The time it took you to log on and write about your call to BZN, you could have rang them and had a chat.
You're right, I probably could have. For a civil airport I would have done so, but Brize doesn't seem to have an AIP entry. It does have a good WWW site, and I've found a number. In future, I'll use it.
Just spoke to BZN to see if they could shed some light...
Thanks for the research DD. I understand the limitations.
He didnt know what the guy meant by "as published".
My recollection is not perfect. I may be misquoting him, and it's possible that I was putting my own interpretation on "as notified" or "as advised", which he intended to me "as I just told you"! But I did come away with the impression, obviously mistaken, that this was a systematic refusal to provide a radar service to an aircraft in VMC rather than one based on controller workload (which wasn't used as a phrase).
I've had fantastic service from Brize over the years, not least on that same morning going into Oxford. Because of the H24 nature and the 60 mile radius, they're often the last resort for a radar service, and frequently oblige. I'm pleased that there's no change in that availability.