VHF Handheld - License Explained?

lenten said:
...for safety sake i was thinking of buying a vhf---the only use would be a mayday---surely i could manage that without a course
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That would be perfectly proper and legal. No problem. You can of course listen as much as you like -- very useful for weather and nav bulletins.

However, I would suggest you bone up on radio procedure. There's bound to be plenty of stuff on line. There are several elements to this, the most obvious being the voice protocol -- all that "over" and "out" stuff. (The two are never used together, incidentally, except in bad drama.) Then there's channel use: Ch16 should be kept clear for emergencies as much as practicable, but if you're true to your word that's all you'll be using it for to transmit. If the set is new, it'll be DSC-enabled. You might consider linking it to a GPS so that it can send DSC maydays.

And RTFM. More than once. ;)

You might have trouble doing a radio check, but maybe a certified friend can help?

If you're a member of a sailing club you might find that your club (or a sister club) offers relatively cheap SRC courses from time to time.

And if you do all that, be prepared to be staggered by the banality of some of the radio use you'll hear.
 
You could, stealthy skipper. No one will put you up against a wall etc.

But what if someone was in trouble, and you were nearby? CG might call you 'unidentified sailing boat close to x' and ask you to stand by, until the cavalry arrived? Duty of care? Camaraderie of the sea?

Be familiar with the use of your vhf so that you can do your best when the time comes.
 
EdWingfield said:
You could, stealthy skipper. No one will put you up against a wall etc.

But what if someone was in trouble, and you were nearby? CG might call you 'unidentified sailing boat close to x' and ask you to stand by, until the cavalry arrived? Duty of care? Camaraderie of the sea?
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1. There's nothing stealthy about what lenten proposes. It's completely legit.

2. That might just come under the heading of "emergency". Unless the world's even more insane than I thought, of course he could use his VHF to help. There have been reports of unqualified crew, even kids, making maydays on behalf of disabled skippers. The issue of certification never arises.
 
In the OfCom brochure linked above, it states that a Ships radio license is required to install, and if a competency certificate is held, use maritime radio equipment.
Theoretically listening is using.

What you should consider are the consequences of unlicensed use. In an emergency, yours our others that you might help with, everyone, OfCom included, would rather you broke the law. Penalties for unlicensed use start with a slapped wrist and an address of the next available course. Persistent, nuisance use will result in the equipment being confiscated and potentially large fines. Pushing it even further and they might just lock you up and throw away the key.
So, go ahead, do what you suggest, but stop a bit shy of using it as your own Radio Caroline.
 
1. I'd have thought to travel 'incognito' ie without mobile is stealthy and completely his free choice. Good luck to him.

2. His intention only to use vhf for his own maydays is a pity.

Rage not at me Mr Mac, I think we are on the same side.
 
EdWingfield said:
2. His intention only to use vhf for his own maydays is a pity.

Rage not at me Mr Mac, I think we are on the same side.
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Not raging Ed, but perhaps I misunderstood you a little, so sorry if I gave that impression. I suspect lenten's statement about only using for his own maydays was an accident of brevity, or of not having fully thought it through -- which I daresay he might revise having read recent posts.
 
macd said:
If the set is new, it'll be DSC-enabled. You might consider linking it to a GPS so that it can send DSC maydays.
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And there's the rub. To use DSC it needs a MMSI and that needs a licence but at least that is free and a call-sign comes too. Beware buying used DSC sets on fleabay etc. - the cost of changing the MMSI can be considerable. Old VHF voice-only sets are cheap as chips.
 
Dougal Tolan said:
Theoretically listening is using.
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The relevant instrument is the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006. Throughout it refers to "broadcasting" rather than using. By that test listening may well be OK (assuming a valid ship's licence was held).
(I'd certainly add the caveat that I'm very far from a lawyer, so other views may very well prevail.)

There's also this on a NI govt website (Google seems to like NI for boating matters):
A Short Range Certificate licenses the operator to use the VHF radio. You must not send general transmissions on VHF without one. [my bolds].

Incidentally, if you're going to get nicked for broadcasting, do it near home: you can only get six months rather than 12 down south ;)
 
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Prosecutions don't happen. For that you need evidence that'll stand up in Court - and that is impossible.

In my old manor, we had a hoaxter in a car, calling a fishing boat mayday inshore below the car park.

The lifeboat launched and got a bearing on the transmission. A helicopter identified a car on that bearing. The cops visited and found a marine vhf in the car.

'Not me mate, somebody else.'

No court case.
 
Having heard all the VHF stuff for North Wales I feel it is not worth the cost of the course. If the is a true emergency as has been said anyone can use a VHF radio for that.

The same boats seem to call the coastguard for a radio check most days. Some regulars call their mates for a chat, usually the do change channel.
 
If you sail without a mobile - or a vhf - you are going to have a hard time entering some marina/barrages etc ( ie Milford, Cardiff, Swansea etc )
I don't care too much about mobiles - but I would not sail without a vhf, both fixed and handheld !

I did mine ten years back and it was cheap - local council ( Bristol ) - about £50.
 
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