Some basic communication tips for people new to VHF marine radio

[paulears]

I very rarely post, but I did a video today about how to use your radio mixed in with the professionals, without making yourself sound pretty silly. I did it really because over the past few days I've heard such a large amount of really embarrassing stuff from people who are clearly very uncomfy with comms and how it should work. Most established leisure boaters have no problems with the radio side, but some people just paint a truly awful impression of boat owners and users who really haven't understood what they were taught in the exam class

 

[snowbird30ds]

Thanks for that.
Over and out..... (someone had to say it)

 

[sarabande]

Of course, the reason that procedure is poorly followed and "unprofessional" may be the low pedagogical standards and misunderstood multi-method reinforcement of syllabus content by instructors in the exam class.

 

[XDC]

Thanks for that.
Over and out..... (someone had to say it)

Shouldn’t that be ‘Roger, over and out’?

 

[Cariadco]

Not 'Roger, Out'??

 

[ears media]

I'm perhaps a bit biased, but there are some truly dire self-help videos on YouTube, and I agree that the standard of the training is so variable - but I think it's simply down to what I think Sarabande is saying - you don't need to know anything about teaching, to be able to do it badly.

In all types of communications via radio, different groups do it differently, and it's usually down to what the users are like, individually, and the specific needs. Aircraft radio, for example - involves abbreviating almost everything to get the most information into the shortest sentences. Waffle and idle chit chat would be the hams and CB fraternity, and also the new group who use PMR446 radio for purposes other than which it was intended. Marine users are this odd bunch of professional mariners, business users and amateurs. In the UK we're not actually allowed to record most types of radio conversations and stick them into a training video - but I really wish we were. Based entirely on what I hear, some of the marine users would struggle to pass a driving test in a car, yet they have sea going large vessels and are a danger to others and themselves.

In Lowestoft, where I'm based - the harbour is now extremely busy. We have a lifting bridge that stops the traffic flowing during the day at preset and on-demand times and the vessels servicing the wind farms are through the pier heads constantly. Port control on ch 14 is busy, and staffed by really nice helpful people who service the business and leisure community. I often hear them arranging a procession of vessels going outwards. being thwarted by the arrival of a yacht, coming up from the south who has ignored ten minutes of radio calls, and announces their presence as they go through the red lights, turning to port to go to the Yacht club with no knowledge of the chaos they caused. announcing their entry on channel 14 as they start the turn. The Port Control people rarely get cross, but their voice sometimes gives it away.

A month or two they were called by a vessel complaining he'd hit an obstruction not shown on his chart. He'd bumped the huge concrete plinth of our new bridge. It sounded like he wanted to report it for an insurance claim. He was asked if the large 100ft crane was not a bit of a give away, but he persisted, complaining that it wasn't marked on his chart. They asked him the chart date. He said 2019. The response was "It wasn't there then".

These folks have no communication skills at all and are painful to listen to. One yesterday did the "Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX' preamble every time - and sometimes it was cringeworthy. One went like this.
"Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX Roger, Motor cruiser XXXXX over and out"

This was what promoted the video.

I doubt people will ever watch the videos, but if it helps just a few focus, maybe there's some good?

If anyone has any other pet hets that would be worth doing in a similar chatty style, let me know.

In the past week I've had all sorts of marine radio users in the office that also are radio hams, firefighters, police officers, air traffic controllers and pilots - imagine them all having to switch their radio styles!

 

[The Q]

As our lady race officer for the 3 Rivers Race says. .... "No rogering on the radio"

the race is at the end of next week...

I too, cringe at what I hear on the radio, being ex RAF I was taught to use them properly...

However I was once 50 ft up on top of a radar, doing sight / site alignment ( through a fixed telescope) when a civilian contractor down below picked up the other guys radio and did 1-4 for a copy on it..

There was always a radio on in the station discipline Sgt's office... The explosion from there could be heard a Mile off , all hell let loose.. ( I stayed up on top out of the way)

 

[SaltIre]

These folks have no communication skills at all and are painful to listen to. One yesterday did the "Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX' preamble every time - and sometimes it was cringeworthy. One went like this.
"Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Lowestoft port control, Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX,Motor cruiser XXXXX Roger, Motor cruiser XXXXX over and out"

This was what promoted the video.

I doubt people will ever watch the videos, but if it helps just a few focus, maybe there's some good?
If anyone has any other pet hets that would be worth doing in a similar chatty style, let me know.
In the past week I've had all sorts of marine radio users in the office that also are radio hams, firefighters, police officers, air traffic controllers and pilots - imagine them all having to switch their radio styles!

Promoted the video? Do you mean prompted?

 

[SaltIre]

In Lowestoft, where I'm based - the harbour is now extremely busy. We have a lifting bridge that stops the traffic flowing during the day at preset and on-demand times and the vessels servicing the wind farms are through the pier heads constantly. Port control on ch 14 is busy, and staffed by really nice helpful people who service the business and leisure community. I often hear them arranging a procession of vessels going outwards. being thwarted by the arrival of a yacht, coming up from the south who has ignored ten minutes of radio calls, and announces their presence as they go through the red lights, turning to port to go to the Yacht club with no knowledge of the chaos they caused. announcing their entry on channel 14 as they start the turn. The Port Control people rarely get cross, but their voice sometimes gives it away.

Paulears seems to be based in/around Lowestoft also. Do you know each other?

Today, off Lowestoft there was an interesting conversation. A small boat had an engine failure off one of the two piers, about half a mile from the harbour. They called the Coastguard (Humber Radio). They were asked if life was at risk and did anyone onboard have medical conditions - the response was no. The Lowestoft Lifeboat was doing some exercises between the two piers. Humber Coastguard responded to the Pan

 

[Fire99]

"Roger that!"

 

[alandalus11]

Radio communication is truly hard to understand.

 

[dune16]

At the start of my sailing and after doing the courses I almost felt embarrassed on the radio as I was doing everything to the book. Most other comms I heard were far more casual. It's even worse since being in the med, almost like a casual chat. I must admit my rt has got a bit more casual as a result

 

[ears media]

I tried to log in with paulears but figured it wasn't letting me because I'd used the work one - If any mods are around who can merge them that would be great, don't need two.

My office is five minutes walk from Oulton Broad - so I often pop down with a camera. I managed to shoot the shortest debut trip after leaving the yard. They got from the yard to the lock, and then discovered they only had reverse.

 

[citygent111]

As a relatively new boater, the VHF is one of those things that's a bit daunting.
The course is good for learning basic prowords and how to make a mayday etc call, but...

It doesn't really address what most boaters are going to use their radios for, which is calling marinas, lock keepers etc.

I would love to see videos on "heres how to call a marina and ask if you can stay for a couple of hours" for instance.

I know it might sound obvious, but unless you've seen/heard it done, it is quite daunting when you don't know what terminology might be used.

If you get 5 minutes, know one of those out will you?!!! Great vid by the way, very helpful

 

[ears media]

Maybe I'll have a listen and do a transcript? Then use real case questions. Ofcom are quite against recording air band and marine band and just making recordings available, but the words would work, I think. I'll do something - probably next week as the diary is getting a bit silly this week.

 

[citygent111]

That's great!

Anything would help - I think this is probably why some users don't sound confident, because we've never been taught.

I'd be more confident making a mayday call than asking for a berth for a night!

 

[penfold]

Waffling twits arranging where they will meet for dinner can go off air and ring each other on the phone. Only two radio checks in the upper firth of Clyde today, the coastguard will be feeling lonely.

 

[Rum Run]

A few years ago, when approaching Royal Harwich yacht club with the VHF on their marina channel, I was entertained by hearing a woman on the same channel chatting about her husband's prostate troubles with someone on another boat for about 10 minutes. No rogering involved though.

 

[oldgit]

Without being too "boatist" about it .................
Care not over much regards the proficency or technic of the person holding the mike, it takes all sorts and the control room has wearily heard it all in the past, from the nervous chap who is sticking to the exact procedure learned during his outrageously over priced expensive marina based radio course and is doing his best , to the vastly experienced commercial skipper with thousands of hours under his belt, now helming his retirement gin palace, ripping a strip off a VTS controller for not doing his job properly.
What do care about is yachties, always yachties, who either have no idea how to turn their radio ( saving electricity ?) on or have located it apparently somewhere in the chain locker.
Listening to our local VTS urgently trying to contact some yacht in the main channel to suggest he might like to get out of the way of some monster ship heading towards him...... as for the VTS vainly attempting to contact some yacht sailing right through the exclusion zone of the LNG terminal
......No reply.
Having done a bit of flying and as a "chatty" HAM operater for 50 very odd years have used the mike on occasion.
Do remember doing my radio course , clay tablet and stylus before me, being able to answer everyones questions except my own and being totally speechless when asked to make that fearsome first dummy call by the incredibly patient instructor.

Peel Ports who operate Mudway VTS no longer have an office at Sheerness its in Liverpool, 269.3 miles away, the river is viewed by a few remote cameras.

 

[ears media]

I've been listening today and very similar - somebody idling up the coast, turning into the harbour with the lights set to green for the rather larger vessel approaching from the North, the popped in and turned to the yacht club - totally silent. They didn't even call the marina on 80, just appeared. The two windcats and the bridge just fitted around them, and you could almost hear them smiling.

The trouble, I suppose is that until an accident happens, nothing much will happen. The best one so far today is somebody asking how much clearance they had under the bridge - they came back with the current air-draft, and from the "er, could you repeat that please, over" it was obvious they'd never heard the term used before. The response second time was "there is 3.2m clearance at the moment is this enough?" I bet he also had the feet and inches already looked up, just in case.