VHF Radio licence

[Seegull]

Hello,
Is it totally necessary to have a VHF Radio licence?
RYA Marine Radio Short Range Certificate (SRC).

How about if your boat is under a Polish or Dutch flag?

Thanks

 

[Bobc]

These days, most of the people you hear using a vhf seem to have little or no idea, so I suspect there are a large number of people using them without a license, and who is checking or upholding it? Nobody as far as I can tell.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Hello,
Is it totally necessary to have a VHF Radio licence?
RYA Marine Radio Short Range Certificate (SRC).

How about if your boat is under a Polish or Dutch flag?

Thanks

It is a legal requirement that both the vhf radio, and the operator, are separately licensed. The SRC applies to the operator. So for someone to operate a VHF without having the licences is a technical breach of the law (except in a distress situation or under the direction of a licence holder onboard at the time) . That said, in UK waters there is minimal chance of being checked.

My own view is that the training that precedes the SRC, which instructs you how to use the radio effectively, is a vital piece of knowledge that could save your life one day.

 

[Roberto]

How about if your boat is under a Polish or Dutch flag?

The licence and MMSI number must be issued by the Telecom National authority of the country of register (Poland or Netherlands), they would also participate in the SAR chain should need be, epirb and all. Beware of people selling OfCom/UK licences (which among other things are free) for boats of every possible flag, just saying

 

[Momac]

 

[justanothersailboat]

Is it totally necessary? well - if you transmit for non distress purposes then it's a legal requirement, though apparently not an enforced one in most of the country. Whether that matters to you depends on what you do. If you want to go to harbours and marinas it would be a nuisance to be without. If you keep your boat on a buoy and mostly use it for day trips, or overnight anchoring, in quiet areas then in practice you might go for a long time without actually needing it. If you sail in areas near harbours (and that's going to be most of us), even if you don't go there you do need to be able to monitor the local VTS channel. In practice it's not much bother or expense to get a license, but if you're buying a first boat and you're not going to need it straight away, I don't think it's an obstacle. There's also nothing in the training you can't easily pick up from a quick read of the book.

(I didn't let not having a certificate stop me getting a boat, I just didn't do trips that would require me to transmit on the radio until I'd got the license in. I'm sure I'm not the only one.)

 

[Bobc]

I'm curious. Has anyone on here ever been asked for their vhf license? in 40-odd years, I've never been asked, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

 

[capnsensible]

I'm curious. Has anyone on here ever been asked for their vhf license? in 40-odd years, I've never been asked, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

Yup. East Cowes marina. Some time ago.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I'm curious. Has anyone on here ever been asked for their vhf license? in 40-odd years, I've never been asked, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

Yes, but not in the UK. Chartering in Croatia you have to produce it.

 

[Davy_S]

I'm curious. Has anyone on here ever been asked for their vhf license? in 40-odd years, I've never been asked, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

Some years ago i was a member of a small boat fishing club (100 boats) one day a members radio made a loud buzzing noise whenever he transmitted, we were used to the radios picking up the ticking from a paper sounder, but this was different, very audible buzzing, when the boats came to the beach ready to be recovered by tractors, the ministry type officials were there waiting, the knew exactly which boat was responsible, he had his licence checked, got bollocked, and was told not to use the radio till it was fixed, so either someone had reported it, or the local coastguard had, i was surprised how fast someone official turned up.

 

[lustyd]

Yup. East Cowes marina. Some time ago.

Who presumably didn't actually have the authority to ask. I certainly wouldn't show my certs to a marina.

View attachment 169144

The burden of proof will be on them to show that you were operating it for non-emergency purposes which would be a real challenge to show beyond doubt.

 

[Momac]

The burden of proof will be on them to show that you were operating it for non-emergency purposes which would be a real challenge to show beyond doubt.

I guess so. Just quoting Ofcom.

 

[Bobc]

This is why the British never got on well in the EU. We love abiding by the rules to the letter. Others shrug their shoulders and carry on.

 

[finestgreen]

I'm curious. Has anyone on here ever been asked for their vhf license? in 40-odd years, I've never been asked, either in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

I think I had to show my SRC to charter a boat in the UK

 

[Bobc]

I think I had to show my SRC to charter a boat in the UK

I was really talking about "officials", like Ofcom, harbourmasters, etc.

 

[lustyd]

I guess so. Just quoting Ofcom.

Yes you were definitely correct, but for some reason this stuff isn't considered as serious as, say, an electric scooter where we come down hard on those 8 year old criminals before they get out of hand

 

[Sticky Fingers]

You also require the SRC for commercial endorsement of any RYA certificates.

 

[justanothersailboat]

I thought we (legally) needed a different license for commercial?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

That’s not necessarily the same thing. It doesn’t extend the vessel size or operating area, ‘commercial endorsement’ means that your RYA qualification eg Day Skipper or PB2 or Yachtmaster, allows you to operate certain vessel type/size commercially eg for charter. That’s not the same as a professional seafarer in shipping. If you need a merchant navy seafarer’s radio operator licence then the SRC isn’t suitable. There’s a ‘Long Range Certificate’ which may apply but I’ve no idea what paperwork a merchant ship might require.

 

[Bobc]

Yes you were definitely correct, but for some reason this stuff isn't considered as serious as, say, an electric scooter where we come down hard on those 8 year old criminals before they get out of hand

Electric scooters run into people and injure them, and run into cars and damage them. What damage are you going to cause by using a vhf without a license?