An infuriating national obsession- radio checks

[Habebty]

When leaving port it is good practice to inform coasties of your intentions, compliment, ETA. Saves the interminable radio check request.

I would say not, what are they going to do, why not use the the RYA Safetrax app? And call the NCI on the VHF.

 

[Gallant Spirit]

I use a SWR meter connected inline to my antenna, I can check power and reflected power every time I transmit gives piece of mind and early indication of coax or antenna issues

 

[Robin]

Whenever I hear the coastguard reporting to a rado check request with "station calling for radio check, you are weak but readable" I always hope the are going to say" weak and pathetic"

I wonder what the questioner does thereafter, get the set/antenna overhauled or simply call again an hour later?:disgust:

 

[Amulet]

Given the amount of vitriol expressed here about radio checks, I wrote to the coastguard and asked if it bothered them. "Not at all," they said.

Work on my wooden mast created an intermittent fault on my aerial last season. This resulted in me requesting several radio checks mostly on working channels with pals or the marina, but several with the coastguard - who described me as "weak and distorted!" I got it working by patching to the AIS aerial, and checked that too. Installed new aerial and cable this season and called for a check on that too once the mast was up. My gaining all this useful information probably caused a swathe of surrounding yachtsmen to mutter, "bloody idiots asking for radio checks."

Normally I'd check at the start of the season by calling the marina. Last season's fault caused a gradual deterioration after functioning OK at the start of the season, so it was worth checking. And, no, I cannot get the old cable out of the mast to see what's wrong.

 

[john_morris_uk]

When leaving port it is good practice to inform coasties of your intentions, compliment, ETA. Saves the interminable radio check request.

IMHO it's a complete waste of time. They're not going to do anything with the information.

I would say not, what are they going to do, why not use the the RYA Safetrax app? And call the NCI on the VHF.

Quite!

 

[JumbleDuck]

IMHO it's a complete waste of time. They're not going to do anything with the information.

Wasn't there a time, years ago, when we were encouraged to file passage plans with the CG?

The NCI is an admirable organisation, but their nearest station to my cruising ground is a couple of hundred miles away.

 

[sailor211]

Wasn't there a time, years ago, when we were encouraged to file passage plans with the CG?

The NCI is an admirable organisation, but their nearest station to my cruising ground is a couple of hundred miles away.

You should keep calling on 65 for a radio check until you can file a passage plan with them ��

 

[Amulet]

Of course, those who piously moan about needless radio check have absolutely zero information about how useful they are. They don't hear the check requests that didn't work, and provided important information to the caller. Also the "weak and distorted" reply I got caused me to check my backup aerial system - very useful indeed.

Self righteous rage about radio checks is indeed an infuriating obsession.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Of course, those who piously moan about needless radio check have absolutely zero information about how useful they are. They don't hear the check requests that didn't work, and provided important information to the caller. Also the "weak and distorted" reply I got caused me to check my backup aerial system - very useful indeed.

Self righteous rage about radio checks is indeed an infuriating obsession.

Good point..

 

[Robin]

Of course, those who piously moan about needless radio check have absolutely zero information about how useful they are. They don't hear the check requests that didn't work, and provided important information to the caller. Also the "weak and distorted" reply I got caused me to check my backup aerial system - very useful indeed.

Self righteous rage about radio checks is indeed an infuriating obsession.

good point but then the counter point was when I requested one after a new antenna installation on spring launch. 'loud and clear sir' but a week or so later returning-channel on a bank holiday nothing was heard when usually there would be non-stop chatter. Tried hand held set and sure enough all the chatter was there, tried emergency antenna and ditto. brand new antenna later confirmed faulty by manufacturer and replaced FOC. but I had received a 'loud and clear' on initial radio check,how come? welL, initial check to Portland CG was answered via their local aerial just 5 miles away
whereas nothing was hesard out in ther channel 20miles away except on handheld and/or emergency antenna..

My point is that radio check 'locally' to CG or marina etc is meaningless anyway . With new replacement antenna in place we were able to contact UK coast stations from France routinely now that is a decent radio check from long range.

We also had a clubmate (RIP) way back that did a check on every installed channel (in those days sets had fewer, like <25) with another member each and every season's start, that was his spring ritual. At least he didn't do it every trip out.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Of course, those who piously moan about needless radio check have absolutely zero information about how useful they are. They don't hear the check requests that didn't work, and provided important information to the caller. Also the "weak and distorted" reply I got caused me to check my backup aerial system - very useful indeed.

Self righteous rage about radio checks is indeed an infuriating obsession.

I don't think anyone is worried about radio checks. It's constant checks on Channel 16 which concern. Not a big issue where I am, but they tell me it's not good on the Solent.

 

[Habebty]

I don't think anyone is worried about radio checks. It's constant checks on Channel 16 which concern. Not a big issue where I am, but they tell me it's not good on the Solent.

+1

 

[Dawnrazor]

I don't think anyone is worried about radio checks. It's constant checks on Channel 16 which concern. Not a big issue where I am, but they tell me it's not good on the Solent.

A couple of months ago an irritated Solent coastguard officer did clearly state in a very acidic tone "Please refrain from using CH16 for radio checks" after a morning of what seemed like endless calls. Cue more radio checks.......

But yes, on weekends when the sun is shining it's all you tend to hear up until around mid-day. Start of the season is usually when it's most prevalent.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

A prosecution by Ofcom would make the front page of the yachty mags, forums and FB groups, and mostly put a stop to the (mal)practice.
The fine would be token or miniscule, the magistrate would offer words of warning (probably..)
Anyone public-spirited and irritated enough to take one for the team and be done over publicly by the authorities? We will crowd-fund your fine don't worry :encouragement:

 

[dunedin]

The basic question is - does my VHF transmit and does it receive? Easily answered by calling your local marina, NCI (as mentioned many times), in our case - the club tender that ferries us to and from our swinging mooring or indeed taking a portable handset and walking 500m away and calling back to someone on the boat.

Fortunately this does seem to be primarily still an English “national obsession” - not least as some of the suggested alternatives don’t travel well ....
- not many manned marinas north of Oban on the North West of Scotland
- no National Coastwatch Institution in Scotland - and unlikely ever to be possible outwith Clyde as massively more coast to watch than rest of U.K.
- no club launches beyond the Clyde?
But can call up and chat to a passing yacht, if see any (I saw one briefly yesterday).

 

[GrahamD]

Of course, those who piously moan about needless radio check have absolutely zero information about how useful they are. They don't hear the check requests that didn't work, and provided important information to the caller. Also the "weak and distorted" reply I got caused me to check my backup aerial system - very useful indeed.

Self righteous rage about radio checks is indeed an infuriating obsession.

Living in Scotland you may not appreciate the sheer number of radio checks on Ch16 heard in and around the Solent area. No one doubts the importance of a radio check if you have a concern about your set, or after installation or repair, but these should not be carried out on Ch16 as they block out the distress channel, and make many users turn off their radios to get some peace. Concern about this is not “pious moaning” or “self-righteous rage” but a highlights a genuine safety issue.

To understand the efficiency of their sets most people would be better contacting a known point such as NCI or a Marina as the boat owner will not know which coastguard aerial is being contacted so has little idea of the range at which they are operating.

I originally started this thread because it seemed that such frequent VHF checks are a UK phenomenon; from the responses it would seem that it is really a South Coast issue. Or maybe South Coast radios are inherently less reliable?

 

[doug748]

"......many users turn off their radios to get some peace....."



That's the downside of radiocheckitus. Trivial DSC alerts don't help either.

 

[photodog]

Living in Scotland you may not appreciate the sheer number of radio checks on Ch16 heard in and around the Solent area. No one doubts the importance of a radio check if you have a concern about your set, or after installation or repair, but these should not be carried out on Ch16 as they block out the distress channel, and make many users turn off their radios to get some peace. Concern about this is not “pious moaning” or “self-righteous rage” but a highlights a genuine safety issue.

To understand the efficiency of their sets most people would be better contacting a known point such as NCI or a Marina as the boat owner will not know which coastguard aerial is being contacted so has little idea of the range at which they are operating.

I originally started this thread because it seemed that such frequent VHF checks are a UK phenomenon; from the responses it would seem that it is really a South Coast issue. Or maybe South Coast radios are inherently less reliable?

There are a lot more radios on the south coast compared to say, Oban.

 

[JumbleDuck]

That's the downside of radiocheckitus. Trivial DSC alerts don't help either.

Absolutely. Stornoway CG seem to have dropped their habit of using DSC alerts for regular local announcements ("the light on the buoy at ... is temporarily out of service") but when they did them I just turned the radio off because cancelling the alarms was a chore.

 

[capnsensible]

Absolutely. Stornoway CG seem to have dropped their habit of using DSC alerts for regular local announcements ("the light on the buoy at ... is temporarily out of service") but when they did them I just turned the radio off because cancelling the alarms was a chore.

Its sooo hard I dont know how I will ever cope those buttons are sooo big and soooo far away those horrid people and their naaasty noises pah.

Cmon dudes I bet you can sit in yer front room at home with the telly on and not get frantic about it all the time. background blah. Yes, channel 16 should not be abused. But it is.

How about having to re take your radio licence test every 5 years to remind everyone not to do that?