AN ACR FLC HAVE DIFFICULTY DETERMINING IF THEY WERE CLRED FOR AN APCH AND THEY STARTED TO DSND; AND THE CTLR TELLS THEM TO RETURN TO ALT. LATER THE CTLR ISSUES INCOMPLETE HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS.

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WE WERE INBOUND TO MISSOULA AND BECAUSE THIS WAS THE CAPT'S FIRST TIME IN THERE WE HAD TO SHOOT THE FULL APCH TO RWY 11 AND WE ASKED FOR THE ILS 11. THE CTLR TOLD US TO FLY DIRECT TO THE MISSOULA VOR AT 10000 FT AND RPT ESTABLISH ON THE OUTBOUND COURSE. ONCE WE WERE ESTABLISHED OUTBOUND ON THE 293 DEG RADIAL I RPTED (WE WERE ESTABLISHED OUTBOUND AND THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED OUR RPT WITH A 'ROGER'). ON THE APCH; ONCE YOU ESTABLISHED OUTBOUND YOU CAN COME DOWN TO 9000 FT MSL. I TOLD THE CTLR WE WERE LEAVING 10000 FT FOR 9000 FT; HE ACKNOWLEDGED ROGER. WITHIN A FEW MINS HE SAID MAINTAIN 10000 FT UNABLE TO ISSUE APCH CLRNC; ANOTHER ACR WAS ON THE VOR DME C APCH TO MISSOULA. WE CLBED BACK UP TO 10000 FT THEN HE ISSUED A HOLDING INSTRUCTION TO HOLD NW OF KONA NDB; THAT WAS ALL HE GAVE US FOR HOLDING INSTRUCTION. WHAT WE NEEDED WAS MORE INSTRUCTION TO HOLD AT KONA NDB; A RADIAL A OFF VOR; A LOC COURSE; A BEARING OFF KONA NDB; SOMETHING TO HOLD BY; AND EFC TIME. AFTER ASKING SEVERAL TIMES WE FINALLY GOT THE PROPER HOLDING INSTRUCTION HOLD NW OF KONA NDB INBOUND ON THE LOC COURSE; EFC TIME 2305. WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IT TOOK SEVERAL MINS TO GET THE PROPER HOLD INSTRUCTION WHILE WE WERE FLYING AT A LOW ALT IN THE MOUNTAINS. FOR THE PERIOD OF TIME WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT CTLR WANTED US TO DO. FINALLY WE ENTERED THE HOLD; WAS ISSUED THE APCH CLRNC FOR THE ILS RWY 11 AT MISSOULA MONT. EVERYTHING FROM THEN ON WENT SMOOTHLY. ALSO THE CREW WAS APCHING A 14 HR DUTY DAY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAD NOT HEARD FROM THE COMPANY OR THE FAA SINCE HE HAD RPTED THIS EVENT. HIS PRIMARY INTEREST WAS TO HAVE THE CTLR BE A LITTLE MORE STANDARD IN HIS PROCS. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE WAS TIRED; BUT THE CTLR SEEMED MORE SO.