ACFT X WAS GIVEN A CLRNC BY CTL 1 TO CLB ABOVE ACFT Y. SEPARATION WAS LOST; RESULTING IN AN OPERROR.

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CLBING OUT OF PORTLAND; OR; HDG EBOUND. FK28 INBOUND PORTLAND FROM THE E. DC8 CHKED ON CLBING TO FL230 AND I CLBED HIM TO FL330 EXPECTING TO TOP FK28 WHO WAS AT FL240. I ASKED DC8 FOR BEST RATE OF CLB THROUGH FL250. WHEN I NOTICED THAT THESE 2 ACFT MAY GET CLOSE; I ATTEMPTED TO PUT A HALO (5 MI RING) AROUND DC8. THE HOST SYS SEES THIS INPUT AS A LOW PRIORITY; THEREFORE; THE HALO DID NOT DISPLAY SOON ENOUGH TO VISUALIZE HOW CLOSE THESE ACFT MAY GET. ATTEMPTED CORRECTIVE ACTION WITH TURNS; BUT SEPARATION WAS LOST. HAD THE HALO BEEN IMMEDIATE; I COULD HAVE STOPPED THE FK28 BELOW DC8 PREVENTING SEPARATION LOSS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 442164: I WAS WORKING R34. HAD DC8 CLBING OFF PORTLAND EBOUND. I SHIPPED DC8 TO SECTOR 16. SHORTLY AFTER THAT; FK28 CHKED ON MY FREQ. LATER; SECTOR 16 CALLED AND ASKED IF I WOULD START DSNDING FK28. I ASSESSED THE TFC SIT AND THOUGHT IT WOULDN'T WORK IF I STARTED FK28 DOWN. I CALLED SECTOR 16 BACK AND ASKED IF HE WAS TRYING TO TOP FK28 WITH DC8. AFTER OUR CONVERSATION; I THOUGHT SECTOR 16 WASN'T GOING TO TRY TO TOP FK28; AND THEY WOULD LET DC8 LEVEL AT FL230. I OBSERVED DC8 CLBING THROUGH FL233 SO I TURNED FK28 TO 250 DEGS. AFTER THEY PASSED; I TURNED FK28 BACK TO PORTLAND. I FEEL THIS OPERROR OCCURRED BECAUSE OF POOR COORD BTWN MYSELF AND SECTOR 16. IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY USING CORRECT PHRASEOLOGY IN OUR COORD.