Marine Radio: use on land?

VicMallows said:
Tim, would you say the overall standard of operating was better back then; better now; or very similar? My own view is that regulations and requirements can change easily ...... but changing peoples attitudes and behaviour is a quite different issue.
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You're almost inviting me to climb onto several soapboxes ...so I will!
I reckon the overall standard of operation has declined -- just like overall standards of behaviour in general, and for much the same reasons.

prv said:
Makes sense. Although I have to say, my course involved bugger-all actual use of the radio. I think I made one dummy call, the instructor said "that's good, but you should speak a bit slower in future" and that was that. I remember thinking at the time what a waste it was to have all these specially-modified radios sitting in front of us when we hardly used them. Pete
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You are probably right -- it does sound like a waste. Unfortunately, I can well believe that there are some schools/instructors who regard the modified radios as a hoop they have to jump through or a box they have to tick to get recognition, rather than as the most powerful teaching aid in their arsenal.
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
VHF radios are used by Yachts clubs everywhere to coordinate races from the clubs on land which are normally very close to the sea. One does not have to be in the water to use a VHF.
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One just has to have a CSR licence -- or £5000 that you don't mind throwing away to pay the fine.

£75 for a licence or £5k for the fine. Bit of a no-brainer, really!
 
Am I right in assuming that one is not breaking any regulation, if one is listening to traffic, especially Ch 16 on one's handheld? - I had an interesting morning recentlyfollowing a mayday and the rescue - no I didn't transmit!
 
That is indeed true...I often listen to the Caledonian Sea Lock on the VHF from my kitchen, quite lively sometimes! :)

And you think Solent chatter is bad? I have read that Ch16 in Western Africa after a certain time in the evening basically becomes a competition of Farmyard noises, Explicit recordings, and trading insults...relentlessly....

Grateful for small mercies perhaps? ;)
 
nigelmercier said:
You can listen with no licence, and anywhere.
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I don't believe that is the case. Under the Wireless Telegraphy act, the only transmissions you're allowed to listen to without a license are those "intended for general reception", which means Radio 4, Capital FM, etc, and a couple of specific unlicensed bands like PMR446 and UK CB. This fact sheet for scanner owners covers the subject (note that the first paragraph saying "a license is not required" refers to owning the scanner, not what you listen to with it).

In practice, of course, nobody gives a damn :)

Pete
 
prv said:
I don't believe that is the case. Under the Wireless Telegraphy act, the only transmissions you're allowed to listen to without a license are those "intended for general reception", which means Radio 4, Capital FM, etc, and a couple of specific unlicensed bands like PMR446 and UK CB. This fact sheet for scanner owners covers the subject (note that the first paragraph saying "a license is not required" refers to owning the scanner, not what you listen to with it).

In practice, of course, nobody gives a damn :)

Pete
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I also wondered about the truth of this statement. There are certainly a lot of transmissions that you are not supposed to listen to without the appropriate licence, but I suspect that the marine band is not restricted in this way. I do remember reading somewhere that we are required to keep anything we hear said between two other stations confidential.
 
timbartlett said:
One just has to have a CSR licence -- or £5000 that you don't mind throwing away to pay the fine.

£75 for a licence or £5k for the fine. Bit of a no-brainer, really!
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And the CSR licence issued to yacht clubs restricts them to channels M, M2 and 80. Channel 16 is not covered.
 
RestlessL said:
And the CSR licence issued to yacht clubs restricts them to channels M, M2 and 80. Channel 16 is not covered.
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No, not true. It restricts them to the private channel they are licensed for. That will be one of the channels in the group of channels that your radio skips over as you go up the numbers.
 
ostell said:
No, not true. It restricts them to the private channel they are licensed for. That will be one of the channels in the group of channels that your radio skips over as you go up the numbers.
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Not much good for a marina to have a channel that most people can't use, is it?

Pete
 
ostell said:
No, not true. It restricts them to the private channel they are licensed for. That will be one of the channels in the group of channels that your radio skips over as you go up the numbers.
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I stand corrected. The CSR licence issued to my sailing club restricts us to ch M, M2 and 80. Other clubs are licenced for private channels in addition to those.
 
ostell said:
RestlessL said:
And the CSR licence issued to yacht clubs restricts them to channels M, M2 and 80. Channel 16 is not covered.
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No, not true. It restricts them to the private channel they are licensed for. That will be one of the channels in the group of channels that your radio skips over as you go up the numbers.
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RestlessL doesn't "stand corrected": What he wrote was perfectly true, but not 100% complete -- though why there has to be an argument about it is beyond me when the facts are readily available to anyone who cares to look on Ofcom's website!

There are eight different kinds of shore-based maritime radio station, including four different kinds of CSR (Coast Station Radio).

CSR Marina -- M, M2 and 80 only -- £75 per year
CSR International -- specified international channel(s) -- £100 per channel per year
CSR UK -- specified non-international ("private") channels -- £180 per channel per year
CSR Training School -- all channels but must not radiate outside the building -- £50 per year

There's nothing to stop a marina or yacht club from applying for a CSR International licence, but a look at the prices suggests that they'd need quite a good reason for doing so. Three channels for £75, or one for £100 -- not much of a contest, really!

CSR UK licences (the ones that use "the group of channels that your radio skips over") are mainly intended for local workboat operators such as tugs, dredgers, ferries and fish farms.
 
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nigelmercier said:
I've just bought a handheld VHF from Standard Horizon. The manual warns that the use of marine radios on land is prohibited by law, but surely one can use them for communication with a boat?

Are there any special licences required, or specific channels to use or avoid?
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Not allowed, your boat licence only covers use on the boat. however I have seen the other boaties use them when ashore, wife getting back with the shopping etc; it is illegal.
You need a shore based licence (ham radio type) or just get a CB radio that'll do the job.
 
However, if you are in a heavily used area, like Chichester Harbour, sharing 80 is probably not a good idea. My club has just moved channels after sharing a "private" channel for many years with another, verbose, club. Nothing like reading the results out over the air to annoy the other users.
 
ukmctc said:
Not allowed, your boat licence only covers use on the boat. however I have seen the other boaties use them when ashore, wife getting back with the shopping etc; it is illegal.
You need a shore based licence (ham radio type) or just get a CB radio that'll do the job.
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So you stand with one foot in the water? :)
 
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