Safety Without Radio

[Das_Boot]

Does anyone have any experience of sailing without a radio. Is it feasable if you carry the following equipment.
1. Radar
2. Epirb.
3. Hand held radio (the ones that dont need license) 3km range
4. Mobile phone.
Perhaps there is something someone might add to the list to minimise the percieved risk.

 

[duncan]

The boat licence required for your Radar, and covering your epirb, will also cover any radio fitted so you can have one onboard for no additional cost anyway.

As you have discussed at length you are required to have an operators licence to use the radio except in an emergency situation.

Or to put it another way it's simply your choice so why involve others here?

Finally there is absolutely no reason to mitigate a perceived risk - only a real one.

 

[fireball]

Eh? You need a licence for a Radar?!!

 

[Mirelle]

Yes. What sort of sailing?

For ordinary coastal sailing I don't carry a radio, or a radar, or an EPIRB, or a hand held, and I appear to have survived for the past thirty years.

If you are going somewhere where you need to talk to lock keepers, or bridge keepers, (eg Holland) it is worth carrying a VHF. Otherwise I would not bother.
A mobile phone works fine for marinas, etc.

The reason for NOT carrying a VHF radio is the irritating racket (far worse if DSC installed).

For longer passages, an EPIRB probably makes sense, provided it is a good one.

 

[duncan]

believe so - scuttles off to check..........

 

[steverow]

Dont even think about it.
The only device worth having would be a Satellite Mobile Phone..Iridium, but that's likely to cost you a lot more to run than the combined cost of doing the SRC and purchasing a VHF marine Radio.
IMHO it would be crass stupidity.

Steve.

 

[knewboater]

You need a radio for contacting other boats /marinas/talking to lifeboat and other safety services, if you can do this on a hand held with a 3 km range,then I am sure that the safety services will respond,probably you maybe out of range to call them in which case you are left with Epirb, do you deploy it or not? with a radio you can at least discuss non life threatening situations without calling out the services(which might take them away from another more serious incident). Mobile phones in my experience only work approx. 7 miles from shore . If you prefer not to have a radio then a satelite phone must be an alternative.

 

[Das_Boot]

I am busy looking into the satelite phone issue I think this negates the need to transmit over long distance. Therefore any radio would be for the purpose of listening. Can you get weather forcasts on satelite phone. Or if you have a weatherfax I suppose that will cover you.

 

[Mike_Martin]

[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone have any experience of sailing without a radio. Is it feasable if you carry the following equipment.
1. Radar
2. Epirb.
3. Hand held radio (the ones that dont need license) 3km range
4. Mobile phone.
Perhaps there is something someone might add to the list to minimise the percieved risk.

[/ QUOTE ]

So there I was expecting to see a post about correct types and numbers of flares and a description of the International non-radio DISTRESS signals. What I found was a list of Radios!!!

Just to set things straight if you were trying to help people avoid the need for a Ship Radio Licence you didn't do very well.

Both the EPIRB and RADAR require registration under a Ship Radio Licence.

PMR 446 radio? Well it could be useful if HMCG, passing shipping or anyone useful listened to it. Unfortunately they don't so forget it for safety but fantastic for chit-chat.

Mobile phone (still a radio but that's being picky!) AS long as you keep it in a watertight container AND program the number of the MRCC that is closest to you before going (you really don't want to rely on 999). It could be helpful!! However, you remove the possibility of assistance from passing shipping, instantly! You also in (big seas) negate the possibility of RNLI DFing you during a search. BUT it could work.

Mike

 

[Mike_Martin]

The radio being referred to is a PMR 446 radio. PMR stands for Private Mobile Radio ie Land based.

Please do not confuse them with Marine VHF radios which are monitored by the Emergency services.

Mike

 

[fireball]

There is no more requirement to carry a radio than there is to have life jackets on board ...
It is up to the individual to equip the boat to his/her own standards.
Although you dont NEED a VHF, they can be very useful.

Radar - great bit of kit - wish I could afford one! Handy if you know how to use it properly - doesn't replace the VHF though

EPRIB - great again ... for emergency use only, will allow the emergency services to home in on you ... but they can't talk to you through it.

The 3km radio - unless this operates on the licence free channels then it does require a licence - to have and to operate - if it works on the free channels then is it really of any use?

Mobile phone - ok if you have a signal, but is one2one rather than one2many - ie only the person you phone can hear you.... and the helecopter/lifeboat won't find it easy to contact you by it, cannot home in on it (ok so you have an EPRIB) and is certainly not the preferred choice of contact method.

As I said in the other thread - having a VHF (not nessersarily DSC) also adds an element of safety to other craft around you - if you are monitoring Chl16 and could relay/render assistance when they are in trouble....

 

[Mike_Martin]

Yep!! With it being a radio transmitter and all!
Mike

 

[Mirelle]

Galloping paranoia

Gosh, the sea round our coasts must be a dangerous place, if we won't hop from creek to creek, or perhaps marina to marina, without a VHF jabbering and twittering away.

 

[starboard]

In my RNLI days I considered the VHF radio the best piece of safety equipment on board any vessel....
With flares you depend on someone seeing them....with a liferaft you depend on someone knowing your in it!!

At least with a radio at the first hint of trouble you can advise the CG or any other vesseles in your vicinity that hopefully will respond to your predicament.

I have saved many hours in the past searching for lost vessels that have been able to comunicate with the lifeboat by homing in to their position with the VHF diection finding equipment that all RNLI lifeboats carry.

Good luck

Paul.

 

[Das_Boot]

I am trying to envisage the scenario in which I might need to use a VHF.
I just cant see it.
If I am sailing along the coast I will use the mobile.
If I am deap sea the VHF wont be of any use due to its limited range.
I am not used to calling for help at the drop of a hat so therfore the only scenario I can invisage will be the worst case one in that case the epirb will do I dont seem to remember Tony Bulimore (spelling?) discussing his rescue with the Australian navy.
I will install a satphone I think but this would also have to pass the usefullness test.

 

[Mike_Martin]

Again Satphone will need to be incased and number of relevant MRCC stored. If you are actually going Blue Water cruising that will be Falmouth.

Mike

 

[fireball]

Re: Galloping paranoia

Yes it is a dangerous place .... ask the coastguard ...

If you don't want to carry a VHF don't ... we can only tell you of our experiences and views...
I hope you never have the need to use a VHF in an emergency. For the cost of buying one, doing a course (which I believe kicked off this whole thing!) and paying a licence each year I'm keeping mine.

 

[Das_Boot]

Oh and by the way this is not a license issue that I think has been flogged to death. It is a safety issue about mordern technology (satelite coms etc) superceding old technology and the feeling of security a radio chattering away in the background gives people. Feeling safe and beeing safe are two different issues.

 

[Ships_Cat]

What do people get the weather forecasts on when at sea in the UK if they do not have VHF (assuming, of course, that they don't have Navtex or ssb as well)?

Carrying on in the same vein, knowledge of the weather forecast is an essential part of passage planning for a small vessel so as you are required to plan by law I assume you all get weather from somewhere whilst at sea?

John

 

[Mike_Martin]

No fuss, I can see that!

However, ALL of the modern tech that you are looking at, precludes the option of contacting nearby shipping and relies on waiting for a response from shore-based SAR forces. So I feel the need to point that out!

Mike