A CLRNC MISUNDERSTANDING RESULTS IN A TRACK DEV NEAR SALT LAKE.

Narrative

WHILE FLYING THE SPANE ARR INTO SLC; AT APPROX 11 DME S OF FFU VOR WE RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM SLC ARR CTL TO FLY DIRECTLY TO CHHIP (A FIX FURTHER ALONG ON THE SPANE ARR; BEYOND FFU VOR). AFTER A SHORT PAUSE THE CTLR WENT ON TO SAY WE SHOULD FLY 335 DEG HDG; A VECTOR FOR DOWNWIND. THIS INFO WAS ALL PASSED IN A SINGLE XMISSION AND WE UNDERSTOOD THE VECTOR WAS GIVEN SUBSEQUENT TO THE DIRECT ROUTING AS THE CTLR REALIZED WE WERE A B727 AND NOT AREA NAV EQUIPPED. AS THE PNF; I ACKNOWLEDGED THE VECTOR AND WE TURNED TO 335 DEG HDG. THIS COURSE TOOK US E OF THE SPANE ARR SO WE BEGAN DISCUSSING THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR RWY 17; WHEN THE CTLR ASKED WHAT HEADING WE WERE FLYING. I RESPONDED 335 DEGS AS ASSIGNED. HE STATED WE WERE CLRED DIRECT CHHIP THEN 335 DEG HDG FOR DOWNWIND. I RESPONDED WE WERE A 'SLANT ALPHA' AND HAD ACKNOWLEDGED A VECTOR HEADING ONLY. THE CTLR THEN VECTORED US FOR AN UNEVENTFUL DOWNWIND TO LNDG ON SLC RWY 16R. IN THIS ERA OF GLASS COCKPIT ACFT; ALL PARTIES NEED TO ENSURE NON AREA NAV ACFT ARE NOT CONFUSED WITH THOSE ACFT SO EQUIPPED.