Radio etiquette

david_e

david_e

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www.touraine.blogspot.com
For the Beneteau regatta at the weekend the organisers elected to use channel 72 to communicate with the competitors and the ribs who were laying the marks etc.

Some local cruisers were also using the channel to natter etc.

Now when you are on 16 and elect to switch you obviously don't know that 72 is being used for this etc.

One of the competitors shouted 'get off the racing channel' - which they shouldn't have done, albeit it appeared to be an obvious interuption.

Q1 What is the correct procedure/etiqutte in these situations?

At one point the Radio Communications Agency came on and warned the users on72 to communicate in the correct fashion - people were asking questions of the committee boat without identifying their name/call sign.

Q2 Are they listening locally or from a central point where the signals are relayed to, or was this perhaps an imposter? (he didn't sound very convincing, although it did the trick!)

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As far as I am aware channels 6, 8, 72 and 77 are the primary intership channels, they are not racing channels and correct radio procedures should be used at all time on these channels. That includes not hogging them for any given purpose nor attempting to exclude other users nor commiting acts of abuse upon them. If there was any abuse than OFCOM, not the RCA, have the right to withdraw an operators licence to use, assuming one was held by the user. I aslo trust that the organisers were not ashore whilst using this channel!

<hr width=100% size=1>...If you can find the simple solution to a complex problem, you've got it wrong!.........
 
<font color=blue>One of the competitors shouted 'get off the racing channel' - which they shouldn't have done, albeit it appeared to be an obvious interruption.</font color=blue>

Oh dear, there is just way to much self importance in this world, get off the racing channel indeed, what a sad little man who thinks the radio had a special channel reserved especially just for him and his friends for their racing.

Ok, what shall we do with the remaining three channels, maybe a trawler channel to winge about er indoors, thats all they seem to go on about. Or a shopping channel, I think in hindsight this guy might have been onto something.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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I somehow don't feel that the Radio Communications Agency have enough staff to monitor every single frequency on the planet to look for abuse, so it is likely to have been an imposter, unless of course they received a flood of formal complaints about poor operating.
Wonder if Mike can shed any light on it??
Nick

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Oh dear, oh dear.

I just wish it hd been me he had told to "get off"...I love it when you can bring these jumped up ar** ho**s down a notch or two.

It's like being in a school playground "this is our channel and your not allowed here".

I suspect they also don't like it when anyone - be it a powerboat of a yacht - passes withn half a mile of thier precious racing course. I suspect they think they own that bit of the sea as well as the radio waves.

Oh dear, oh dear.

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In answer to your questions:-

1) Correct Radio procedure should be observed at all times - it is a public not a private channel, contrary to the opinion of some of your fellow racers.

2) I suspect you were being wound up by one of the people that your fellow racers insulted. A bit of divine retribution and also quite amusing I think.

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It wasn't quite as bad as that, and probably 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. During the course of a normal week-end there are all sorts of trash on the airwaves from all quarters.

What I am interested to learn is if there is a polite/correct way of saying what needs to be said so that an equitable solution can be provided.

Normally when starting a transmission on a channel there should be a pause/wait to check the airwaves are clear.

With the normal amount (or lack of entries) of racing, getting clear water isn't a problem:-))

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Yeah I know - sorry, was just playing Devil's advocate. Compared to the nightmare that is the Solent we are all fine up in N Wales...it's v rare that you actually have to cross a racecourse as there is usually a clear and easy way around.

I know what you you mean re the lack of listening to see if anyone else is in the middle of transmitting though...can be very annoying, but once again compared to teh Solent etc we are very fortunate.

There were some pics posted on a thread of an anchorage int the Solent which looked a) ridiculously busy and b) rubbish in the scenery stakes when campared the the backdrop we enjoy. Makes you realise how nice it really is up there.

More importantly, did you win your race thingy? If all the others were so busy getting het up about radio procedure it must have given you an advantage!

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Re: PW

Agree, best waters in the UK and best hosepipes as well.

Sheer modesty prevents me from mentioning the win in the under 35' category and 3rd overall.

Was a great event to participate in, Dickies did a great job in organising it and the array of prizes was superb. With 27 sponsors and 23 entrants it was nice to see everyone got a prize including:

Youngest helm
First boat with Sprayhood up
Best fancy dress
Spirit of the event
and a few others I forget.

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David, I think it was as bad as that! The Ofcom website clearly says that "In the UK, the marina channels have been set aside for matters relating to mooring, berthing and race control. There are three marina channels: Channels M, M2 and 80. It is wrong that any racer tell someone who is using the correct channel and etiquette to clear off when he himself is guilty of using the wrong channel.

I am surprised that the race control choose 72 in the first place let alone such ant remarks in a so called fun regatta.

<hr width=100% size=1>LOM
 
Hosepipes...

...or not as the case may be.

What have you done re the Hosepipe situation?

Was good to see that they left them out for a month longer than they were supposed to.

We have not bought a flat one - they are terrile - so have a small normal hose on a reel. Much better. Some of the lads have said that they will not enforce the flat hose only rule and that they are appealing the decision somewhere or other...had you heard this?

Ben



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Re: Hosepipes...

They even took the hose off the fuel pontoon. Last time I needed to fill up I had to dismantle their non standard hose fitting on the reel in order to fit my flat hose. Afterwards I have to spread my hose out around the pontoon in order to remove all the water so I can get it back on my reel.

Read 30 minutes to carry out a 5 minute fill up!/forums/images/icons/frown.gif

Surely by denying water to the mooring holders, by removing the hose at the one place we are told it is ok to fill up is against the law. They cannot cut someones water off, so surely some rules exist to protect us.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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Re: Hosepipes...

I didn't know they had taken the fuel pontoon one too...that's just bloody stupid...I mean the whole thing is meant for to be for "safety".

What's more dangerous, the off chance of someone drinking marina water/the water siphoning back up the system, or all the people slipping overboard cos they cant wash spilt fuel off their side decks?

Also, just inagine all those germs that build up in a hose left unused for weeks on end as opposed to one used several times a week/per day. I think that the first person to get ill from stagnant water in this way should ask Welsh Water for compensation.

Jools, buy youself a small normal hose. They won't stop you using it, I bet. Where did you get a flat hose anyway? Everywhere I tried laughed and said they had stopped selling those years ago cos they were poo.

Why is it only Pwllheli Marina that has had to lose its hoses too? It couldn't be that the local Welsh Water inspector chap hates English tourists, could it? Why would he, when all his fellow countrymen are so welcoming!?

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Re: Hosepipes...

Why is it only Pwllheli Marina that has had to lose its hoses too? It couldn't be that the local Welsh Water inspector chap hates English tourists, could it? Why would he, when all his fellow countrymen are so welcoming!?

Apparently this all started at Conwy Marina and is filtering down the coast.

I bought mine from the local B&Q about 2 years ago, 30m long which is handy if I need to use the tap by the harbour masters, or when I was in Porthmadog and had to use taps in the harbourside boat yards.

Firmhelm have some 20m heavy duty hoses by the door.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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Re: Hosepipes...

Well the can keep them there. I am not buying one of those bloody awful flat hoses. Yuk.

As for B&Q they and Homebase, Focus and a few others do not sell them any more...well not at the ones I went to anyway!

I suppose the Conwy to Pwllheli thing makes sense, but still doesn't explain why its only us and none of the other Marinas in S Wales or anywhere in England. Do they have different laws in N Wales to the rest of the UK now?

It's all beaurocracy gone mad. Rules for the sake of rules and nothing else. Nonsense.

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The correct "etiquette" is to tell race control to use a channel designated for such use, i.e. M1 or M2 and not to use a public correspondence ship to ship channel for race control purposes.

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Re: Hosepipes...

I was told that if I took the risk I could use a normal hose. Bought one at Woollies with all the fittings, 30m, for £8.99. It is a smaller bore than the yellow ones so gives a better jet, so far so good.

The flat hose thing was, I am told, a misinterpretation of the directive. It was always a "you are advised to.." not "you must use a flat hose".

As far as bureauceacy goes, if you think this is bad then just wait for the one that will happen with the electric, next year or the year after.

All of this from a the 'local' grapevine you understand:-))



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Sorry Roy I don't fully understand this. I know M2 = 37, not sure what M1 is, if it is 72 then I would be surprised as it says Ship to Ship or similar on the control panel. In any event if it was being used incorrectly then it was being used by both parties incorrectly.

This however is not my point; I was interested to know how others might handle a situation like this. I am looking for a solution to a problem not trying to attribute blame ie a case of who is right or wrong. I thought that shouting 'get off the race channel' was inappropriate (it wasn't the organiser by the way) just as breaking into a transmission was also out of order.

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Are you sure the channel was being actively used by the racers at the time of the 'interuption', it could have been dormant awaiting information to be broadcast, not an appropriate usage either, and another party just elected to use it for standard inter-ship communciations.

<hr width=100% size=1>...If you can find the simple solution to a complex problem, you've got it wrong!.........
 
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