ZHU CTLR DESCRIBED NEAR LOSS OF SEPARATION EVENT CITING WX FACTORS AND LONGSTANDING FREQ PROBLEM AS CONTRIBUTORY.

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WORKING HIGH ALT DURING HVY TFC WITH WX DEVS; ABC FROM IAH TO BRO LEVEL AT FL260 AND ANOTHER ABC FROM HRL TO IAH CLBING TO FL270. BOTH ACFT WERE DEVIATING AROUND A SINGLE CELL E OF NGP. THE IAH..BRO ABC TO THE E; THE HRL..GLAND.GLAND3.IAH ABC TO THE W. FREQ 133.75 HAS BEEN BASICALLY INOP FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AS I HAVE STATED IN RECENT ASRS RPTS WE HAVE TO SHUFFLE BTWN SITES TO COMMUNICATE WITH ACFT. WE SHUT OFF THE LRD SITE AND USE ONLY THE QXB SITE TO REDUCE MISSED READBACKS AND MAKE THE FREQ AT LEAST SOMEWHAT USABLE. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO COMMUNICATE WITH 2 ACFT ON THE BOUNDARY WITH MY AIRSPACE AND MEXICO. MY D-SIDE WAS NEWLY CERTIFIED AND THERE WAS NO STAFFING FOR A TRACKER. THE SBOUND ABC CHANGED HIS DEV FROM THE E TO THE W BY MAKING A 70 DEG R TURN TO GO AROUND THE CELL. THIS PLACED THE ABC'S IN CONFLICTION. THE PLT HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ME BUT; I NEVER HEARD THE XMISSIONS BECAUSE 133.75 IS MALFUNCTIONING. WHEN I NOTICED THE TURN I TOOK ACTION TO CORRECT THE SITUATION AND THE ACFT PASSED APPROX 6 MI APART AT A CO-ALT OF FL255. THE FREQ PROB WAS THE MAIN DISTR FROM A PROPER SCAN. I SHOULD HAVE ASSIGNED FL250 TO THE NBOUND ABC AND ASKED THE NEXT CTLR TO DSND THE H25A I WAS TRYING TO TOP WITH THE ABC. I DIDN'T WANT TO TURN THE NBOUND ABC OUT BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO TURN ALL THE IAH ARRS TO SEQUENCE. WITH MOST COMS REQUIRING 2 OR 3 XMISSIONS IT WOULD HAVE BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.