I was not suggesting that they could not monitor guard and ops - but that they might not have wanted to chop about if it was not necessary to talk with the civvie.
It also raises the question - two-channel or three? We are talking 2 guard channels and the A-A or to Opauth. While they can undoubtedly dial up 121.5 can they monitor it as a guard channel or is guard limited to the UHF one?
If they can only dial up 121.5 then it would have involved one aircraft going off-freak.