ATIS confusion

tidclacy

tidclacy

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Having read all sorts of threads and information on the above for sailing in Dutch waters my findings are as follows:

1) I have a old VHF 1998 not DSC enabled

2) I will be breaking the law if I do not use DSC equipment with an ATIS number in Dutch waters.

3) It does not seem to matter if I do break the law, no one seems to get fined.

4) Its OK if you keep your VHF switched off in Holland, you will not be fined?

5) A mobile is of more use in contacting bridge and lock keepers.

6) Spectrum Licensing now running OFcom don't know much about non DSC radios.( issued me with MMSI and ATIS number even though I specifically told them I had a non DSC VHF) Awaiting their response

7) Should I, for safety, grit my teeth and spend on a DSC set at the show tomorrow?

Do you agree/disagree with my findings??
 
handheld vhf

a couple of friends who cruised to holland recently bought a hand-held vhf each - atis compliant.
they found the radios were useful to have in the cockpit particularly when transiting locks and under bridges..
cost around £60.
 
tidclacy said:
Having read all sorts of threads and information on the above for sailing in Dutch waters my findings are as follows:

1) I have a old VHF 1998 not DSC enabled

2) I will be breaking the law if I do not use DSC equipment with an ATIS number in Dutch waters.

3) It does not seem to matter if I do break the law, no one seems to get fined.

4) Its OK if you keep your VHF switched off in Holland, you will not be fined?

5) A mobile is of more use in contacting bridge and lock keepers.

6) Spectrum Licensing now running OFcom don't know much about non DSC radios.( issued me with MMSI and ATIS number even though I specifically told them I had a non DSC VHF) Awaiting their response

7) Should I, for safety, grit my teeth and spend on a DSC set at the show tomorrow?

Do you agree/disagree with my findings??
Click to expand...
Don't worry about ATIS, non-dsc radio OK, you will not use it much, if at all. CH 31 is useful for marinas, but you need Notice of Variation of License from OFCOM to legally have it on your radio. Ask OFCOM for NoVL citing safety to contact Marina havens in Holland.
 
Stork_III said:
Don't worry about ATIS, non-dsc radio OK, you will not use it much, if at all. CH 31 is useful for marinas, but you need Notice of Variation of License from OFCOM to legally have it on your radio. Ask OFCOM for NoVL citing safety to contact Marina havens in Holland.
Click to expand...
Had ATIS added to my Standard Horizon set last year for trip to Holland, the variation to the license from Ofcom is free, by the way.
Our cruising group tended to use Ch77 to chat but annoyingly the way my set works 77 is only available with ATIS on low power and often I couldn't be heard. The S-H installation works by adding ATIS to the 'Canadian' channel set and I suppose the Canadian authorities don't allow hi-power on 77.
 
Cantata said:
Had ATIS added to my Standard Horizon set last year for trip to Holland, the variation to the license from Ofcom is free, by the way.
Our cruising group tended to use Ch77 to chat but annoyingly the way my set works 77 is only available with ATIS on low power and often I couldn't be heard. The S-H installation works by adding ATIS to the 'Canadian' channel set and I suppose the Canadian authorities don't allow hi-power on 77.
Click to expand...

best left as is then :)
 
Cantata said:
I suppose the Canadian authorities don't allow hi-power on 77.
Click to expand...

No, it's ATIS that won't allow hi power on Ch 77. Because ATIS radios are used inland, it was a requirement that Hi power couldn't be used on certain channels to stop transmissions going too far.

The problem with ATIS is that to turn it off again on many radios you have to go back to your electronics agent. It is not legal to use an ATIS enabled radio in UK waters.
 
I had a Icom which I had ATIS enabled for about £20 and you could enable or disable it via the radio menu, so when returning to the UK just switched it off. In the event it was no big deal as I never had to use VHF at locks etc but I did it to be compliant, a bit like only using white diesel after the engine refit, saved any potential problems and really costs little in the long run particularly if you buy from mr Tesco and you soon get used to taking 5 galls to the boat to keep the tank topped up. Sorry fred drift:D
 
neale said:
.......The problem with ATIS is that to turn it off again on many radios you have to go back to your electronics agent. It is not legal to use an ATIS enabled radio in UK waters.
Click to expand...
That's right on some older sets altho I think most now allow it to be switched, now that ATIS is a requirement in some countries.
On the S-H GX3500, ATIS gets added to the Canadian channel set which you then select if you want ATIS, and when back in UK waters you switch to the Intnl channel set.
 
Standard Horizon adapted my radio for about £15 plus postage. All I do is pretend I'm canadian and the radio switches to ATIS. They also installed channel 31 at the same time for no extra charge and replaced a component that was okay but which their engineer didn't like the look of. great service and all ready for holland!

it just takes a bit of waiting to get your variations from OFCOM but you can do it over the internet.
 
ditchcrawler said:
..... you are required to carry on the boat a copy of the Basel Agreement to make you totally Atis legal.
Click to expand...

Oh the pointlessness of it all.:mad: That's brought on a bout of Post-traumatic stress reminding me of the awfulness of those EU meetings I used to have to attend.:eek: It didn't matter whether anything worked, or anything was useful, or anything was cost effective, all that mattered was that there was a sodding great chunk of words.:(

Boil my brains. Wots the point of that?
 
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