Check your PTT buttons.

Clyde_Wanderer

Clyde_Wanderer

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Out and about today in the Clyde area, and was very dissapointed to hear someone had their vhf ptt button depressed for aprox 3hrs.
I was able to hear the person starting their deisel engine and lots of muffled conversation in the back ground, but was able to hear enough to decide it was a private training boat with paying students who were been tought the port and starboard sides and some other basic lessons.
Obviousley the instructor hadent gave them any lessons on the use of the vhf or he might have discovered before 3 hrs that his ptt was jammed in or what ever was happening to it.
Why cant people be more careful and considerate with such a simple to operate peice of equipment.
Sorry if you think I am ranting, but it is damn annoying.
 
Further to this subject, there seem to be a few boats on the Clyde with this problem, or one that is out a lot. During the last week, there have been times that random carrier interefrence was sounding like bad morse! I cannot understand why. My own ptt button it held out by a strong spring. So was the one on the old mike that was giving trouble on the Scuttlebut Muster in April. As for the one on the Raymarine handheld, the tendons on my hand are at higher tension than Andrew Murray's recket strings to hold that in. So how do the get accidentally pressed in and held?

At least one of the offenders has some sort of intermittent fault, so there is a chance that they will hear an alert to check the set.
 
A little unfair. No one will know they have a problem with a stuck button until it's pointed out to them. I've had mouse buttons jam, and the evidence is clear as you can see the results. No one with a radio button jammed is going to know, as they can't see or hear the problem.
 
Possibly depends on location.

After half an hour or so in the Solent tuned to CH16, I would be wondering what was going on if I hadn't heard at least a dozen radio checks /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

dv.
 
No one with a radio button jammed is going to know, as they can't see or hear the problem.

...unless they have more than one VHF set. Although I d expect then the feedback squeal would alert them if scanning or on DW.

W.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I sailed the Clyde for a week recently and only heard one "Radio Check" please.

[/ QUOTE ]With an english accent? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
[ QUOTE ]
A little unfair. No one will know they have a problem with a stuck button until it's pointed out to them. I've had mouse buttons jam, and the evidence is clear as you can see the results. No one with a radio button jammed is going to know, as they can't see or hear the problem.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't think so. I know it is quiet on the clyde but wouldn't they think it a bit odd that for 3 hours they would not hear ANY traffic.
Also my VHF has a red LED on the set to show that you are transmitting.
 
In the olden days one would occasionally hear a message on Radio 4 just before the shippimg forecast, asking vessels in a particular area to check their sets because someone was rebroadcasting the Archers on Ch16.
 
[ QUOTE ]
In the olden days one would occasionally hear a message on Radio 4 just before the shippimg forecast, asking vessels in a particular area to check their sets because someone was rebroadcasting the Archers on Ch16.

[/ QUOTE ]
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Also heard Solent coastguard yesterday asking people to check radios due to a similar situation!

Just think some people don't listen to radio broadcasts as was sat outside the lock at Eastbourne marina waiting to enter, but had been asked to wait by lock control, as a vessel under tow from the lifeboat was being brought in.

Guy on boat next to me wanted to know why I wasn't going in the lock so obviously wasn't listening in!!
 
Slight variation, several weeks ago when returning from St Vasst, we heard the CG trying to track down the origin of a MayDay that had been heard, only the first part, that did include the boat name, was transmitted.

After some time the CG voice on CH 16 could be heard talking to the skipper of a sail training vessel up the Medina that had pressed the PTT button during a safety brief, with the radio still turned on!
 
Confess to being guilty of this a few years ago.

Chartering off the West Coast of Scotland. Had no idea the button was stuck in. Saw the lifeboat come out full pelt, "Theres a shout on" we thought, untill we were circled twice and a curt shout of "check you radio". They then turned around and went home again! Strange really as we hadn't used the radio all week and it had been receiving up untill that morning.
 
Not just the leisure sailors guilty....last week one of the super tankers anchored off Ardrossan was the culprit........Prestwicks SAR Sea King helicopter Navy177 who was out on exercise at the time winched their winchman down to the deck to explain the problem!!!

Paul.
 
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