Stop Radio Checks

[Chiara’s slave]

75% of englands leisure boats are based in the solent area.
Can't remember where i read that but it was a credible source. Stands to reason there will be a lot of radio traffic.
There is certainly a huge reduction in small boat to small boat communication . Maybe that's down to the mobile phone .

I have never, in my entire sailing career, communicated with another small boat by VHF except for the purpose of racing. It’s a bit too much of a rigmarole for collision avoidance, shouting ‘Starboard’ works better, if they’ve set sail before waking up. And I can’t offhand think of a situation apart from an emergency that would require it.

 

[mattonthesea]

Atmospheric conditions can affect range and high pressure generally means you can hear transmissions from a long way away

My neighbour, when I was at Horta, said that he was concerned on approach when a tanker called to say he was uncertain of the intentions of the yacht in front of him. A quick call back established that the tanker was off Gibraltar!

 

[jbweston]

I've been sailing in the Baltic and Nordic countries for the last decade or so. I've never heard anyone calling a shore station for a radio check.

Only twice in all that time can I remember anyone doing any VHF calls solely to check their radios:

• Once one one of my neighbours in the harbour wandered over and asked if I'd mind listening for him after he was a few miles away and responding if I could hear him as he wanted to check his VHF after making some alterations to his setup.
• When I thought my own VHF was dodgy (it turned out to be transmitting fine but the receiver was acting up - it was a cheap and nasty bottom-of-the-range Raymarine set that had decided to pack its bags and go back to Taiwan) it was easy to call friends on other boats some distance away and do the check on an intership channel.

I don't undertsnd why anyone in the Solent who's ultra-cautious about VHF function doesn't just approach another ultracautious soul and agree to give each other a quick shout once out at sea to put both their minds at rest.

'Nervous Rex, Nervous Rex, Nervous Rex, this is Trembing Tim, Trembling Tim, Trembling Tim. Radio check please - if you can hear me, which I very much doubt as I don't trust this electronic stuff.'

 

[Sandy]

I've also heard the cg helicopter at some crazy distance away. How is this possible ?

Altatude dear boy, altatude.

 

[Momac]

Those who are really nervous about vhf radio failure might consider fitting two vhf sets.

 

[KevinV]

Those who are really nervous about vhf radio failure might consider fitting two vhf sets.

And do two radio checks??

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Those who are really nervous about vhf radio failure might consider fitting two vhf sets.

We're not nervous, but have both a fixed and a hand held. I thought that was pretty normal.

 

[NormanS]

I have never, in my entire sailing career, communicated with another small boat by VHF except for the purpose of racing. It’s a bit too much of a rigmarole for collision avoidance, shouting ‘Starboard’ works better, if they’ve set sail before waking up. And I can’t offhand think of a situation apart from an emergency that would require it.

No mates.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Maybe radio licences and installations should have a credit card linked to them and a device that charges per use, say £25 per 15s of transmission time. With modern tech, should be a doddle. (-;

 

[NormanS]

Where I sail, the most common requests for radio checks are between Stornoway CG and Belfast CG.
I can think of more serious things to get upset about.

 

[Momac]

. I guess the habit must stem from old habits and/or RYA courses when you had to check if the valves had warmed up and hadn't gone microphonic.

Valves?
I vaguely recall them in a TV set which must have been more than half a century ago I doubt all the radio check callers are all so old as to have used valve radios.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

No mates.

Do you radio your mates? If we’re meeting up on the water, we whatsapp each other with a shared location.

 

[capnsensible]

We're not nervous, but have both a fixed and a hand held. I thought that was pretty normal.

Mrs S once called a passing merchant vessel on vhf in mid Atlantic to get a football result. So actually got two results....

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Mrs S once called a passing merchant vessel on vhf in mid Atlantic to get a football result. So actually got two results....

I might do it if I spent more time out of mobile range I guess. But til recently we were tied down in uk by kids, then elderly parents. That era is over, we just have an elderly cat. Though that hasn't affected us this year, we’ve been limited by Mrs C’s new hip.

 

[Minerva]

And do two radio checks??

Nah, they can just answer themselves

 

[NormanS]

Do you radio your mates? If we’re meeting up on the water, we whatsapp each other with a shared location.

Where we are, we often don't have any of these modern methods of communication.

 

[jbweston]

We're not nervous, but have both a fixed and a hand held. I thought that was pretty normal.

Me too. Very sensible.

The fact that I don't do calls solely to make a radio check doesn't mean I think my main VHF will never go unserviceable. Antenna problems, the pesky co-ax running up the mast, the connectors, electrical fire, mad crewman with an axe and an Icom phobia . . .

 

[KevinV]

Mrs S once called a passing merchant vessel on vhf in mid Atlantic to get a football result. So actually got two results....

My skipper did the same on the crossing 20 years ago, world cup going on I think - vhf was the only comms we had on board. We routinely asked passing merchantmen to email home with our position and that we were fine, which all but one did.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Me too. Very sensible.

The fact that I don't do calls solely to make a radio check doesn't mean I think my main VHF will never go unserviceable. Antenna problems, the pesky co-ax running up the mast, the connectors, electrical fire, mad crewman with an axe and an Icom phobia . . .

Ours is easy maintenance, our aerial is on a pole, not the masthead. Range limiting, I do realise, but surprisingly little.

 

[Roberto]

When a sailing area has thousands of boats (Quiberon bay over here much the same) and they make even one single radio check call each during the season, that naturally adds up to a huge number of calls, in particular during the full sailing season. Over 100 days, 10k boats checking just once their radio on their first sail would be 100 calls a day. Adjust numbers up or down but reality won't be very far. Who's to blame?
Also, should you charter a sailboat, rib etc, wouldn't you make a radio check? I personally would. And the following week charterer?
Professionals are much more likely to use their radio so frequently as to not need to make a specific call. I personally have never made one (on VHF, HF a totally different matter but then I am on ham frequencies), there are plenty of occasions where a routine call for other matters can double serve as radio check.