Thanks guys!! I love reading from people with experiance.

I went to get a radio to listen to ATC and I got this rubbish thing for £25. I took it straight back cause it had this wheel to tune it in and was cheap and nasty! I need one with squelch or Ill go mad!! I ordered a different one with 50 channel presets squelch etc for £120... this is a smaller type with a rubber duck. Is these resonable price wise???

Holloway old mucker - practice practice practice.

- On the bus, in the car, lying awake at night - practice your radio calls. Listen to the scanner. Read the CAP book and the Trevor Thom book (there's a couple of examples of arriving and departing different types of aerodrome I found very useful in particular).

- Write it all out on your kneeboard. Comes in handy. Leave blanks for the variable information (height, position, etc.etc.).

- When you learn to drive a car you can only just change gear without clonking the gearbox, but after a while you can hold a conversation, listen to the news, turn right, change gear - all without any problem. Flying's just the same!

- Buy a decent headset if you afford it. I was having problems hearing people through the old club-supplied ones - having said that, I've had my PPL(H) for over 12 months, 80+ flying hours and still had to say "say again" four times before I heard them right yesterday!!

- TALK SLOWLY. I know you're meant to be quick and concise on the radio, but I found if I talked quickly, the ATCO thought I knew what I was doing and responded equally quickly.. D'Oh!!.. which of course I didn't....

- ATCO's are human too (honest). Its better to talk in english and be accurate than try and use 'proper' radio terminology and cock it up.

- standy is a useful word as someone else pointed out. Don't sit there with your thumb on transmit saying ' er.... its... err.... 6 miles ...er.... northwest of.... er'.

- say it in your head before you say it on the air. Saves you saying 'correction' 6 times (trust me)