radar course

[Guest]

I am looking to do the rya radar training course.

Does anyone have a recommendation for the Portsmouth/Chichester area? I apologise if this quuestion has been asked before.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by kimhollamby on 27/01/2004 08:54 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[BigLes]

There is a one day Radar course at Chichester College:

<A target="_blank" HREF=https://catalog.chichester.ac.uk/cgi-bin/sh000003.pl?ACTINIC_REFERRER=https://catalog.chichester.ac.uk/acatalog/search.html&REFPAGE=https://catalog.chichester.ac.uk/acatalog/search.html&WD=radar&PREVQUERY=RANDOM=NETQUOTEVAR:RANDOM&PAGE=SEARCH&SS=Radar&TB=A&GB=A&SX=0&ACTION_SEARCH.x=0&ACTION_SEARCH.y=0&PN=Chichester_College_Sport_and_P_E__7.html#aSPO0049#aSPO0049> Click here for details</A>

Course code is SPO0049 and the fee is £21.50 plus a one-off admin charge of £15. It's the last one this winter and it's on Saturday February 7th. Not sure if it's RYA.

I know 'cause I'm doing it!!

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by kimhollamby on 27/01/2004 08:55 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[BigLes]

Ignore the last web address and try this one:

https://catalog.chichester.ac.uk/acatalog/index.html

Click on SEARCH COURSES and type in radar. It will be the last course on the list.

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[[2574]]

Robert Avis does excellent Radar training at HMS Dryad near Portsmouth using the Navy's simulators - I did the one day course and would thoroughly recommend it if you want to make the most of your radar. See here

http://www.robertavis.com/RASeaTraining.htm

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[Sailfree]

How much please. I did one but class got bogged down with one person who could not understand relative motion so got the certificate but would like to do the course as I am sure I have lots to learn.

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[zefender]

If you have radar on your boat, I'd strongly recommend Mike Diamond of Maritime Training who comes along and does the course on your own equipment. Good value if 4 of you club together too.

01489 557053. 077333 20302.- www.Maritime-Training.co.uk

Er, no relation/backhander etc - just a satisfied ex student.



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[jimi]

me too .. think it was Mike Dymond though .. no hesitation in recommending.

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[zefender]

Re: Spelling B

OK, OK, stand corrected. I could claim it was a snazzy if overzealous auto correction feature but .... (Falls on sword, groaning quietly)

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[[2574]]

Don't know the latest prices - contact Robert from the website as on earlier post. I spoke to Robert last night - he has moved his courses to Fareham apparently as the Navy now have new simulators there.

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[Guest]

I have spoken to Robert Avis who is still negotiating with the Navy for the use of their new facilities. He hopes that prices will remain in line with last year at approx pounds 175. Sounds like the first course could be towards end of February and I have been enticed to take part as the programme sounds good and the facilities likely to be excellent.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions

Vincent

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[BigLes]

I know this course is using PC computers with simulator software.

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[[2574]]

Excellent! You won't be disappointed - Robert is a damn good instructor. By the way - he's Robert Avis OBE now - he's been very senior in the RNVR, Commander last I heard. We had him on our boat for a week to do day skipper with us - we knew nothing at the outset and he was very understanding of our really stupid questions. He took us to sea for the very first time - out through the tidal lock on the Cambridgeshire Ouse in to The Wash. And I remember thinking "why is he taking all the fenders & warps off the boat" as we went out through the sea lock. .........You have to appreciate that we had been river boating for four years! That was five years ago - and last summer we went to La Rochelle and back. Progress!

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

I did a course in 92 with the RNLI but not long after had to leave the lifeboats. So never really got to use one in anger. I am hoping it will come flooding back, I did pick it up very easily at the time as I remember.

I was thinking about buying a video trainer and if that still left me wondering then go for more training. Does anyone have a video recomendation or one they would like to sell on.

Or should I take on training again. I am a radar engineer, but that is to fix em not use them, but I do have an understanding of the basics I hope.

My other option is to send my crew on a course and hopefully she will refresh me with her new found knowledge on return, that way at least we should both be able to use it.

Any thoughts....... The video is the cheaper, if my knowledge floods back I should be able to teach my crew. Cheaper is definately not to be sneezed at at this point in the season /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Top Cat Homepage</A>

 

[cgull]

Did mine last week
RT Training Universal Marina Sarisbury Green Tel 02392 462122

Very good

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[[2574]]

hmmmm....I know what you mean about cheaper - I've just had to fork out for new duo props - ouch!

I haven't seen one of the video simulators so can't really make a credible comparison with the Navy's simulators - but I would hope for all our sake's that the Navy's kit is a good deal better! The simulators are highly interactive - for example if you drift to the wrong side of the channel when navigating "blind" the kit sends a boat down the channel straight at you when you then have to take avoiding action. On my practical element I had to nav from Lymington to Stokes bay "blind" except radar. The course really makes you think of the radar as a nav tool rather than "eyes for poor viz" and parallel indexing - whilst you might not always do it formally - is a technique that is forever in the back of your mind even whilst nav'ing perfect viz.

As you can tell I'm an enthusiast and if you can find the wonga it's worth missing a few (not too many) beers for.

Rob

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[petery]

Modern radars -will the \'traditional\' course help?

I've got a basic Raymarine radar/chartplotter.

It lets me overlay the radar image on to the chart - so it makes it much easier to distinguish between marks, clutter and moving targets .

It lets me click on up to 10 targets and gives me visual and numeric indication of their relative speeds and directions. It leaves 'snail trails' of moving vessels.

I attended a LRC radio course and the lecturer, who also gave radar courses, said that the standard radar course would be of little benefit - so I didn't go on one.

Has any forumite who has this kind of equipment been on a 'standard' radar course? Did they find it useful?




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[PhilipStapleton]

Re: Modern radars -will the \'traditional\' course help?

You should do a course, if only to brush up on the Colregs concerning the conduct of vessels who can only see each other by radar, and to learn the limitations of radar in general. What you see on your plotter may not be what's happening in the real world. The MAIB report on the sinking of the yacht Wahkuna last year had a lot to say about small boat radar. In particular it said ...

"It is imperative, whenever radar equipment is fitted on board any type of vessel,
that watchkeepers are fully versed and trained in its use and capabilities. The
fitting of radar and ARPA, without knowing its limitations or how to use it, can
contribute to accidents."

Also, someday you might sail on a boat with a more conventional radar with relative motion display and no MARPA. That looks very different from your true motion chart plotter overlay.

If you really want to scare yourself, see
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_maritimesafety/documents/page/dft_masafety_026317.pdf>http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_maritimesafety/documents/page/dft_masafety_026317.pdf</A>
and see pages 29-30 of the PDF file (numbered 23-24 in the document)


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