DSC vhf license, do I need one?

srp said:
You didn't read what I wrote. If I need to use it I won't be worried, certainly not about what others might think of my radio etiquette. The only reason I bought a radio was as insurance against the unthinkable.
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Yes i did read what you said.
Basically you were saying you dod not give a flying f.... if your transmission was incorrect as far as you are concerned you would not care
 
Like many on here I completed my offshore masters ticket many years ago along with radio lecences and all manner other certificates and have obtained more since.

The amazing thing is that all this information is recorded on your drivers licence, at least it is in Oz. Just wondering if the UK or other countries have picked up this?

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
oldsaltoz said:
The amazing thing is that all this information is recorded on your drivers licence, at least it is in Oz. Just wondering if the UK or other countries have picked up this?
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Not in UK, but we can have a drink at anchor without loosing the car licence so no one is bothered :)

No pieces of paper required to sail a boat in the UK, just for the radio.
 
Daydream believer said:
Yes i did read what you said.
Basically you were saying you dod not give a flying f.... if your transmission was incorrect as far as you are concerned you would not care
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I'm really not sure why you would get so hung up about what you call an 'incorrect' transmission from, say, a boat that was taking on water and rapidly sinking. Would you refuse to respond to such a call? Or, more to the point, do you think the coastguard would refuse?
Anyway, you are quite correct, I wouldn't give a flying f*** if I, or anyone else, made an incorrect transmission in such circumstances.

Ps I notice that you don't seem to attach the same importance to the use of grammar, spelling and sentence construction in your posts as you do to radio syntax. Not that it bothers me.
 
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I got my VHF licence many years ago and thought about upgrading or at least read up on DSC. (my old radio does not have this facility) I might not bother sitting another exam as I have not used my radio in earnest, only to listen in on Ch 16 in case somebody is in trouble and I may be able to help. I don't get hung up on 'improper' vocabulary I hear on the radio either.
 
If you have listened to Ch16 regularly and heard emergencies, you might have noticed how failure to use correct procedures leads to misunderstandings and delay. You might be able to copy the right procedures without practice, but then again, you might not. It's entirely up to you. As they say, it's your funeral.
 
srp said:
Anyway, you are quite correct, I wouldn't give a flying f*** if I, or anyone else, made an incorrect transmission in such circumstances.
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I take pride in my ability to operate the equipment on my boat properly and efficiently. For me, it's part of the job (and reward) of being a skipper. If I have crew on board I believe that I owe it to them to be seen to be professional and proficient and to keep them as safe as I can.

The Operating Procedures are there for a reason and that's so that confusion and misunderstanding is reduced to a minimum. By having properly organised conversations the people involved know what's going to happen next, they know when to speak without fear of overspeaking a casualty vessel. People whose first language may no be english stand a better chance of noting down a yacht name (say) if it's repeated three times. A mayday relay (potentially over weak/long range transmisioons) stands a better chance of being satisfactorily completed if it's properly structured. It's easier to break out number pertaining to a position from numbers pertaining to an MMSI if they appear in the prescribed order. The list goes on.

Of course, you're right, no-one would ignore an improperly structured emergency transmission. However to dismiss the notion that it's un-necessary as a result is, IMHO, selfish and ill-advised.
 
As my children keep saying I'm so close to being old and doddery that they can't tell the difference, I dragged #1 Son along with me when we went on a DSC VHF day course in Plymouth. It was all quite painless, except for #1 Son when they read out the results. Doddery Dad got 2% higher. Bwahahaha!

Joking aside, it's good for all of us to have this paperwork. If, God forbid, anything dire happens, it's one less thing that the skipper can be blamed for!
 
srp said:
.Would you refuse to respond to such a call? Or, more to the point, do you think the coastguard would refuse?
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It not to do with refusing but to being clearly understood. In an emergency it's possible you would only have one chance to use the radio and you might be doing it with a failing battery and lots of background noise. You want to make the most of what may be a single opportunity to summon assistance.

The Coastguard expects to receive the information in a Distress or Urgency call in a particular order. If you don't give a correct message in the expected format you're risking that something important gets missed and they may not be able to ask you for the information before your radio dies.

Even when you know the correct message the stress of the moment can make you forget, which is why it's a good idea to keep a prompt card next to the radio. Although a prompt card will help, if you've never made a Distress call before, you could still overlook something. I've seen students in a classroom forget to switch to high power, forget to release the PTT button etc.

It may not be you who is in Distress. Someone else's life could depend on you knowing when and how to make a Mayday Relay.

Why not take a day to ensure you're as prepared as you might be?
 
Melody said:
Even when you know the correct message the stress of the moment can make you forget, which is why it's a good idea to keep a prompt card next to the radio. Although a prompt card will help, if you've never made a Distress call before, you could still overlook something. I've seen students in a classroom forget to switch to high power, forget to release the PTT button etc.

It may not be you who is in Distress. Someone else's life could depend on you knowing when and how to make a Mayday Relay.
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It's amazing how some people fall apart under stress, so having the chance to practice a Mayday call during the course without it actually being live is a massive bonus.

You see people getting all worked up even when doing the course, they'd be a gibbering wreck doing it for real.

And the price of a VHF course ? Get family to club together and buy it for you for Christmas or your birthday. And they will thank you for it as they then don't have to go shopping :-)

My girlfriend got a VHF course for her birthday and a Diesel Engine maintanence course for valentines day...

She now has more confidence on the boat, and calls marina's for our over night stops, and I get someone who knows about the engine as well, and is not afraid of it, it helps massively when doing the service.
 
High Tryweryn
Take the Course and Register with OFCOM
I had to do a May Day Relay on Caernarfon bar once as the motorboat nearby had caught fire and the Crew had abandoned to their dinhghy, which was getting shoved towards Dinas Dinlle
It all happens quickly when the S&t hits the fan
Yep you don't have to be word perfect, although on the Course you will be asked to
I always listen on Ch 16 and duel watch on the Coastgaurds working Channel at the time
On a trip from Port Dinorwic to Portmadoc once I called the Coastgaurd at Caernarfon Bar to let them know where I was going etc
No reply! I almost turned back, I felt quite nervous all the way (forgot my hand held) and then entering PM I stuck my boat on the putty!:o:o OK, just waited for the tide to lift me off but you just never know
Took the radio and 'spike' off got a lift home to Anglesey and found out the Arial was goosed, I wasn't negotiating Bardsey etc etc on the way back with no CG contact, plus I remembered my hand held!
 
Melody said:
The Coastguard expects to receive the information in a Distress or Urgency call in a particular order. If you don't give a correct message in the expected format you're risking that something important gets missed and they may not be able to ask you for the information before your radio dies.
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I've always assumed that they would have a voice recorder running at their end. Don't they?

Disclosure: have standard VHF certificate, plan to get DSC upgrade to it sometime.
 
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