ZLC CTLR INVOLVED IN A CTL INCIDENT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE CROSSING CONFLICT IN AN AREA OF KNOWN POOR RADIO COVERAGE.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING ZLC SECTOR 4 WITHOUT A D-SIDE. I ONLY HAD 8 TO 10 AIRPLANES; SO NO HELP WAS REQUIRED. ACFT X WAS EBOUND ON J84 ABOUT 60NM W OF DTA WHEN I TOOK THE HANDOFF ON HIM. ACFT Y WAS NBOUND MLF DIRECT DTA THEN J148 EBOUND. ACFT Y HAD BEEN AT FL290 WHICH WAS NOT MY AIRSPACE. THE SECTOR S OF ME CLIMBED ACFT Y TO FL330 AND HANDED HIM OFF TO ME WHEN HE WAS ABOUT 40NM S OF DTA. ACFT X CHECKED ON MY FREQ AND WAS EXTREMELY BROKEN. I ASKED HIM TO IDENT AND HE DID. ACFT Y STILL HAD NOT CHECKED ON FREQ WHEN I FELT IT WAS TIME TO TURN HIM; SO I CALLED THE SECTOR S OF ME AND THEY SAID THEY HAD ALREADY SHIPPED HIM. I ISSUED A TURN TO ACFT Y AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I THEN TURNED ACFT X AND GOT NO RESPONSE. I ASKED ACFT X TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS TURN WITH AN IDENT; WHICH HE DID. I THEN ISSUED ANOTHER TURN TO ACFT Y AND ASKED HIM TO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH AN IDENT. HE IDENTED AND THEN TOLD ME THAT HE HAD HEARD ME ALL THE TIME; BUT WAS ON A COMPANY FILED MOUNTAIN WAVE DEV ROUTE AND WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE TURN. AT THIS TIME THE ACFT WERE ABOUT 20 NM APART AND CLOSING. I ISSUED ACFT Y A 60 DEG TURN AND TOLD HIM WE WOULD DISCUSS HIS PLT DEV LATER. ACFT Y RPTED ACFT X IN SIGHT AND SAID HE WAS MAKING THE TURN. ACFT Y PASSED 7.5 NM BEHIND ACFT X AT THE SAME ALT. I HAD TFC AT FL350 AND DO NOT OWN FL310; SO ALT WAS NOT AN OPTION FOR ME. WE HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE RECEIVERS ON SECTOR 4 FOR OVER TWO YEARS. SEVERAL UCR'S AND OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED; BUT MANAGEMENT DOES NOT SEEM IN A HURRY TO FIX THIS PROB. THE SITE AT FPK NEEDS TO BE MOVED TO FILMORE OR SOME OTHER LOCATION THAT PROVIDES COVERAGE IN THE DTA AREA. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND WILL HAPPEN UNTIL WE GET RELIABLE RECEIVERS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT THE FRANCIS PEAK (FPK) TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER SITE WAS RECABLED 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO; AND HAS HAD RECEIVER PROBS SINCE. HE ADVISED THAT FAC COORD HAD AT ONE TIME BEEN INITIATED TO CLOSE THE FPK SITE AND MOVE THE FREQ'S TO THE FILMORE SITE; ALSO IN THE VICINITY OF SLC; UT; BUT FOR SOME REASON; WAS NOT COMPLETED. A PLT DEV WAS ADDRESSED BY A SUPVR; BUT WAS DENIED BECAUSE THE MOUNTAIN WAVE ROUTE ACFT Y WAS FLYING WAS A FAC COORDINATED AND APPROVED ROUTING. THE RPTR IDENTIFIED THE POOR COM AREA AS: FROM 50 S OF DTA VORTAC TO DTA FOR ACFT DEPING FROM; OR OVER FLYING THE LAS; NV; AREA. THE SLC VORTAC 225 030 TO THE SLC 225 030; AND FROM 80 W OF DTA TO 30 W OF DTA. ALTS AFFECTED WERE FL330 THROUGH FL370; OCCASIONALLY UP TO FL410.