASII. IF ALL ACFT WERE EQUIPPED THAN MAYBE WE COULD MAINTAIN 'ELECTRONIC' SEPARATION ON OUR OWN. ALSO IT SEEMS; ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT; IN CTLED AIRSPACE; ATC SHOULD GIVE VECTORS FOR TFC AVOIDANCE; RATHER THAN RELYING ON USING VISUAL CUES FOR SEPARATION.