VHF operator and ships radio licences, help

[Solosailor]

Hello.
Advice needed please.
I want to install a VHF radio on my boat, she is SSR registered but has no radio licence.
I have a 'Restricted Certificate of Competency in Radio Telephony VHF Only' dating from 1986. Is this licence now of no use, ok the photo on it is a little out of date, but do I have to take another exam ?
What paperwork must I have to enable me to fit a VHF radio ?
A simple explanantion would be greatly appreciated.
I hope to take the boat to France next year. On the inland waterways in France, DSC is prohibited, ATIS is mandatory.

 

[VicS]

Hello.
Advice needed please.
I want to install a VHF radio on my boat, she is SSR registered but has no radio licence.
I have a 'Restricted Certificate of Competency in Radio Telephony VHF Only' dating from 1986. Is this licence now of no use, ok the photo on it is a little out of date, but do I have to take another exam ?
What paperwork must I have to enable me to fit a VHF radio ?
A simple explanantion would be greatly appreciated.
I hope to take the boat to France next year. On the inland waterways in France, DSC is prohibited, ATIS is mandatory.

Your operators cert is still valid but will not cover you for DSC so you will have to take another exam.

You will need a ships radio licence for the radio
You can register and obtain this FOC on line from Ofcom.
All other bits of radio transmitting equipment ( H/H, Radar, PLB etc can all go on the same licence)

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

 

[EU_Cruiser]

On the inland waterways in France, DSC is prohibited, ATIS is mandatory.

Your source for this information?

 

[VicS]

Your source for this information?

I dont know the OP's source of info but I believe it is correct. Until 2009 ATIS requirement for pleasure craft was not enforced it is now required

Applies ITYWF to all countries who are signatories to the RAINWAT agreement

some info at
http://www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/boatingabroad/Pages/atis.aspx

 

[EU_Cruiser]

Thanks. More interested in knowing why DSC is prohibited in France.

 

[VicS]

Thanks. More interested in knowing why DSC is prohibited in France.

Not specifically France. Its use is restricted to coastal waters

 

[Solosailor]

Thank you for the information Vic.
Presumably if I use a non DSC VHF, I would not need to take an exam. Looks as though non-DSC sets are available but only handheld types.
KR, sorry I can't give you evidence for my assertion that DSC is not allowed on French waterways, but it was stated to be the case during the Permis Fluvial course that I took.

 

[rob2]

So far all the advice sounds correct. Your existing operators cerificate is valid, but not for use with a DSC set. Unfortunately for European inland waterways as you know ATIS is a requirementso you may as well fit an ATIS enabled set now. I believe there are a few models which can be switched between DSC and ATIS, thuogh not common on the UK market.

You can do an upgrade "course" to get your operators certificate upgraded, though a few years ago I found it cheaper to do a full course from scratch, presumably cheaper as there is more demand. Although they are not the controlling body, the RYA can give details of courses available in your area. The Ship's License is free and can be obtained on-line, but you'll need to give full details of the set you're fitting. An MMSI will be issued for your set with the license.

Rob.

 

[Solosailor]

Thanks Rob

 

[Digger F]

Not quite correct..... fcom will only issue an Mssi if the set to be registered has DSC which the op is not ermitted to have with a VHF lic only...it appears the RYA now have a new requirement for the DSC course ... not just a couple of hours and test

 

[EU_Cruiser]

Thank you - most interesting. Some good info here too http://www.motorboatsmonthly.co.uk/archive/general/433328/atis-the-facts

 

[prv]

The Ship's License is free and can be obtained on-line, but you'll need to give full details of the set you're fitting.

It is free, it can be obtained online, but you don't need to provide any details of the set you're fitting.

Pete

 

[Daydream believer]

I have a DSC enabled radio but i do not have to use DSC to call so the set itself is OK to use in France-
As to France not allowing DSC I wish their coastal stations would be told ,because when single handing on the East coast UK I regularly get pestered by the DSC alarm going off with the French doing a Pan Pan ????? call to issue a weather forecast
However, my Simrad VHF does not have ATIS facility
To get round this I have an exemption certificate issued by OFCOM & when abroad I am supposed to add an extra digit to the MMSI No -but have never bothered to do so as I would have to delete it on return to UK & do not need the hassle

As for needing to make a DSC call - i have made only 1 in 10 years- to Thames Coastguard- who ignored it. When I contacted them on my mobile phone ( to report an upturned dinghy drifting in the Blackwater) they confirmed that they had received the call but not bothered to reply. no reason given!!!!!

 

[bendyone]

I have a DSC set below with the aerial on the mast, for inland I use a handheld set from Force 4 (about £80) which has the ATIS number programed in. This setup suits me. You can get the ATIS number from OFFCOM and add it to your ships papers. All easily done.

 

[prv]

As to France not allowing DSC I wish their coastal stations would be told

You're confused. It's the European inland waterways that don't like DSC, not the whole of France.

I regularly get pestered by the DSC alarm going off with the French doing a Pan Pan ????? call to issue a weather forecast

I doubt they're doing an Urgency (= Pan Pan) call for a weather forecast. It will be a Safety call, the equivalent to a Sécurité.

For what it's worth, in the Solent with my new radio and aerial I regularly pick up CROSS Jobourg voice traffic, but I don't get pestered with French DSC calls. I hear they used to send a lot of them when they first got DSC kit, but no longer do so. I wonder which station near our east coast is still playing with the new toys?

However, my Simrad VHF does not have ATIS facility
To get round this I have an exemption certificate issued by OFCOM & when abroad I am supposed to add an extra digit to the MMSI No -but have never bothered to do so as I would have to delete it on return to UK & do not need the hassle

Unless your radio is very unusual, you're unlikely to be able to add and remove digits from the MMSI number used for DSC. That is fixed more or less permanently. The number they've given you is to be programmed in as your ATIS number, a facility your set doesn't have, so is pointless. I haven't seen one of these exemption certificates, but I believe it's giving you official permission to have a radio with ATIS (otherwise not allowed in UK, stupidly) which, since you don't have a radio with ATIS, is again pointless.

You're also not supposed to switch to ATIS, if you had it, "when abroad". It's only for the inland waterways system, if you're a coastal boat then you use DSC same as here.

Pete

 

[nigelmercier]

What paperwork must I have to enable me to fit a VHF radio ?

None whatsoever. The boat needs a radio licence, which is free.

However you would be advised to take the exam (a doddle) and fit a DSC set, in my view these should be mandatory in all boats.

 

[Daydream believer]

Not quite correct..... fcom will only issue an Mssi if the set to be registered has DSC which the op is not ermitted to have with a VHF lic only...it appears the RYA now have a new requirement for the DSC course ... not just a couple of hours and test

So you are saying I need a vhf certificate to have my Epirb, my PLB & my AIS transponder all of which have my MMSI No

Licence, yes I can accept --but operators certificate , are you sure ????

 

[Daydream believer]

I doubt they're doing an Urgency (= Pan Pan) call for a weather forecast.
Pete

You can doubt all you like mate but I have heard them!!!

 

[Stork_III]

So you are saying I need a vhf certificate to have my Epirb, my PLB & my AIS transponder all of which have my MMSI No

Licence, yes I can accept --but operators certificate , are you sure ????

Having a Ship's Radio License issued is not dependant on having an DSC operator's license. Using a DSC radio without the DSC Operator's License is technically illegal except in an emergency.

 

[Stork_III]

You can doubt all you like mate but I have heard them!!!

Last year CROSS Cap Gris Nez were putting out DSC alarms for weather announcements, probably as "All Ships " but Inever bothered to look. Hopefully they have stopped this year.