xrayalpha, and other fellow aviators,
To answer your questions and concerns, the reason LLCF exists is because there are big swathes of remote Scotland airspace that, at low level, have absolutely no VHF radio reception with Scottish Info or any other ATC/ATS facility. Within that airspace, it seemed absolutely ridiculous that the only option for avoiding other traffic available to pilots flying within it was "See and Avoid" when (virtually) every aircraft has a fully serviceable VHF radio in it that remains silent.
"Hear and Avoid" is being used successfully in many other countries in the world, and has been proven to compliment "See and Avoid" where it is being used. Without doubt “Hear and Avoid” LLCF is a total no-brainer for remote Scotland - however, the primary issues which arise from its use are, as always, the edges of its boundary use, and who is it affecting negatively.
I fully agree with those who say that a blind, self-position and intention report should start and finish with one's present area location, e.g. "Loch Ness traffic, Helicopter CD, 5 SW of Drumnadrochit at 1,500 tracking SW to Fort William and Oban, Loch Ness traffic" as opposed to not starting and finishing with one's present area location, as this gives:
* Initial awareness to traffic at or near that location, i.e. if you are flying around Loch Ness and heard "Loch Ness traffic", you'd most likely pay more attention to looking for other traffic rather than trying to spot Nessie
* Aircraft Type and abbreviated ID, i.e. not too much info that you don’t listen to the rest of the broadcast as you try to remember what the traffic is
* Present position (distance, direction and height) with regard to a relatively identifiable landmark
* Intentions
* A repeat of awareness to traffic at or near your location
That would be my choice, but in the consultation phase of LLCF, that was thought to be too much air time by the Military a) for them to say it all, and b) it would cause too much frequency congestion, so the current guidelines have been suggested.
However, as with all guidelines, that doesn't literally prevent anybody from using what they believe to be better procedure; I personally use the above because there's hardly anyone out there, therefore there is no congestion, therefore if I believe safety prevails because of it, I will use it. Now, if the frequency was very busy, I'd most likely revert to the guidelines. It has been suggested that the guidelines change to the above after the trial - we civilians might say the above, the Military might abbreviate it due to workload constraints. It's all about Professionalism, what is appropriate, and how we can collectively make aviation safer.
As a thought, in these transmissions, one could dig a little deeper and promote a response perhaps if it was really quiet out there. "Loch Ness traffic, Helicopter CD, 5 SW of Drumnadrochit at 1,500 tracking SW to Fort William and Oban. Any other traffic Loch Ness..?"
I have to admit I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the fact that military fast jets traveling at 420 kts as they like to do, if they make a position report every 5 minutes, one report could be at one side of the country, the next report at the other side! And this is the nature of the beast. One makes calls appropriate to one's situation, and hopes that others do the same. This is not a Traffic Service, "Hear and Avoid" compliments "See and Avoid", not replaces it remember.
If you hear something on frequency and it's a clear transmission, you'll most likely be close to the other aircraft, or high in the air. If it's readability 2, then the other aircraft is probably far away, or perhaps terrain masked. You have to use common sense and fit your conclusions to the area in which you are flying. You could, of course, always ask for clarification.
xrayalpha, 135.475 was chosen as the trial frequency primarily because the frequency is already in service, and because it is under-utilised in Scotland - particularly north of 56°N. To try and get a separate frequency out of the CAA would have taken forever for use over such a large area, so the trial would have been delayed until who knows when.
Will a dedicated frequency different from 135.475 be used post trial? I can't answer that at this stage. It depends upon the trial and if anybody has been negatively impacted by the use of 135.475 in their area of operations. LLCF might disappear completely, or it might be altered somewhat to conform to best practice for those concerned.
I also appreciate your concern regarding Strathaven xrayalpha. It was carefully thought about before the Low Level Common Frequency proposal to the CAA, and during it, so please don't feel that your thoughts are being ignored. They were actually thought about before the trial went live!
Strathaven is outside the LLCF area by some 20Nm due south of the 56°N southern boundary, and is unlikely to be affected by frequency confusion or congestion from LLCF because due north of 56°N at longitude 004° 06.5'W, a pilot flying at 1,000’ AGL can talk to and receive a Basic Service from both Scottish Info and/or Glasgow, therefore would not be using LLCF. If that pilot was flying at 500' AGL in that same area, yes, he may be using LLCF, but at that level you would hear not his calls at Strathaven. Not only has this has been thought through, it's also been tested!
Remember, LLCF is only a trial for now, and is most certainly open to tweaking to best advantage for those concerned as it is a work in progress at this stage. It's surprising that of the over 2,500 people LLCF has been disseminated to nobody has given any feedback at all about it to the supplied email address (135.475LowLevelCommonFrequency @ gmail . com). Granted it is early days, particularly in terms of decent weather for GA flying around remote Scotland, however, if no feedback is forthcoming, then those that have the ear of the CAA at present will probably be those that take it to the next stage after the trial is over, and whatever works best for them may well be the deciding factor as to where LLCF goes...!
We need honest feedback please, both positive and negative, as LLCF has the potential to save lives. If it negatively impacts your area for the same reasons, then we need to know about it so we can change it.
Fly Safe!