Changes to the VHF/DSC courses

[Solitaire]

Rather than be accused of multiple postings I thought this would be the best place to post this new info regarding the VHF/DSC courses.

The MCA have asked the RYA to increase the availability for people to do the direct entry SRC examination. To be honest, it has not been economic for a training centres to offer the exam on it's own so with this in mind, the MCA has authorised a fee increase to make the direct assessment entry more attractive to schools.

The increase takes effect from 1st April and will be £65 for the full examination and £40 for the conversion exam. These fees are additional to what the centre may charge but it does mean that more centres are liable to put on these direct full and conversion exams.

We will be revising our dates to accommodate these changes from 1st April - so if anybody is interested pm me and as long as I have a "class" of 4 we will run the direct assessment exams.

The cost of the certificate will also increase for the full and short courses from £22 to £25 from 1st April.

 

[gjgm]

I m a bit curious of the logic here. MCA is implying that there are not enough places to take the course, with the result being.. people dont bother anyway, or...?
And the solution is to make more available but at a higher price? Cant see that likely to encourage those who havent bothered before to now eagerly apply for a course.
Do we even need a course to attend anyway? Doesnt a sheet of A4 tell you all you need to know? Why not an online questionaire? If you can turn it on and off you ve mastered half the skills of actually using the thing in anger, and after that there are a few basics principals to be aware of.
Its a bit odd you can leap into a 600hp powerboat and zoom off with no requirements, but you arent allowed to use the radio /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[chrisbailey]

The fees are already too high to encourage conversion from a Restricted Certificate of Competence in Radiotelephoney (VHF only).
A simple test to see if you can press and hold a red button for five seconds is all that is required, why should this cost as much as a VHF radio?

 

[Robin]

If they are really bothered that I can't read the basic instructions that came with the set then I will just swap back to my old non-DSC one. I have no intention of using the MMSI features other than in a dire emergency and to be really honest could well do without the dead-wakening alarms and hijacking of the set to another channel for an 'alarm' relevant only 70mls or more away. After the 3rd alarm repetition every 20 minutes, the set gets switched off these days. In our case the GPS and DSC will not even talk to each other to display a position, with each manufacturer blaming the other (NASA and Navman), so the red button on our set is more like a red herring and the technology a bit of a dead duck. [/rant]

 

[JonBrooks]

IMHO with the very poor radio use that is out there more should be done to get people to do the full days course.

They get to learn about DSC and, in a lot of cases, a well need refresh of normal voice use.

I always try to convince people to do the full day.

 

[chrisbailey]

Well you would do wouldn't you because you get a larger fee. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Robin]

[ QUOTE ]
IMHO with the very poor radio use that is out there more should be done to get people to do the full days course.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jon, I suspect that the really bad VHF usage that we all hear comes from those that have no operator license at all rather than from those who have just bought a new set. I cannot believe that between the non-DSC and new DSC they have suddenly forgotten the very basics like which vessel name comes first in the initial call, or that talking about last night's footie on Ch16 is verboten and so on.

Over and out Roger..

Robin

 

[ShipsWoofy]

I did my course after many years of sailing as crew or just ignoring the rules.

I did not learn anything new about the radio etc. But did learn that I spoke too quickly, from the other members of the class when we used the simulators.

If nothing else I took that away and try to remember it if I use the VHF.

I have long since forgotten how I am supposed to answer a DSC call, no one ever calls me on it. Anyone in the North Wales area fancy practising send and receiving DSC I will be happy to join.

 

[JonBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
Well you would do wouldn't you because you get a larger fee. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You know the say to ASSUME make an ASS out of U and ME! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Robin,

You would like to think so would you not but in real terms it can be anyone with or without the right certs!

 

[Solitaire]

[ QUOTE ]
IMHO with the very poor radio use that is out there more should be done to get people to do the full days course.

They get to learn about DSC and, in a lot of cases, a well need refresh of normal voice use.

I always try to convince people to do the full day.

[/ QUOTE ]

You well know my views on this - despite not being able to share your X's at LIBS /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

It will be very interesting to see the uptake on the direct exam. We don't have to teach, just simply assess. In my experience the fail rate will be very high!

Even on a full course with most of the answers in front of them and it being suggested that they read the questions they still get it wrong.

They will still have to do the written exam as well, that will be interesting! I find it amusing how many think that it's just about lifting the flap and pushing the red button. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif



I've had shed loads of people come on courses saying how much they know and have done - when it comes to it they know very little. Once had a navigator from a well known Solent based racing yacht who was giving it large but had not got an operators certificate - he'd sent Maydays, Pan Pans, the works (so he said).

I said OK, I'll be prepared to shorten the course providing he could right out a Mayday correctly. Result, he did the full course and at the end said how much he had enjoyed it and how much extra he had learnt.

Let them go to mainland Europe and see what is required over there /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif


Oh, and I wonder how many on here work for nothing? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[ShipsWoofy]

ah ok, the correct mayday order, I might still get the middle ones out of sync, but in all honesty, does it really matter.

I know how to respond to a mayday, prefixing mayday to any message, so keeping an order, just pre-empting a bit.

I think the main issue of inane chatter is never going to be wiped out however many courses you send people on. Maybe we should force all VHF transmissions to have ATIS enabled so illegal usage can be traced?