Kiel canal without a VHF ?

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villi

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Hi all,

I recently purchased a sailboat in Sweden and am planning to bring her back to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to apply for VHF registration for either my handheld or fixed VHF radio.

I understand that monitoring channel 12 is required while transiting the Kiel Canal. Would it be acceptable to listen only, or do I need to wait until my VHF is registered and licensed before making the passage? Can I just borrow a radio from someone so registered for another boat?
 
Unless the smaller lock is fixed in Kiel, you'll be sharing the lock with the massive ships - you will need to request access, talk to the lock keeper who'll tell you exactly when to start your entrance run and exactly where to go. It's not a matter of just turning up.

You'll also need to sort moorings during the passage as you can't transit at night.
 
st599 said:
you will need to request access, talk to the lock keeper who'll tell you exactly when to start your entrance run and exactly where to go. It's not a matter of just turning up.
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The canal instructions discourage use of VHF at the locks, and instead encourage lock entry when the white lights are flashing. The canal instructions also give telephone numbers for the locks as an alternative, if they are needed. Unless their police are of a different mind it is hard to see that it would be a problem. You could always contact the canal beforehand to get confirmation.

It has been a while since I last went through, but don't recall using the VHF at all for that passage - just played 'follow the leader' as there were others in the queue who seemed to know what they were doing.

There are a few useful web pages for information for the transit eg. https://www.gdws.wsv.bund.de/Shared...kbl_Spobo_eng.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=12 There is a more comprehensive page, and if I can find it again I'll post it.
 
You show up at the mustering area call up on channel 12. The respond and give you directives. At no point will registration come up.
 
Pye_End said:
The canal instructions discourage use of VHF at the locks, and instead encourage lock entry when the white lights are flashing. The canal instructions also give telephone numbers for the locks as an alternative, if they are needed. Unless their police are of a different mind it is hard to see that it would be a problem. You could always contact the canal beforehand to get confirmation.

It has been a while since I last went through, but don't recall using the VHF at all for that passage - just played 'follow the leader' as there were others in the queue who seemed to know what they were doing.

There are a few useful web pages for information for the transit eg. https://www.gdws.wsv.bund.de/Shared...kbl_Spobo_eng.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=12 There is a more comprehensive page, and if I can find it again I'll post it.
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Indeed that's what the guide says. But when I went through twice last summer, as the lock with the white lights is closed for repair, you hang around the waiting area, then they call you in on VHF by yacht name, one at a time, and talk you in to the safe place next to the ship you're going through with.
 
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HenrikH said:
You show up at the mustering area call up on channel 12. The respond and give you directives. At no point will registration come up.
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When you buy a new VHF radio you need to register it, I also need MARCOM B certificate to operate, I've never done the exam nor VHF registration before because I never needed them, it's just that the exam takes around 3 weeks to get the paper sorte and to register a VHF takes 20 days, so I would like to just go, it's very similar in NL lock situation but I never needed a VHF I usually wait until the big boys go and rush as fast as I can after the last one, and usually phone work just fine.
I will give them a call to double check :( thank you all for your reply
 
villi said:
When you buy a new VHF radio you need to register it, I also need MARCOM B certificate to operate, I've never done the exam nor VHF registration before because I never needed them, it's just that the exam takes around 3 weeks to get the paper sorte and to register a VHF takes 20 days, so I would like to just go, it's very similar in NL lock situation but I never needed a VHF I usually wait until the big boys go and rush as fast as I can after the last one, and usually phone work just fine.
I will give them a call to double check :( thank you all for your reply
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I have bought 1 VHF radio last year ... another was the year before that .... both bought online and couriered to me without any request for licence / registration etc.
How does the seller know anything about where you will register / licence the VHF ? You can be buying from Germany - but install in Ireland ... Latvia or somewhere else ... etc etc.
 
Refueler said:
I have never been asked to produce any licence / registration for VHF ..

If it was me - I would have the VHF ... and worry about the Licence later ...
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I was once asked to show my licence, along with my other papers, near Neustadt in Germany. He queried my licence as only being a 'short range' certificate and therefore not valid this far from home. After I had explained the meaning of the term to him he looked at my faded red ensign and asked why I wasn't wearing the proper white one.
 
johnalison said:
I was once asked to show my licence, along with my other papers, near Neustadt in Germany. He queried my licence as only being a 'short range' certificate and therefore not valid this far from home. After I had explained the meaning of the term to him he looked at my faded red ensign and asked why I wasn't wearing the proper white one.
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The only 'licence' that would be real subject would be the Ship Station Licence .... not the Operators 'lack off' ...
 
There is no VHF required on the Kiel Canal, but if you have a VHF onboard you will need a ship licence and an operator licence.
 
Refueler said:
The only 'licence' that would be real subject would be the Ship Station Licence .... not the Operators 'lack off' ...
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I think that in my haste when confronted by a burly German chap in full rubber dinghy uniform I ended up giving him the wrong bit of paper, but he seemed happy enough anyway.
 
Klausen said:
There is no VHF required on the Kiel Canal, but if you have a VHF onboard you will need a ship licence and an operator licence.
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Ship Licence of course ...

Operator Licence ..... this comes into play when you pick up the microphone and PTT ...... having a VHF on board and not being used for comms is not an offence if no Operators Licence on board .....
BUT even Licencing accepts that in Emergency Circumstances - the operator can be unlicenced.
 
Klausen said:
No, if you have a VHf onboard installed, you need a operators licence!
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Please check the rules .... you will find that you need an Operators Licence to OPERATE the VHF .... not to have it installed.

For general non-safety use of VHF - the person using the VHF should have a Licence .. OR be supervised by a person who has a Licence.

For Emergency use of VHF - a non licenced person is fully accepted to operate VHF.

The ONLY requirement if a VHF is installed on a boat - is that the Installation be licenced - The Ship Station Licence.

Operators Licence has nothing to do with installed.
 
Check the rules in Germany and perhaps also in the Netherlands. If there is a VHf radio INSTALLED, one crew member needs an operators licence, in Germany it's called UBI.
 
Refueler said:
I have never been asked to produce any licence / registration for VHF ..

If it was me - I would have the VHF ... and worry about the Licence later ...
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By Register is he referring to the obtaining of an ATIS number which then has to be programmed into the radio.
Is there a problem at this csnal if there is no ATIS number transmitted?
 
Maritime radiocommunication

Makes no mention of Operators Licence.

Second :

Quote:

"Application for admission to the examination for the VHF radiotelephone certificate for inland navigation (UBI)

Service Description​

If you would like to participate in inland navigation radio, you must have a valid radio certificate. The officially recognized VHF radiotelephone certificate (UBI) entitles you to participate in inland navigation radio.
To obtain the UBI, you must pass a theory and practical examination. You must apply in writing or online for admission to the examination and subsequent issue or initial issue of the UBI.
In the theoretical examination, you must demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the subject area of inland navigation radio. To do this, you must complete a questionnaire with several possible answers.
In the practical examination, you must solve tasks relating to the operation of inland waterway radio using the radiotelephone equipment of a ship's radio station.
If you have the general radio operator's certificate (LRC) or the restricted radio operator's certificate (SRC), the theoretical and practical examinations for the UBI are shortened.
The UBI is issued by examination boards of the Deutscher Motoryachtverband e.V. (DMYV) and the Deutscher Segler-Verband e.V. (DSV) and is issued as a national certificate of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The regional examination boards provide information about the examination and examination dates."

So far after trolling through so many German sites - I find no statement requiring Operators Licence to allow installation of a VHF. But as with International standards - the OPERATOR should be Licenced unless its emergency.
 
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