AN ACR MLG IS RPTED BY APCH CTL TO BE 23 MI N OF THE POS THE CREW HAD BEEN HOLDING. CREW DISPUTED THIS RADAR FIX.

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ZOA TOLD US TO CONTACT RENO APCH. AFTER DOING SO WE WERE ASKED WHAT OUR INTENTIONS WERE (WE WERE COMING UP FROM THE S; WX WAS ATIS; 360 DEGS 9 KTS; 1/2 MI SNOW; FOG; 500 FT BROKEN; 5000 FT BROKEN; 16000 FT OVCST; TEMP 0 DEGS; DEWPOINT 0 DEGS; ALTIMETER SETTING 29.63; LOC BACK COURSE RWY 34 IN USE). WE COULD NOT SHOOT THE BACK COURSE TO RWY 34L DUE TO VISIBILITY; SO I TOLD APCH WE NEEDED ILS DME 3 RWY 16R. CTLR GAVE US HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS; 'HOLD 10 MI N OF WAGGE ON BACK COURSE LOC; R TURNS; 10 DME LEGS.' THIS WAS AT 16000 FT HOLDING; WX WAS SCATTERED CLOUDS WITH MODERATE ICING. WIND WAS ESTIMATED AT 220 DEGS AT 38 KTS. WE ENTERED HOLDING AT 3 DME OFF LOC BACK COURSE; MADE ONE TURN; AND BEGAN OUR TURN SBOUND AGAIN; WHEN THE CTLR CAME OVER AND TOLD US WE WERE 20 MI N OF RENO. WE BOTH CHKED OUR INSTS. WE WERE BOTH READING 11.3 DME OFF LOC BACK COURSE 110.9 WITH AN INCREASE (#2 NAVAID DID STOP FOR APPROX 30 SECONDS) WITH CDI NEEDLE TO R OF CASE; DME INCREASING TO 11.4; 11.5; ETC. CTLR ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO MUSTANG AND HOLD; I SAID YES. ALSO; WHEN CTLR STATED WE WERE 20 MI N OF RENO; I WENT TO MUSTANG VOR AND WE WERE APPROX ON THE 121 DEG RADIAL AT 12.1 DME; INCREASING TO 12.2; 12;3; ETC. THEY THEN GAVE US HOLDING CLRNC OVER MUSTANG VOR. PRIOR TO ENTERING HOLDING OVER MUSTANG; WE WERE GIVEN A HEADING VECTOR FOR ILS DME 3 RWY 16R; EVERYTHING ELSE UNEVENTFUL. I FEEL THAT; CONSIDERING THE WX CONDITIONS WE WERE IN; IN ADDITION TO TRACON WORKLOAD; COCKPIT WORKLOAD; THE HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS THAT APCH HAD PREVIOUSLY GIVEN US; THAT MADE COCKPIT WORKLOAD; ALONG WITH APCH WORKLOAD GREATER. A SIMPLER FORM OF HOLDING OVER MUSTANG VOR; IN THESE WX CONDITIONS; WOULD HAVE MADE THE WORKLOAD LIGHTER; THUS; FOCUSING ATTN MORE ON THE FLT CONDITIONS WE WERE EXPERIENCING. I SPOKE WITH THE SUPVR; (TRACON) HE SAID THIS IS A COMMON HOLDING PROC; TO HOLD E AWAY FROM MOUNTAINS; I SUGGESTED THAT HOLDING OVER MUSTANG VOR MIGHT BE EASIER HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AND LESSER WORKLOAD FOR APCH CTL AND PLTS.