I am a little surprised that any VHF radio installed in an aircraft nowadays does not allow the user to use one frequency whilst monitoring 121.5 - maybe I am just used to mil spec radios. Just for the sake of self preservation I would want to be able to receive important safety messages even if I am just bimbling around in class G airspace.
The guys on their heli detachment were using a company frequency known only to them but to their credit they had phoned Valley ops to notify them of the activity. Unfortunately for us, Valley ops shut up shop for the weekend and the info wasn't passed to us regarding the Saturday flying (an internal ****up that will be addressed). A notam or CANP would have been much better and then the whole world would have known they were there.
Since they were using a company frequency, they would not, unless they had a second radio, have been able to monitor any ATC - whether it be Canaerfon Radio (the closest and their refuel point) or London info; they would not know what was happening around them if they couldn't monitor guard.
Now, to put this in perspective, I am not at all worried about R22s around a SAROP in Snowdonia - we can all lookout and avoid each other but what about a major incident, whether it be terrorist or natural disaster? Any GA pilot could just drift into a very sensitive and potentially hazardous situation just because he didn't have the ability or desire to monitor an emergency frequency - it just doesn't seem good practise or airmanship to me.