Radio check over

[BrianH]

Like GPS a hand-held VHF is now peanuts in the grand order of owning and running a boat. It fulfils the sensible strategy of backup for critical components for those who consider it so. The only radio contacts I make are with friends at sea, marinas, or for channel 16 the very occasional large ship. I have never had a failure with my present fixed unit and would resort to the hand-held, the battery of which is always kept fully charged, if I was clearly not getting a response to a call. It is also kept close to the grab bag for incluson in emergencies.

Radio checks are unheard of where I sail and I am glad of that - it would drive me crazy to hear such a constant, silly babble.

 

[Sandy]

My view is that doing a radio check implies that you distrust the radio; that although it worked last time, it might not work next time. If you have that distrust, then doing a radio check is surely pointless.

Horses for courses I suspect.

When I was in mountain rescue it was standard procedure, pick up a radio, test the batteries, test you could send and receive, but we were going out on a rescue and often the weather was at the extreme end of the scale.

Radios do fail, epically - casualty slipped jumping from rock to rock in a river and had a broken neck of femur with visibility about 25 meters a search team found him, BUT their radio failed. Took us an hour to get the stretcher party to him and a three hour carry off. We would have saved a lot of time had the comms worked; I suspect it is all done by mobile telephone these days.

 

[john_morris_uk]

In my experience a radio check is vital....

OK there may be better ways of doing it, but at least you know that the CG can/could hear you. Can you suggest a better way?

But how often do you check? Every time you use the boat or just once a year?

Radio Check has its origin in that every channel has it own crystals for the appropriate frequency.

For the yachties , well channel 16 is (supposed to be) the only channel which can blast the full 25 watts into the air, so even earlier remarks other channels checks might do the job, it does not include the max channels.

As to the function of the actual test, there is a little device which can measure true energy output, most radio's problems are in the coax wires to the antenna and their connectors;

For those reading this, have a look at this article, it might shed some light on what is going on with your antenna etc.

http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/vhfant.htm

I am afraid that much of what you have written just isn't quite true. (I am trying to be polite.)

Separate crystals for each channel went out years ago. Modern VHF's have phase locked loops and synthesisers to generate the various local oscillator frequencies in them.

Perhaps you can show us the references that require yachts to only transmit the full 25 watts on channel 16. There are limits to the power that anyone can use on the adjacent channels but most ship to ship and ship to shore channels are all good for the whole 25 watts for everyone as far as I am aware.

Finally the. 'Simple device' (I imagine you are referring to a VSWR meter) can't tell the difference between a bit of soggy string or an antenna cable full of salt water and corrosion. In fact the latter (with no antenna on the end at all) can give a very good VSWR reading. A long length of brand new lossy coax shorted out at the end might have an SWR of only 2:1 or so. (Having an accurate SWR meter and measuring the SWR of open ended and shorted coax is an old RF engineers way of measuring the loss of the coax- there are tables and graphs available...)

 

[john_morris_uk]

I do a radio check once a year and if I have to play with the radio connections for any reason.... Well I have it onboard it would be silly not to use once in awhile

That's about what we do FWIW. Even then I can't stop myself explaining that I've just re stepped the mast etc by way of explaining why I'm bothering the CG, which j then feel guilty about as I've used up a further 6 seconds of air time.

 

[Bru]

To everyone who blithely assumes that if their VHF receives it will surely transmit, it ain't necessarily so

The original VHF on Brigantia worked perfectly the first season. After the winter layup it still received but when I did a re-commissioning radio check the transmitter was dead as a very dead thing

Without a radio check I would have been none the wiser and potentially would only have discovered the problem in the midst of an emergency

Not that we hear that many radio checks here on the East Coast anyway, the annoying traffic is mostly in French on good reception days. I wonder if this perceived problem is largely confined to busy South Coast waters?

 

[savageseadog]

To everyone who blithely assumes that if their VHF receives it will surely transmit, it ain't necessarily so

Quite true but it's surely better to do a radio check with a fellow club member or the marina, why trouble the coastguard with this nonsense? I liken these radio checks as a sort of narcissism, "look at me aren't I important" a kind of marine Munchausen's Syndrome to draw attention to themselves. It really is a kind of insecurity, a marine comfort blanket..

 

[Sandy]

But how often do you check? Every time you use the boat or just once a year?

Given my background, every time.

Interesting how different operators handle it. Usually there is a polite "loud and clear" and wishing us a good passage, but there is a lovely lady at Brixham who asks up to go to channel 67, but by her replying she has confirmed what I needed to know.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Given my background, every time.

Interesting how different operators handle it. Usually there is a polite "loud and clear" and wishing us a good passage, but there is a lovely lady at Brixham who asks up to go to channel 67, but by her replying she has confirmed what I needed to know.

We are going to have to agree to disagree over the frequency of checks. (Please excuse the pun) Once a season perhaps at the beginning should surely be enough unless you have a real reason to doubt the system. (ie you stop hearing things on receive or you replace something or you find a frayed wire on the antenna...

Radios are very reliable and if it's working this weekend it will almost without doubt be working just as well next week end. Otherwise what's the limit? Every watch change? Every morning?

 

[alant]

Well, I don't think a radio check to a 300' antenna from anywhere near that antenna is much use. I have never issued one. If you really must, why not use DSC and give us all a break?

Anyway, if you did a radio check and got no response would you stay in port? I seldom transmit on my VHF it's mainly used for listening. I check all the connections annually, keep the radio dry and in good condition. The remote mike goes below when we're off the boat. Given the relative reliability of modern electronics - why shouldn't my radio work (given I can hear traffic when I expect to (Harwich).

In a marine bouncy environment?

Always worth doing one radio check at beginning of season.
If on a boat, which has regularly been used, then don't bother, particularly within confines of 'Solent' type areas.

I clearly remember leaving Gibraltar, on a continuation of a delivery back to UK.
The owner had 'forgotten' to bring his brand new VHF set (which had been carefully stored in his attic), but had 'checked' his knackered old VHF with an 'expert' liveaboard in the marina (the 'expert' had been an air traffic controller).

We got around corner from marina, tried a radio check & zilch. Returned & when within sight of the marina, tried to raise them & they only just picked us up. Went back in & got the local proper radio guy to check radio & it was truly u/s, barely transmitting on < 5W. Owner said, that since VHF is 'line-of-sight', should be OK to continue across Biscay (even knowing marina barely heard us). I refused & he had to purchase a functioning new VHF from local guy. (This was before EPIRB's etc, were common on leisure yachts).

 

[Giblets]

I think SSD is probably near the mark with his "look at me" comment. I think that it is a cunning way to let all & sundry know that they are out & about. It's surprising how many times the caller is called up by another boat very shortly after their radio check.

 

[st599]

But how often do you check? Every time you use the boat or just once a year?



I am afraid that much of what you have written just isn't quite true. (I am trying to be polite.)

Separate crystals for each channel went out years ago. Modern VHF's have phase locked loops and synthesisers to generate the various local oscillator frequencies in them.

Perhaps you can show us the references that require yachts to only transmit the full 25 watts on channel 16. There are limits to the power that anyone can use on the adjacent channels but most ship to ship and ship to shore channels are all good for the whole 25 watts for everyone as far as I am aware.

Finally the. 'Simple device' (I imagine you are referring to a VSWR meter) can't tell the difference between a bit of soggy string or an antenna cable full of salt water and corrosion. In fact the latter (with no antenna on the end at all) can give a very good VSWR reading. A long length of brand new lossy coax shorted out at the end might have an SWR of only 2:1 or so. (Having an accurate SWR meter and measuring the SWR of open ended and shorted coax is an old RF engineers way of measuring the loss of the coax- there are tables and graphs available...)

If you're testing the vswr of the antenna, why would you have anything other than a very short flylead between the meter and the antenna?

Surely people don't attach it at the radio end of the coax? That wouldn't tell you anything useful and may give a false sense of security.

 

[awol]

Given that the VHF is a vital item of safety equipment I can understand skippers wanting to check it's working

And they test their fire extinguishers, lifejackets, liferafts, EPIRBs, flares, dan-buoy lights, signalling mirrors, barrels of tar, signal flags and AWB keel bolts each trip as well?

My DSC radio has a test function that gets an acknowledgement from the CG when used. I'm happy to know the DSC function is operational 'cos that is what I'm going to use in extremis. Well, it worked the last time I checked, anyway.

 

[Cantata]

I call the CG for a check once each year, when I reinstall the set having kept it at home during the winter.
A few years ago we were drifting down the Thames Estuary one hot Sunday morning. The radio check calls started up. Nothing like the Solent, thank goodness, but they grew steadily more frequent and you could tell that the duty op at Thames CG was getting a little weary of it.
He then evidently had a brainwave.
He responded to the next few calls with a request for the caller's International call-sign. This caused consternation out there and within a few minutes the calls had ceased completely.

 

[capnsensible]

Ban people from making safety radio checks because.... it irritates ME.

Pompous twits.

 

[jerrytug]

Ban people from making safety radio checks because.... it irritates ME.

Pompous twits.

+1!

 

[Oldhairy]

Around here we have some repeaters on working channels. To check tx I just select the correct channel and briefly press the mike button, the repeater causes a short hiss when the button is released.

 

[prv]

my impression is that if the CG wanted radio checks to be on 67 they'd surely say so

I was specifically talking about the Solent, where the Coastguard have requested that pleasure vessels use ch67 directly for routine calls, very much including radio checks, to reduce the traffic on 16. Occasionally they point this out in response to radio checks on 16, though not as often as I'd like.

Sadly, the numpties who have been trained by Sunsail to do a radio check with the office every morning (and spend the rest of their days doing the same with the coastguard), are blissfully unaware of this.

Pete

 

[prv]

Ban people from making safety radio checks because.... it irritates ME.

What about the people making radio checks on 16 in the middle of mayday or pan-pan traffic? Regular occurrence down here.

Pete

 

[dylanwinter]

RADIO OFF

What about the people making radio checks on 16 in the middle of mayday or pan-pan traffic? Regular occurrence down here.

Pete

In busy places I have the radio switched off nearly all the time

because of the pointless yack on 16

although up here in scotland it is often on listening to 16 just in case

so if the constant checks are persuading people like me to turn off the radio then that cannot be in the interests of safety

D

 

[Robin]

In busy places I have the radio switched off nearly all the time

because of the pointless yack on 16

although up here in scotland it is often on listening to 16 just in case

so if the constant checks are persuading people like me to turn off the radio then that cannot be in the interests of safety

D

Sadly that will be the reaction of many. When merely weekending out of Poole and fairly local (Solent going east to Weymouth going west) we often didn't bother to turn on the VHF unless in company with other boat(s). Otherwise we only consistantly turned it on if headed offshore. We used it more regularly after we switched to a newer Navman 7100 DSC set where the incessant DSC scream alarms usually from a French CG station for something in the Casquets TSS 65-70miles away could be eliminated by toggling DSC to 'off', but still were irritated enough by the constant babble on Ch16 inshore to leave it off a lot of the time.