@BPF: And my experience is that if I can't demonstrate a least class C transponder my local FIS don't care - unless I might have been busting some airspace of course. If they have no more interest in me, then surely I am not going to bend over backwards to please them.
That must be a UK thing because I have used the FIS in Germany, Austria, Hungary and so forth, they have always been keen and willing to help, they have never turned down my request for traffic services even though they are not legally obliged to offer it in periods of high workload.
One Saturday in particular I called Langen Information, having first heard this poor overworked air traffic controller saying "call you back" to everyone. Sure enough, she repeated my call sign, told me she would call me back and 8 minutes later, did so. Although her workload was so heavy, she was still prepared to offer traffic services and gave me warnings of potential conflicts....
In any case, flying with the added assurance that an air traffic controller is watching over you surely outweighs any minimal risk of appearing a right dork on the radio - after all, I'd rather be thought a dork and increase my safety than stay quiet and increase my chances of a mid air incident......
Not only that, the more frequently you speak with ATC, the more proficient your calls become.... My one key rule: Think about what you want to say to them in advance, plan it in your head, think what they will say back to you and what your response should be - if you're new to radio, run it through your head so that a question from them doesn't surprise you.
It's just plain annoying for them when you call them and, once they have acknowledged your call, you come back with something like "Golf-Echo-X X X, Cessna 182, ahhh.... VFR, errrr......Altitude uhm 4000 feet, uhm..... ahh....... position is....... ahm..... wait a minute....... uhh....... where are we now?" and block the frequency....