Well, that stirred the mud a bit.
I omitted to mention that I had with me an embryo pilot to whom I had been extolling the virtues of British ATC and D&D in particular. OOPS!
Seriously though, I have found that a lot of puddle jumper pilots are terrified of ATC and the idea of a call on 121.5 scares the pants off them, when it could literally be a life saver.
I appreciate that Long Haul jocks have to monitor guard but just as they have to share runways and airspace with tyros, why should sharing 121.5 be different? To use a different frequency to practice on would only be the equivalent of a classroom exercise.
Everyone has to learn and the more thorough the learning the safer for everyone.