An infuriating national obsession- radio checks

capnsensible said:
......they didn't allow minor things to wind them up.
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minor but persistent!

I guess when Ch16 crackles to life it is natural for crews to shush for a moment and listen. Too much of this radiocheck nonsense - esp in busy areas like the Solent - and many peeps just hit the VHF off button.

I sometimes do :ambivalence:
 
Giblets said:
I often wonder if those who make regular and repeated radio checks aren't actually using the facility to broadcast to all & sundry on Ch16 that they are "out and about". I quite often hear the instigator being called by another vessel within a few minutes of the radio check.
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I think you're probably spot on there.
 
dom said:
minor but persistent!

I guess when Ch16 crackles to life it is natural for crews to shush for a moment and listen. Too much of this radiocheck nonsense - esp in busy areas like the Solent - and many peeps just hit the VHF off button.

I sometimes do :ambivalence:
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That’s exactly it. These calls mean that boats end up not properly monitoring Ch 16. And they are VERY BORING.
 
dom said:
The Coastguard should IMHO simply stop responding to these requests on Ch16, as I am sure others have already said.
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Absolutely. To say one minute that vessels should use Ch67 for routine traffic and the next to reply on Ch16 to requests for a radio check without further comment is silly.

The response should be ‘Yacht Tedious, this is Patient Coastguard. For routine traffic please go Ch 67’.

Or, so as not to reward the selfish caller’s desire to know if his radio still works since last Sunday: ‘Station calling Patient Coastguard, for routine traffic please go Ch 67’.
 
Back in the not too far distant past, I remember a few occasions on really quiet days, whilst sailing serenely in Poole Bay, hearing Portland CG calling Solent CG on Ch16 asking for a radio check..... :-)
 
BelleSerene said:
Absolutely. To say one minute that vessels should use Ch67 for routine traffic and the next to reply on Ch16 to requests for a radio check without further comment is silly.
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Solent used to advertise that routine traffic should make the initial call on 67, not going via 16 first. Since the move to Fareham they no longer seem to honour this - I've heard people trying to call direct on 67 and be ignored. Presumably it's because Fareham strictly follow the nationwide procedures, where direct-on-67 was only a local Solent convention.

Pete
 
prv said:
Solent used to advertise that routine traffic should make the initial call on 67, not going via 16 first. Since the move to Fareham they no longer seem to honour this - I've heard people trying to call direct on 67 and be ignored. Presumably it's because Fareham strictly follow the nationwide procedures, where direct-on-67 was only a local Solent convention.
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They were never very good at replying on 67 even before the changes IME.

They did used to say 'routine traffic on 67' when people used 16 for routine traffic, however, they don't seem to do that any more IME.

During the CG 'strike' if people did a radio check 'addressed' to 'any station' Solent CG used to reply which made me chuckle a bit.
 
Mark-1 said:
They were never very good at replying on 67 even before the changes IME.

They did used to say 'routine traffic on 67' when people used 16 for routine traffic, however, they don't seem to do that any more IME.

During the CG 'strike' if people did a radio check 'addressed' to 'any station' Solent CG used to reply which made me chuckle a bit.
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Swansea were the best, they came up with the phrase "Due to industrial action we cannot confirm or deny that we have heard your transmission" ;)
 
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