Radio Check, Radio Check, Radio Check.............

[James W]

I made a little hop today from the Crouch to the Blackwater on the East coast and I couldn't believe the number of radio checks I heard. It was amazing visibility, very light winds, flat sea state.....why the need for a radio check? Is it because most boats have just been launched and they feel the need to check with the Coastguard? Or force of habit?

Maybe I was just a little bit lax today as I ghosted along at 1.5 knots.......

 

[davidpbo]

My trailerable boat is mainly based on Windermere. Radio traffic is very light, I will usually do a radio check with the wardens soon after I put the mast back up and maybe once or twice during the six months or so the boat is on the water. It is about the only use the radio gets unless we take the boat elsewhere.

 

[rotrax]

With the excellant NCI stations around I tend to use them rather than the Coastguard.

When we berthed at Port Solent we used the VHF to call the lock. This was in effect a radio check.

I did call Wellington Harbour Control last Febuary to see if any big stuff was moving as visibility was poor that morning. That served as a radio check too.

The Solent is a Radio Check Nightmare most weekends.

 

[prv]

why the need for a radio check?

They hear other people doing it and think they ought to, too.

As Rotrax says, if you do need to check (eg after recent work on the system) then NCI on ch65 is a better choice:

• You don't disturb everyone else
• NCI are generally delighted to have the "business", to liven up their watch
• You know (presumably) exactly where you're being received, which is a more useful check than the Coastguard's more or less blanket (at least down here) coverage.

Pete

 

[pvb]

I've never understood the logic behind radio checks (if there is any logic). The fact that it works one moment doesn't mean it'll work a moment later. So why bother?

 

[prv]

I've never understood the logic behind radio checks (if there is any logic). The fact that it works one moment doesn't mean it'll work a moment later. So why bother?

That same idea applies to testing almost anything.

Of course an item of equipment might spontaneously fail immediately after you test it, but that's not very likely. The likelihood that it no longer works presumably increases with time since the last test, and occasionally jumps up when outside events impinge upon it (a nearby lightning storm, someone ferreting about in the wiring behind the panel, unstepping the mast...). Eventually the likelihood that it has failed presumably reaches some threshold where you deem it worth testing.

There's nothing inherently wrong with testing a radio, I just suspect that some people do it far too often (eg every time they visit the boat) and the global distress and calling channel is an inappropriate place to do it unless you're in such an isolated area that there are no reliably-available stations on other channels in range.

Pete

 

[davidpbo]

I've never understood the logic behind radio checks (if there is any logic). The fact that it works one moment doesn't mean it'll work a moment later. So why bother?

Because if it doesn't work when the check is done then there is the opportunity to investigate at what might be a more convenient time. I would rather find out something is not working at a time of my choosing rather than when I actually need to use it.

 

[jiris]

They hear other people doing it and think they ought to, too.

As Rotrax says, if you do need to check (eg after recent work on the system) then NCI on ch65 is a better choice:

• You don't disturb everyone else
• NCI are generally delighted to have the "business", to liven up their watch
• You know (presumably) exactly where you're being received, which is a more useful check than the Coastguard's more or less blanket (at least down here) coverage.

Pete

I do believe a radio check should be done before every departure on a longer trip and in reasonable periods during it - because, exactly as you say , the fact it worked last time doesn't mean it is working now. And, let's face it, you never know when your life will be hanging on it. I agree one has to realise there are other people on the water an for those not involved every radio check is a nuisance. In most cases I perform only "basic" check using a repeater. There is some repeater accessible almost everywhere. I select the repeater channel and click the PTT. If I get a short burst of statics afterwards, I know my radio is both TX and RX and I have the volume turned up correctly. Practically the only problem it won't detect is a poor mike modulation, but that's fairly rare and it will be discovered during a normal use or occasional "full check" you may perform.

 

[William_H]

Far better the sailor who checks his radio occasionally than the one who knows the radio is there and "should " work if needed but does not remain familiar with it's use or checks it does work. I reckon the large number of radio checks is related to the beginning of the season and so many boats newly put back into service. So long as it does not cause real inconvenience I say well done. olewill

 

[Momac]

I have never asked for a radio check and have never heard anyone asking for a check .
But most people in our area do use the radio almost every journey. I already have a handheld as well as a fixed vhf and intending to fit a second fixed vhf with a separate antenna.
If you have back up there is no need for radio checks.

 

[[70521]]

I made a little hop today from the Crouch to the Blackwater on the East coast and I couldn't believe the number of radio checks I heard. It was amazing visibility, very light winds, flat sea state.....why the need for a radio check? Is it because most boats have just been launched and they feel the need to check with the Coastguard? Or force of habit?

Drummed into my as a young person, turn your radio on, check you can transmit and receive as the day you don't Sods Law will haunt you.

Personally, I use the nice people at the local Coastwatch station.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Does anyone use the DSC capability of their vhf radio? Program the mmsi number of your nearest coastguard station into your set, then when you want a radio check select that entry, then ‘routine’, hit transmit and wait for them to call you on 67 when they’re free. No clogging up ch16. And it familiarises yourself with the less than intuitive use of DSC (why couldn’t they have made it more like a mobile phone?)

 

[laika]

In most cases I perform only "basic" check using a repeater. There is some repeater accessible almost everywhere.

My vhf operation knowledge (now expanded thanks to mr. google) was clearly parochial. I think you mean

There is some repeater accessible almost everywhere in australia

In the UK we can still check our radios using channel 80 but the "repeater" is an employee of our local marina

 

[shaunksb]

I do believe a radio check should be done before every departure on a longer trip and in reasonable periods during it - because, exactly as you say , the fact it worked last time doesn't mean it is working now. And, let's face it, you never know when your life will be hanging on it.

Exactly. It’s a vital piece of safety equipment.

When out I often press the DSC alert. It’s reassuring to see the helicopter circling overhead and I usually give them a cheery wave to thank them for their vigilance.

They often wave back...

____________________________

 

[sailorman]

I've never understood the logic behind radio checks (if there is any logic). The fact that it works one moment doesn't mean it'll work a moment later. So why bother?

my car radio fires up when turned on, so why is a vhf set any different

 

[awol]

Am I the only one who uses the DSC "Test" function to a CG MMSI? I understood the response was automatic.

 

[KellysEye]

It used to be same in the Solent I don't know if it is now. What I used to do was choose a frequency that wasn't 16 and call my handheld VHF, to save wasting the coastguard's time.

 

[[70521]]

my car radio fires up when turned on, so why is a vhf set any different

Do you transmit on your car radio?

 

[BrianH]

Handheld VHFs are very cheap these days and it is a good strategy to have a backup for the fixed installation as the long antenna and its connections are vulnerable points that can cause problems at any time. It is also useful to check both if someone remains on board while moored and another calls from a distance with the handheld unit on a working frequency. That is what I do at the start of the season and during it I have regular contact with friends in their boats as I often cruise in company, so no need to bother anyone official with radio checks.

 

[johnalison]

Does anyone use the DSC capability of their vhf radio? Program the mmsi number of your nearest coastguard station into your set, then when you want a radio check select that entry, then ‘routine’, hit transmit and wait for them to call you on 67 when they’re free. No clogging up ch16. And it familiarises yourself with the less than intuitive use of DSC (why couldn’t they have made it more like a mobile phone?)

I have done so, but not routinely. Generally, I call the marina on departure and let them know my length of absence. I apprecaitate that this doesn't check the emergency channels, but seems good enough for most purposes. I agree that more people should be using DSC to accustom themselves to its use.