marine VHF certificates of competence

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capnsnap

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I need a marine VHF certificate of competence for the set on my boat apparently, but having worked with comms for about 8 years not sure I want to shell out on a days course.

Is there a test you can take online or have posted through or something? I'm probably cheating here........
 
Without cheating, write down the correct procedure for a MayDay. If you can, you may not need the course. If you can't, you do need the course.
 
No you dont need to do a course, at least I didnot bother. If you have at least half a grey cell you can learn what you need to know without.

RYA booklet G26 sets out the syllabus with exemplar questions.
G22 tells you all you need to know but there is now a RYA VHF Handbook, G31, which is a bit more detailed

All you have to do is find a centre that will accept you to take the test without having also done the course with them., but you can't do it by post or online!

Presumably you know that you can get the Ships Radio Licence for free on line from Ofcom
 
I did VHF taining and exam as part of my HLO (Helicopter Landing Officer) course.

I have wondered if proof of training and exam from my HLO course can be submitted to get the RYA cert.

Any suggestions appreciated.
 
Capnsnap ~ yes you can just take the test. If you use the RYA website to find a centre near you and ask them to do this they should be very prepared to do so. All RYA VHF schools have been reminded to ensure that those seeking just the test should be accomodated

mikehibb ~ you will need to take either the test or the course/test. Whilst of course your experience is highly relevant there are differences and the syllabus is laid down internationally by the ITU, in Europe by CEPT and applied in the UK by the RYA. The test is mandatory.

Hope this helps

Regards

Paul
 
First of all, it is not an RYA, it is an Ofcom certificate called The Short Range Certificate.
Next, how familar are you with operating the digital selective controller on a VHF set? VHF Only certs are no longer available without DSC.
Then, do you know how to send a DSC distress alert followed by the voice procedure for a distress message? Can you do a distress relay? Do you know the difference between a distress and an urgent message, and their different prowords?
If you can answer Yes to all those plus some more such as what is Navtex, what is a SART, an EPIRB and so on then you might be accepted to do the exam without attending the course. The course lasts only 8 hours or so including the assessment, say a couple of hours on Friday evening followed by six hours on a Saturday.
 
I would guess that you are already more than competent to operate your radio to the standard we leisure yotties are required to meet.

If you don't mind cheating, then use your radio without a licence. The important thing is to use it properly and noone will care.

Use it improperly and they care (as in hoax maydays) but they still do nothing about it if the hoaxers deny guilt.
 
While you are correct, it is a bit like saying it's ok to drive without an mot on the car as you service it regularly yourself, but then where do you stop. Once you start deciding which rules you will and will not obey you might as well just move to France.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you don't mind cheating, then use your radio without a licence.

[/ QUOTE ]

Leaving aside the moral aspect of breaking laws, have there there been any convictions in the UK for using VHF kit correctly, but without a license?

FWIW I'm a VHF license holder who has long since forgotten how to formally relay a mayday and I doubt I could correctly word for word transmit a mayday with perfect ettiquet. I suspect I'm not alone. A qualification is a poor substitute for talent and experience...
 
[ QUOTE ]
A qualification is a poor substitute for talent and experience...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure that a talent for, or an extensive experience of, transmitting May Days is better than a qualification /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
We are talking about £60 for the course and £25 for the licence, (it's recently gone up in price) so why not get some friends together and just do it, it's only one day.

Pete
 
Judging by the vast majority of VHF calls on 16 in the solent, not many ppl have bothered passing the course - or remembering what they learnt ...

Over and Out ... or Out and Over as we heard on Sunday ... I think that was just after they tried contacting the marina on 16 ....
 
Having just recently done one to get my DSC VHF stamp, you can do the exam in 10 minutes. All you need to know is how to send a distress message, a bit about DSC and that's it. Less of a challenge than a bad pub quiz and everyone passes first time.
 
Fireball, it was also quite worrying what we heard outside Plymouth on Sunday - one kid using Ch 16 to recite his caterpillar story and then someone managed to inadvertantly transmit continually for about ten minues; if I recall correctly, Heineken was their preferred beverage...

Anyway, all interesting bits and pieces as I'm off to do the course tomorrow (15th).
 
Don't agree with your metaphor Freewind. If the brakes fail on my un mot'd car I can kill myself and you.

Whilst my vhf use is not textbook, it is reasonable.

Mind, the one emergency I've been involved in (3 men overboard from another boat) I had an air traffic controller aboard whom I asked to operate the radio during the crisis. So I can't say I've really been tested yet.
 
I've not heard of any prosecutions Windfinder. I know the lifeboat boys get frustrated at the hoaxes. But like the fire Brigade, they just have to live with it.

It's likely that the fine for unlicensed use would be trivial, and so the time and effort to get a prosecution is unjustifiable.
 
If it,s of any help, you can take the VHF test over the phone with one of the training companies in the UK. I have forgotton which one now but if you do a search you will find them. basically you have to by their CD based training thing, which they post to you along with a written exam paper that you fill in and send back (the paper being done on trust and signed by someone else, up to you if you cheat but really no point) then when you feel you are ready, you call up the examiner (Ted Miley) and he gives you your oral exam over the phone.

As has been said it is not rocket science and in this case the examiner is seeking to establish that you have sufficient knowledge to work a DSC set and transmit and recieve key types of information (mayday, mayday relay, pan pan & securitee) in a responsible and relatively informed manner.

You end up paying slightly more than you would but if , as in my case you are not UK based, or time is an issue it is a simple way of obtaining the bit of paper/card.
 
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