VHF and all that jazz

Captain Coochie

Captain Coochie

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So if you want to go into London they like you to have a VHF or mobile to call in to Tower but you need a licence to use a VHF . Mobile phone calls to Tower must be a pain in the backside for them and i am sure they would rather people replied over the radio rather than a mobile phone .
Ive been up there a few times over the years and because i dont have a VHF licence i dont use it . I can get in trouble if i do !
Surely the idiots that do abuse radio law are going to do it anyway so why make it law for everyone and stop tw ats like me from keeping in contact when i decided i wanna go a bit tidal ?
Before you all say go and do the course . I dont need to .I can go there when i like but not allowed to reply on the VHF . It all seems very odd to me .

With the Olympics looming its going to be a bit mental out there so i thought i would bring the subject up .
 
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The licence for the boat and the operators licence as you know are two different things.The operators ticket is mainly a method of imparting to the man on the end of the mike/portable radio the need to stick to standard radio procedure used both on both leisure and commercial traffic throughout the the world.
Sometimes this can take an entire Saturday morning and also involves drinking several cups of tea and eating some cheapo biscuits,while having the piss taken out of you by your fellow classmates..
It is a bit expensive but worth doing and as we all know,there are no failures.
As for getting the boat licence its just a case of stuffing your cheque in the envelope and sitting back.
Whats the problem ?
 
oldgit said:
The licence for the boat and the operators licence as you know are two different things.The operators ticket is mainly a method of imparting to the man on the end of the mike/portable radio the need to stick to standard radio procedure used both on both leisure and commercial traffic throughout the the world.
Sometimes this can take an entire Saturday morning and also involves drinking several cups of tea and eating some cheapo biscuits,while having the piss taken out of you by your fellow classmates..
It is a bit expensive but worth doing and as we all know,there are no failures.
As for getting the boat licence its just a case of stuffing your cheque in the envelope and sitting back.
Whats the problem ?
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There is now no fee for a ships licence if you apply electronically.

Your description of the operator licence training process is pure Fred - priceless :D
 
Cuchilo said:
Thankyou for taking the time to tell me to go and do a course :rolleyes:
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There is no legal alternative. You need a licence to drive a car. You need a licence to operate Marine VHF.

To obtain the VHF SRC you have to do the one day course. No exceptions.

Even a Full Amateur Radio Licence holder has to do the one day course for the VHF SRC.

Don't even think of operating illegally on the tideway.... People do get boarded and they may ask to see your paperwork.......
 
But they dont mind in an emergency. Before I'd done my ticket, I was off the coast of Margate when we collided with a submerged object. Cost me an engine and most of the steering. Pan pan duly made to Dover CG - no mention ever made of my unlicensed transmissions, even in the ensuing post event paperwork.

Yes, I SHOULD have done the course before going Coastal, I know, but they would rather receive an illegal pan call than have me not make it due fear of repercussions.

If you have VHF but no license, USE IT if you need to. Better to do your ticket first, yes, but don't get yourself or your pax in trouble if you haven't.

Lesson learned :)
 
There is no legal alternative. You need a licence to drive a car. You need a licence to operate Marine VHF.
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The legal alternative is to go on the tideway without one and thats my point .
With the olympics around the corner every man and his dog is going to be buying a speed boat on ebay and charging into town .
 
I have been on the Tideway in a small boat with no VHF. It was OK to contact the Limehouse lock keeper but not much help for anything else. I have spoken to London VTS by mobile a couple of times but both of those were for issues that did not really need to be broadcast.

The T&C of VHF ownership specifically grant authority for anyone to use it in an emergency situation and as such you would be quite OK to tx then. Rx is not controlled.
 
Ive been into town and diddled around Tower bridge quite a few times . Have been boarded and once spent the night tied to an empty rubbish barge . I was on my first cruiser 18ft and had no idea about radios or marinas . We just jumped on the boat and went into town .
The message i took from being boarded a few times is that they want to know you are there and what your plans are . They dont care what they are but they want to know .
So why make it such a faf for people to be able to tell them when you dont have too ?
 
Cuchilo said:
So why make it such a faf for people to be able to tell them when you dont have too ?
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Try looking at it the other way.

We get hundreds of VHF calls every day. The reason a very small team (four on a watch) can handle so many is that the vast majority are in the correct format, people appreciate brevity (well, most do) and most people realise to shut up during other distress transmissions, etc.

This is what the VHF course covers.

If we had a free for all on VHF transmissions, without any background knowledge on the part of the user, we would have chaos.

A real example - we had a job a while back where a boat was genuinely in trouble, but the user didn't know any radio procedure. So, for ten minutes, we had a station calling "mayday" and saying nothing else. Given that we don't have DF anymore, we had little way of knowing anything other than a very large possible area to find them. Thankfully, the problem was minor (not a mayday situation) and eventually they started talking to us with a location, but in a different situation that first ten minutes could have been desperately needed.

Plus, VHF procedures do change, as does technology.

Even the coastguard officers (and every other coastal station) need a licence to use VHF, it's an international thing.

Go along with an open mind. You never know, it may be interesting.
 
First time I went to London quite a few years ago I was a stupid 20 year old in a speed boat with no lifejackets VHF etc!! Now I am older I wouldn't dream of going without lifejackets and everything else.

I also did my VHF DSC at Bisham Abbey I found it a very entertaining day, learnt a lot of other things and met some very interesting people. Coffee and biscuits were ok as well :D

Do the course it's worth it.

I agree with your comment about people possibly buying a speedboat on ebay and charging into London. However I looks like the PLA will be controlling the river very closely.

"Travelling to London by water is one of Britain’s great recreational boating experiences, and next year’s Olympic Games will make navigating the Thames all the more special.

However, the river will be extremely busy during this period and access to the stretch between Richmond Lock and Gravesend needs to be carefully controlled to ensure navigational safety.

Therefore, leisure boaters planning to travel to the tidal Thames in their own vessels next summer should be aware that:

* for the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games recreational vessels with accommodation will only be allowed access to the river through central London (between Putney and Gravesend) if they can provide evidence they have an existing or booked mooring in that area or are intending to transit the tidal river without stopping.
* vessels wishing to transit the river through London (between Putney and Gravesend) will be allowed passage only if they can prove they have a mooring above Richmond Lock (if inbound) or an intended destination below Gravesend (if outbound).
* vessels heading to their ‘home’ mooring on the river between Putney and Gravesend will similarly be asked for evidence of the home mooring (and that the vessel is actually going to it)

Vessels in transit between Gravesend and Putney will be monitored by our Vessel Traffic Services centres and river patrols throughout their journey."
 
You are not required to have VHF capability unless your vessel is over the minimum limit.

Even so you are only required to keep a listening watch on the Ports communication channel.

There's no penalty in having a VHF transceiver - only if it is used in an unauthorised manner. That latter does NOT include being used in an emergency.

So if it's a real issue for you personally, borrow a handset for your trip(s) down the bumpy bit.
 
Its not an issue for me . I have a hand held XM2000 and i do take it with me if visiting the tidal . Its very rare i go beyond richmond now a days anyway .
I was just thinking last night that it would be fun to take the speed boat into london when the olympics are on . Then i thought " hang on , every idiot in london will be thinking of doing that " there are lots of us out here you know :D )

First time I went to London quite a few years ago I was a stupid 20 year old in a speed boat with no lifejackets VHF etc!!
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The same as me then , are 20 year olds not stupid any more ? Im 38 and have already got the boat to do it in :D two in fact .


for the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games recreational vessels with accommodation will only be allowed access to the river through central London (between Putney and Gravesend) if they can provide evidence they have an existing or booked mooring in that area or are intending to transit the tidal river without stopping.
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So a speed boat going into town to take a look without stopping is fine ?
 
You do NOT have to have a license to OWN a VHF Radio.

You do NOT need a License to use a VHF radio in an emergency.

Going to Tidal part, then why do you HAVE to contact PLA? you don't HAVE TO.

Many vessels (under certain length) are allowed to cruise within the tidal part and even passing the thames barriers without even contacting the PLA. All you have to do is to navigate safely and make sure you know if there is any restriction (speed for example) in place. Then all you need to do is to switch ON your radio and listen to it.
 
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