ZHU CTLR ISSUES LJ60 FLC CLRNC REROUTE. OBSERVING A SIGNIFICANT COURSE CHANGE; ZHU TURNS THE LJ60 AND ADVISES TO FLY HEADING UNTIL NAVAID IS CONFIRMED. ZHU ADVISES HE USED WRONG NAVAID.

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WE HAD BEEN CLRED DIRECT MMSD; SAN JOSE DEL CABO BY CTR. WHILE ENRTE; HOUSTON GAVE NEW CLRNC PER MONTERREY'S REQUEST. THE CTLR TOLD US TO PROCEED DIRECT TO DEL RIO; TX; THEN PICK UP THE REST OF OUR RTE. WE RESPONDED WITH DIRECT 'DEL' AND HIS NEW RTE. ABOUT 5 MINS LATER THE CTLR GAVE US A HARD 70 DEG L TURN AND ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING? WE STATED PROCEEDING DIRECT DEL RIO AS CLRED AND ASKED FOR HIM TO CLARIFY THE NAV IDENT. HE GAVE US 3 LETTERS THAT WOULDN'T TUNE IN OUR FMS. WE AGAIN ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION AND HE TOLD US TO STANDBY WHILE HE LOOKED IT UP. HE WAS GUESSING BEFORE. HE NOW CLRS US TO 'DLF;' LAUGHLIN; TX; AND THEN ASSIGNED RTE; STATING; 'THERE WAS NO NAVAID AT DEL RIO.' WE PUT DEL INTO OUR FMS AND INFO FOR DELICIAS; MX; CAME UP. WE THEN ASKED HIM TO CLARIFY OUR WHOLE RTE TO AVOID FUTURE MISTAKES. HE DID SO. THIS MISTAKE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF CREW AND CTLR WERE NOT LACKADAISICAL. ALSO; COMPANY CHART/RTE PLANNER FILED US TO 'DEL' ON OUR FLT PLAN. WE ASSUMED WHAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE; THAT 'DEL' WAS DEL RIO; TX.