radio licence

[petery]

and you need it for ...

If you have a radar, Inmarsat C, HF radio they all need to be on the ship's licence and you need a separate exam/endorsement for Inmarsat C-GMDSS and HF radio.

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[Talbot]

apply for your license here: <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.radiolicenceforms.co.uk/ShipApplicationNotes.asp>http://www.radiolicenceforms.co.uk/ShipApplicationNotes.asp</A>

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[robp]

<<as long as you use it how it is intended i see no problem, would you all agree. >>

So have you gone as far as getting the course notes for the operator's license? If you've done that, why not just get the license and done with it? If not you may not know how to use it as intended.

Re this and the boat license, I can't see the point in risking losing your boat, and/or incurring a heavy fine. (This is all part of the knowledge).

Many taxes are onerous and arguable but we have to live with them.


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[BlueSkyNick]

You and all the others are right about the risks, but when was the last time anybody actually got charged and prosecuted for not having a license?

I am fully licensed for all the good reasons, but I can sympathise with a view that says 'Why Bother?' if nobody ever gets done for being without.

<hr width=100% size=1>I'm average size, Its just that everybody else is short.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Cheat

We all have to comply with some laws in this country. You want to choose which ones suit you, do you? Well I hope you get caught! Mike Martin of the Radio Communications Agency is a regular contributor to this forum - I hope they track you down.

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[robp]

OK Nick. Well if it's a question of enforcement or not here in the UK - there were 3 in the UK in 2002/2003. Two with convictions totalling £550 fines and costs and one conditional discharge. It's not many but it does happen. However, I think it might be a lot more in France and most of us go there.

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[Benbow]

As I have just said on a thread up there somewhere, people who don't know how to use a VHF are a threat to the rest of us. I agree its not difficult, but we all hear people who clearly haven't got a clue. You hear people saying, 'marybelle, marybelle, marybelle - erm hello coastguard'. The crime of calling on ch16 without first listening should be punishable by having the microphone inserted somewhere. I often hear the poor lady in Holyhead CG saying 'we are casualty working if your call is routine, please call back later' to a constant stream of people trying to report their epic voyages. Sometimes several times in the space of a minute.

In particular the conventions are completely different from CB or SSB where the objective seems to be to ramble for as long as possible. People from those backgrounds who think they know how to use a radio are among the worst offenders on VHF.

This is one rare case where I fully support *operator* licensing, because abuse impacts the safety of others.

sorry, rant, rant, rant

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[bigmart]

To say that you do not see the point of Radio Licensing is extremely short sighted.

You may not like it but someone has to administer & organise the Airwaves that we use for communication. I know this is done by International convention but administration has to be carried out at a local level. Otherwise the next time you need to call for help you may not be heard in the cacophony that will engulf the channels. Its bad enough now. have you listened to Channel 16 in the Solent at the weekend.

Now you may be able to justify, to yourself, why you choose not to pay your share of the cost of that organisation, but I for one will continue to cough up the £20 a year, yes I think that is excessive for the benefit I get, but if you & others like you, paid your share maybe it would be lower, to protect the safety of myself & others on the water. Lets face it £20 is not beyond anyone who can afford a boat.

I certainly wouldn't be proud, as you seem to be, to say that you refuse to pay it. After all its not like "Light Dues" where they expect us to pay for loads of Junk that have no bearing or relevance to out boating.

The organisation of the Airwaves has a direct bearing on the safety of all those who use the sea.

Martin

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[charles_reed]

We seem to be at X-purposes

Are we referring to the radio-station licence or the radio-operator licence.

The former costs £20 (soon to be £25) pa and is the Government selling us the right to use the national resource of the airwaves and supply us with a callsign.


The latter is administered by the RYA and is as worthwhile as the paper on which it is printed (listening to UK radio traffic is most illuminating).
Nowhere else in Europe is Channel 16 filled with more volume of mainly irrelevant speech than in the UK, so all appear to be failing in any attempt at control.


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[charles_reed]

In France

There are, to my knowledge, no separate radio-station or radio-operator licensing requirement. These are all covered by the annual registration and helmsman licensing requirements.

CROSS can be quite fierce with anyone who makes either a Pan-Pan or Mayday call without good reason.

Furthermore those who call out the (nationalised) Mer & Sauvetage (unless life or vessel are at risk in the opinion of the M&S) can find themselves footing a considerable bill.

There is, certainly, superior discipline and lower levels of radio use than in the UK and there are far more boats.

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[charles_reed]

I\'d be interested in your proof

or is that your opinion.

Whilst I hold no brief for non-licence holders for either themselves or their station, still paying the UK licence tho' the boat hasn't been in UK waters for 3 years and holding the Long Range Certificate granted by the Secretary of State.

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[robp]

Re: In France

I bow to anyone's superior on this but there seem to be several reports of French officials requesting sight of an "Operators' Certificate". Nes pas?

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[charles_reed]

C\'est vrai

aussi le carnet du bateau et le certificat international de conducteur de bateaux de plaisance.

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[robp]

Bon - Je think! nm

~

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[jimi]

Re: Bon - Je think! nm

tu intendre pense je pense .. igitur sum

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[tcm]

Re: I\'d be interested in your proof

only an opinion!

It is most definitely a poor show. As fro the rest of the statement I have no hard evidence m'lud, as of course you suspect - how could i?

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[T_C]

Re: We seem to be at X-purposes

I have a VHF on board, and pay my annual £20 licence fee, no problem with that. I maintain a listening watch on 16 when on the water, and get a lot of use from the local inshore waters forecasts and other info that's broadcast from time to time. I have never used the set to transmit, and hope that I never have to. For this reason I've never seen the point of obtaining the operator's certificate. In an emergency I know the procedures for maydays/pan pan etc. I know my phonetic alphabet, and, as I mentioned, I hope I never have to use them.

I'll duck down below the parapet now....

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[bigmart]

Re: No reason

to duck but if you,ve gone that far why not complete the loop & do the course. Its fun to do & you meet others with similar interests. You might even learn a little & that can't be bad. The main thing is that you have a resourse available to you that you are not currently using to its full potential. If your already paying your license fee why not go the whole hog & have all its advantages ready for use whenever you want them.


Martin


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[tome]

Re: We seem to be at X-purposes

Erm, if you've never used the set to transmit, how do you know it works?

My wife and I were involved in a minor rescue a few years back in Southampton Water. A small fishing boat had lost propulsion in the main channel and came close to being run down by Oriana. They put out a distress call which was answered by CG, who in turn broadcast a request for assistance. We were the closest boat to respond so went over and towed them clear.

The 3 guys on board were clearly shaken, but their main concern seemed to be that they didn't have a licence for their radio. I'm quite certain that no further action was taken by CG or the Port Authority - they had acted sensibly in alerting others to their predicament and there was nothing terribly wrong with their radio procedures.

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[robp]

Que?

Aaaagadoo, doo, doo

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