VHF course help

[lustyd]

Spend the money on a good VHF with a good manual would be my advice to the OP.

I have both. The course was for mrs and a refresher for me. I dropped the refresher as pricing was ridiculous.

I had to show my licence for RYA courses but not otherwise even for ICC.

 

[capnsensible]

It would be interesting to know how many VHF users are licensed and how many not. Then we could gauge your "plenty" as against possible.

I had no licence for 20 years and only got it because I was asked run a course (in my kayak club role). Never been asked to show one in 40 years. Because no one cares. You don't need one - for example - as a boat hirer.

If it was important to be licensed then the government could require sight of one before purchase. Don't they do that with TVs?

Spend the money on a good VHF with a good manual would be my advice to the OP.

Over 100,000 individuals have successfully passed an RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence exam. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) reports this figure covers all Certificate of Competence exams (Yachtmaster Offshore, Yachtmaster Coastal, and Advanced Powerboat) and represents the total number of people who have attained this pinnacle qualification within the last decade.

OK so these qualified people need a very operators certificate as a pre requisite. So 10,000 a year on average.

 

[capnsensible]

I didn’t. Direct quote from you. I assume you lazily copied the syllabus rather than answer my question since you didn’t answer the question.

See post #92. Its helpful if you nominate the post you are moaning about.

 

[dgadee]

Over 100,000 individuals have successfully passed an RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence exam. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) reports this figure covers all Certificate of Competence exams (Yachtmaster Offshore, Yachtmaster Coastal, and Advanced Powerboat) and represents the total number of people who have attained this pinnacle qualification within the last decade.

OK so these qualified people need a very operators certificate as a pre requisite. So 10,000 a year on average.

Not all in the UK, of course. If there were 10,000 doing these certificates in the UK, where are they, and why is there another thread on whether sailing is in a downward spiral.

 

[ylop]

My experience of teaching the SRC course was that the major issue wasnt knowledge of GMDSS etc, which is largely irrelevant to the leisure sailor, but difficulty in getting their minds round what to say with mike in hand. Mike fright - odd when they rabbit away on mobile phones

That mike fright will be even higher then for the under 40’s as they don’t make phone calls. And they are so used to decent user interfaces that they will find DSC alien. Obviously for those of us who used a VCR and Nokia phone they seem straightforward!

I organised the exam. 20 people, done in much less than a day, and the examiner went off as happy as Larry with his takings. I seem to remember only 3 or 4 training rigs. Most of us never touched them. Didn't do us any harm.

That the reason the QA got toughened up and the costs went up!

Trying to lobby for change is pi**ing into the wind.

What really won’t achieve change is arguing with old duffers on this forum.

Doing a course isn’t the only way to be up to date and not retaking a course doesn’t make you out of date.
The course is there to get qualified, and as this thread has shown is priced too high to be sensibly used as a refresher. I won’t be re-doing the course as I’d prefer to keep the money. I will read her book, and doubt I’ll learn anything new in the process as I tend to stay up to date with such things.

You could do the online course (£70 ish) without the exam costs if you really wanted to do a refresher. It’s funny that you think you need a refresher and there’s other people here saying nobody even needs to do the course once.

Not all in the UK, of course. If there were 10,000 doing these certificates in the UK, where are they,

The numbers are a bit surprising - but perhaps include some double counting? People who do YM(C) then YM(O) or YM Power and YM Sail etc.

and why is there another thread on whether sailing is in a downward spiral.

Well the two aren’t mutually exclusive:
- people on here would moan about anything regardless of facts
- qualified people may have decided not to own a boat
- people may be electing to participate in sailing via schools rather than joining a club

The total number of certificates issued is probably publicly available. Ofcom will be able to provide details on the number of station licenses they have issued, but quantifying the people who have neither will be much harder.

 

[seeSimon]

So did mine. So I got myself up to speed with the latest stuff. But it's entirely voluntary. Some people, I suppose, have more enquiring minds.

I have to say that I strongly object to your "enquiring minds" comment, and your insinuation.

Personally, I've read much on the topic, but ultimately was deterred by course cost and availability...oh, and the lack of any statutory requirement, or possibility of any enforcement action.
The associated wasting of my time is nowadays not the issue that it was. However, for some this may be significant?

"Proper" professional adquals usually have a revalidation option, which is a shorter and less expensive (not to mention less time wasting!) option. Eg the STCW revalidation process; offshore industry adqual renewals are every similar.
No revalidation iaw the required protocols and periodicity has very significant consequences. Regular checks are made, by officials as well as enforcement organisations.
Many professional qualifications REQUIRE continuous CPD effort, and associated records. Mine did. They are audited. Failure to comply has serious, expensive , consequences.

In the yottie sector, I have (had?) An adqual as an RYA Coastal Skipper COMMERCIAL, from a job some 25 years ago (and not needed for perhaps the last 20 years?) ...I've heard nothing about any requirement to refresh anything. Is it perhaps because the RYA quals are primarily aimed at hobbyist's?

I note at post #98 you renewed for professional reasons. Presumably not self funded then? A Tax deduction?
Many of us must now pay from our pensions!

"Best Value" the RYA SRC is very definitely not.

 

[ylop]

In the yottie sector, I have (had?) An adqual as an RYA Coastal Skipper COMMERCIAL, from a job some 25 years ago (and not needed for perhaps the last 20 years?) ...I've heard nothing about any requirement to refresh anything. Is it perhaps because the RYA quals are primarily aimed at hobbyist's?

Did you not need to do the PPR course to renew your Commercial Endorsement when it was added? Do you not need to declare that you have actually been afloat X number of days/miles each time you renew? AFAIK Your certificate is only valid so long as your refresh you first aid certificate…

"Best Value" the RYA SRC is very definitely not.

Do you get dizzy with the argument that you want people to refresh but that formal training is too expensive? A certificate that last for life seems like remarkably good value!

 

[dgadee]

Do you get dizzy with the argument that you want people to refresh but that formal training is too expensive? A certificate that last for life seems like remarkably good value!

If I had the old version, would they give me the new one? Presuming mine was lost, would they have records?

I see a replacement birth certificate is £12.50 (and that does last for life). Replacement RYA certificates (if they can find them) are £25.

 

[capnsensible]

Not all in the UK, of course. If there were 10,000 doing these certificates in the UK, where are they, and why is there another thread on whether sailing is in a downward spiral.

How many not in the UK?

What about all of the bridge watchkeepers across the globe? 600k merchant vessels? Someone has to teach and assess them. It's not an RYA certificate, after all. The few leisure sailors that choose not to bother can't be a very high percentage.

No idea about your downward spiral. From where I am it looks like it's a growing thing. More boats every year pass through the Canaries. Perhaps there are more people able to retire early? Dunno.

But whatever, as I said upthread, there are plenty of customers. If there weren't, RTCs wouldn't offer the courses would they?

 

[capnsensible]

Did you not need to do the PPR course to renew your Commercial Endorsement when it was added? Do you not need to declare that you have actually been afloat X number of days/miles each time you renew? AFAIK Your certificate is only valid so long as your refresh you first aid certificate…

Do you get dizzy with the argument that you want people to refresh but that formal training is too expensive? A certificate that last for life seems like remarkably good value!

Revalidate every 5 years. Requirements online.

 

[capnsensible]

I have to say that I strongly object to your "enquiring minds" comment, and your insinuation.

Personally, I've read much on the topic, but ultimately was deterred by course cost and availability...oh, and the lack of any statutory requirement, or possibility of any enforcement action.
The associated wasting of my time is nowadays not the issue that it was. However, for some this may be significant?

"Proper" professional adquals usually have a revalidation option, which is a shorter and less expensive (not to mention less time wasting!) option. Eg the STCW revalidation process; offshore industry adqual renewals are every similar.
No revalidation iaw the required protocols and periodicity has very significant consequences. Regular checks are made, by officials as well as enforcement organisations.
Many professional qualifications REQUIRE continuous CPD effort, and associated records. Mine did. They are audited. Failure to comply has serious, expensive , consequences.

In the yottie sector, I have (had?) An adqual as an RYA Coastal Skipper COMMERCIAL, from a job some 25 years ago (and not needed for perhaps the last 20 years?) ...I've heard nothing about any requirement to refresh anything. Is it perhaps because the RYA quals are primarily aimed at hobbyist's?

I note at post #98 you renewed for professional reasons. Presumably not self funded then? A Tax deduction?
Many of us must now pay from our pensions!

"Best Value" the RYA SRC is very definitely not.

Bad presumption....

I've rarely found any commercially endorsed skipper who had their course fee paid unless it was under a Services Resettlement grant.

 

[lustyd]

See post #92. Its helpful if you nominate the post you are moaning about.

Yes, it’s unhelpful when you refer to other posts. Thats entirely on you though in this instance since I clearly quoted you and said nothing about the other post

 

[ylop]

If I had the old version, would they give me the new one? Presuming mine was lost, would they have records?

I see a replacement birth certificate is £12.50 (and that does last for life). Replacement RYA certificates (if they can find them) are £25.

Actually, that doesn't apply to VHF certs - they are £35 to replace or free for Gold members!

 

[billskip]

A certificate that last for life seems like remarkably good value!

Driving licence used to, until they changed it for the "card" their excuses for renewal is photo update, but I suspect that is a tad false.
However under the rules passing the Driving test does not require a refresher, unless of course one has been a little naughty.