VHF on Ebay

[Bottle_of_Rum]

I know there was alengthy thread about the VHF radios sold on Ebay.

I dropped the seller a message asking if they were legal to use in the UK? and got this Reply

"They are legal to use if your vessel is for personal / pleasure use. Only in a commericial setting, would you need technically a type-approved radio, as you need type-approved to get the commercial radio licence (or so I am told anyway). My radios are US models, which work fine in international waters (including UK), but arent type-approved. This does not make it illegal to use though in a pleasure boating scenario, and anyone who says otherwise is just trying to get you to pay higher UK-model prices.
Sincerely,"

The prices are very attractive so is there a grain of truth in the above reply?

B.O.R


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[qsiv]

False, misrepresentation, litigate!

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[salamicollie]

The Ships Radio Licence requires the equipment to be type approved (Back page Schedue 2) to the relevant standard in force at time of installation - so I guess if it is not CE marked you could be in trouble - will you get caught? for you to decide

This is one for Mike Martin...

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[bedouin]

No - it would be a criminal offence to install such a set on a UK vessel

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[tony_brighton]

definitely bogus - the equipment must be type approved to be registered on a european vessel.

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[jimbouy]

Presumably it is not illegal to sell these items or to have one in your possesion, abit like in the early days of CB radio.

Thus the people selling these sets get away with it at the users expense!!!

I still don't believe the excuses for why we pay more over here, but thats another story.

Jimbouy

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[qsiv]

I believe it is illegal to sell them

The European Community (EC) Directive on Electromagnetic Compatibility regulations, which have been adopted under UK law state

"These Regulations set out the procedures, including conformity assessment, that must be applied before radio (or telecommunications terminal) equipment can be placed on the market."

As these US radios have self evidently NOT been CE marked it is illegal to put them on the matket. It isnt illegal to buy them, but it is then illegal to INSTALL them.

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[Mike_Martin]

Gents,

This is a little tricky to comment on at the moment.

Watch this space.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[jimbouy]

Well,

A quick look at Ebay and the sellers feedback suggests there are an awful lot of illegal sets in use.

Jimbouy

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[Mike_Martin]

Except of course that he sells other stuff which isn't a problem (ie GPS, Plotters, fish finders etc).

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[jimboaw]

When the law is an ass it deserves to be ignored. If the same brand and model is sold in the UK then it is just stupid to not to take advantage of cheaper US prices. Will you be hauled up for it.? I doubt that the authorities would want to be seen as so petty and wasteful of taxpayers money on such a prosecution.

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[jimbouy]

I wasn't saying everyone had bought a vhf but flick through a few listings and then do a little guessdemation and we are talking a good few illegal sets.


Jimbouy

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[Bergman]

Dunno the answer, but disappointed that the RA cannot give a simple yes or no response.

They are, after all, the regulatory body. Presumably they will be the ones to prosecute if they are illegal, so there seems to be little chance of any successful prosecution taking place.

Perhaps this failing should be acknowledged by a reduction in the license fee.

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[jimbouy]

I am not so sure that we can entirely put the blame at the feet of the RA. IMO, from my limited and recently gathered knowledge, there are many issues,many problems at fault.

For example the International marine radio standards just aren't that, DSC has one standard in the US one in the UK.

CE approval is nothing to do with the RA.

And it certainly isn't the RA's fault that the manufacturers can't make one model that meets both/all standards and sells at the same price both sides of the pond.

However, if it is illegal to sell the US models over hear some one should tackle the seller... probably the RA.




I stand to be corrected.

Jimbouy

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[qsiv]

The answers are in the almost all of the relevant documents available from RA.

There are plenty of laws I might break, but the onus is on me to be aware of them, not for the authorities to tell me.

I'm not sure either that in a democracy one ought to pick and choose which laws one is prepared to obey - that way leads to anarchy. If the law is an ass, campaign and get it changed.

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[BrendanS]

Mike,

Not wishing to force your hand here, but there is a lot of interpretation of laws going on at the moment which is suspect. A bit like the radar reflector usage.

Can you clarify some points:

1) Radios must be CE certified?
2) Radios must be D class equivalent or above?
3) where do SC101 radios stand in UK, if with or without CE certification?

The whole issue seems to be a minefield. I thought I had a good overview of the position, but several threads recently have caused confusion in my mind, and I've read around the subject a great deal.

What is happening with the D class certification globally, and is SC101 going to be superceded by a new (different) D class, and what is that D class specification going to be...


All very confusing at the moment

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[MainlySteam]

Brendan - I am starting to think that there is going to be some change and that unless one really needs to get a new VHF, perhaps the best thing one can do, whether in the EU or outside it, is put any buying of a VHF off until it all comes clear.

Regards

John

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[Talbot]

an alternative approach is to get your boat registered in America, then you can legally use all this cheaper gear!

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[Bilgediver]

Your radio license stipulates that the radio you indicate on the application must be type approved. When you renew your licence you are supposed toadvise the authorities of additions or changes and they are supposed to pick up on non type approval...

Beware of USA look alikes as few of the icoms and Tsandards etc sold in the USA are the same as those sold here.

Although they may say suiteable for international use many default to the USA settings which results in defaulting to low power 1 watt on certain channels.

Yes if you know what you are doing you may get away with using one of these however there is also a risk of creating interference to other users should you for instance transmit on the wrong duplex pairs.

The authorities might have difficulty pursueing a case if the USA radio was a voluntary fit in addition the the type approved main station !

Beware of USA GMDSS cheepos as they are class F which is a wee bit basic and I dont think accepted here.. Basically the radio can make the digital noises to tell the world you are out of gin....but does not send all the info telling where to deliver it !!!!!

The GMDSS here are class D which when coupled to the GPS does a bit more.

Regards JoHn

<hr width=100% size=1>Chaka of Birdham MFAX

 

[BrendanS]

Coupla points here .. there is no type approval anymore, Class F hasn't been produced or sold for quite some time, I think you are confusing Class F with the SD-101 standard

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