Ship Radio Licensing - The Future

[Mike_Martin]

Sorry, I'm not quite sure where the idea that the money doesn't cover the system comes from, so to adjust:

The licence fee covers the admin of the licence and updates to MARS MCA etc with no problem, the remainder goes into the Agency's Enforcement etc pot where it doesn't last long.

The good thing is because there is an income from the Sector I can draw from other services for example the external relations work we've done over recent years (including shows, the newsletter, information sheets) came from the Agency' central Publicity funds this money comes from the licensing of real money radio ie Cell operators and Land Mobile Radio.

One definite effect of deregulation form my perspective is that those extras will definitely cease, I have already been instructed not to write any more Airwaves newsletters.

<hr width=100% size=1>No fixed JOB Title, something or other in Ofcom

 

[Mike_Martin]

Sorry is it me??

<hr width=100% size=1>No fixed JOB Title, something or other in Ofcom

 

[chriscallender]

Ok, message received and understood! As I say, I am quite happy to pay to be on the MARS database and for enforcement etc. And it is unfortunate if the extras cease.

What about operator competence certificates? Is that a completely unrelated issue, which isn't going to change with deregulation? My impression when I did the course was that it was a foregone conclusion that we would all get qualified regardless of ability or knowledge! Maybe thats more of a question to the RYA on enforcing standards though.

Chris

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[Mike_Martin]

MROCs another issue that I have raised during the scoping project.

At present the Radio Regs requirement for the certificate is enforced through the WT Act Ship Radio Licence (SRL), in other words, if we find a skipper using the radio for non- DISTRESS RT and no MROC he is breaking the terms of the licence and is liable to prosecution. How this would happen after deregulation is unclear.

Regarding the actual SRC, it should be remembered that it really is only the "ground floor" when it comes to MROCs, it is just supposed to get you familiar with how to use the radio. As to pass/fail, I am afraid that the pressure placed on MCA/RYA when it was introduced is at fault. When the SRC was introduced it was a 2 day course (I took the 2 day rather in preference to the 1 day upgrade then available) which actually had excellent content and supplied a good grounding in the GMDSS. Unfortunately it was felt to be too expensive and there was a lot of muttering and moaning which for some reason pushed MCA/RYA to shorten the course to 1 day at the expense of most of the material that helped people actually understand the system.

When working at shows I get loads of customers saying "I've recently taken the SRC and how does this or that bit work"

Ce la vie.

Mike

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[Mike_Martin]

Re: Now you\'re

It's really because people have stopped buying my Guiness at Soton, so I'm off.

M

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[tome]

Que???

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[charles_reed]

Precisely

why I've hung onto the old Shakespeare and watched DSC prices plummet.

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