Plaz: FYI, if interested, Brize Norton, aka EGVN, is a major RAF base near Oxford in southern England. It's class D CTA (or is that a CTR?) is surrounded by class G airspace, and a declared "Area of Intense Aerial Activity" or AIAA.
Within this area and beyond (60NM radius I think), "Brize Radar" operate a "LARS" service - a type of radar service ("Lower Airspace Radar Service") available to all comers in the UK, depending on their workload. Typically, GA aircraft transiting this area will call Brize and just ask for a flight information service, and will generally get a bit more besides in return - i.e. traffic advisories - if the controller has time. Plus you get lots of good info such as reminders of which mil drop zones in the area are active, if there is low-flying mil (usually HEL) activity around, etc. Just a great service really, IMHO! Asking for a radar
information service also seems to work, usually, depending on workload.... but radar advisory service isn't as readily available (unless maybe in quieter periods?).
So to cut a long story short, we love our LARS services, especially Brize and e.g. Farnborough down in this part of the country, as they gives a pragmatic degree of radar service (a bit like US "flight following", but not necessarily all joined up from unit to unit) which is just the ticket on a busy and hazy Saturday afternoon around western London!
And for anyone interested, the CAA have explained the story behind the change of frequency, see
here:
It appears that the previous frequency was not assigned to Brize and was being used illegally. It had been in fact assigned to Scottish Mil and also to a unit in France and interference was being experienced by these other units and not Brize.
Best to all,
Andy
Plaz: forgot to add... have had good service from Brisbane also, when on the frequency in mid-north coast NSW at home over Christmas time
