VHF Radio licence

Mark-1 said:
Yeah. There are plenty of places where the HM is on a handheld at sea level or as close as makes no odds with land between him and the open sea. The Mobile Phone Mast will certainly be on high ground.

I think in the last 10 years the reliability of VHF and mobile phone have reversed and mobile is more reliable inshore than VHF.

I've actually lost track of what we're all squabbling about now, but I'm enjoying it. :)
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For safety at sea, a mobile phone is vaguely useful. But you only talk to one person. The vhf is a net. Plus, of course, if phones were so good, the 600 odd thousand commercial vessels world wide would be using them. It has always seemed to me kinda selfish to ignore maritime comms for everything from emergency messages, collision avoidance, weather reports, yadda yadda. But not everyone understands seamanship. However much they are entitled to do so....
 
Roberto said:
The Sailor! I remember it came with ch16 and a couple of others and one had to buy separate quartzes for any additional channels :)
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Quite a few radios back then used Xtals, always came as a pair for transmit and receive. It was usually Simrad VHF we installed along with the Sailor MF radio telephones.

We use VHF for getting the lock gates to be operated for us, usually it is the one channel for a number of locks in a section, the rising bridge near the end of our canal is owned by the factory beside the canal, their car park is on one side and the factory on the other, that is a telephone call to get them to raise the bridge.
For marinas I have used both GSM and VHF to get a berth, usually it is GSM while we are still hours away to book the berth and then VHF to get the details when we are close.

capnsensible said:
For safety at sea, a mobile phone is vaguely useful. But you only talk to one person. The vhf is a net. Plus, of course, if phones were so good, the 600 odd thousand commercial vessels world wide would be using them. It has always seemed to me kinda selfish to ignore maritime comms for everything from emergency messages, collision avoidance, weather reports, yadda yadda. But not everyone understands seamanship. However much they are entitled to do so....
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With the implementation of the VDES system for commercial shipping using VHF for satellite and ship to shore "highspeed" data transfer, real time updating of charts etc.
Now I do wonder if the new NMEA network protocols will be integrated into that, not looked into that yet.
 
capnsensible said:
So why are you scared of radios and maritime safety? Seems a bit odd.
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I don't think he's scared of radios - he's scared of admitting that if you are going to be permitted to broadcast radio waves that it might be a good idea to have controls on who, how and what is permitted, and consequently have to prove you are not completely and utterly clueless. I can't work out if he has an SRC and is objecting to the cost and quality of the training OR if he doesn't have one is declaring it unnecessary. The later seems a particularly bold move in foreign lands where marine paperwork seems to matter a lot more; the former seems to ignore the convenience that having an international agreement has brought.

In any case he seemed to be arguing for the sake of it, when having declared radios should be as easy to use as smartphones, he was pointed to one that was used from your smartphone and then he said he didn't need it!
 
Ylop except in an emergency when you can just pick the thing up and say help we are sinking/bloke is dead etc.
The people on the other end are professional and will guide you through the process.
 
Mister E said:
Ylop except in an emergency when you can just pick the thing up and say help we are sinking/bloke is dead etc.
The people on the other end are professional and will guide you through the process.
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The back of a fag packet they use for training must be simply enoooormous.
 
Mister E said:
Ylop except in an emergency when you can just pick the thing up and say help we are sinking/bloke is dead etc.
The people on the other end are professional and will guide you through the process.
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I'm not sure what your point was - I haven't suggested anything to the contrary. However:
  • VHF Radio's aren't hugely intuitive, what do you think the odds are of someone with zero training are on picking up the radio, and making a transmission which goes out, is on the right channel and is sufficiently understood. They aren't complex, but take mine, the squelch and volume/on knob are on the same dial. Newbies I've asked to turn it on often turn the squelch up in the process.
  • Lift the red flap and press the button is advice I've heard often. Actually it should be hold the button - for 5 secs.
  • Panicked users don't always release the PTT - then the whole system is near useless
  • "Help we are sinking" WILL get a response, but a sensibly structured, clearly delivered Mayday message will have resources on their way whilst the "Help we are sinking" is still being talked through how to find their GPS location, confirming numbers on board, type of vessel etc.
  • If you are in foreign lands accents and language barriers exacerbate the problem - a logically structured message can help the recipient work out what you said.
  • The system assumes that others who hear your message will come to your aid or at the least pass the message on - without training I doubt anyone is quite clear on who/when to reply if they do hear a distress call from another vessel go unanswered.
  • Your confidence making or responding to a distress call will be a lot higher if you are familiar with using the radio in normal times. That requires a license.
Mister E said:
All day to learn how to say help.
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Mister E said:
How long is the course to learn how to press the red button?
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Both are covered on the same course. Ah are you one of the people who refuses to believe there is anything they could possibly learn on a course which takes much longer than they expect! Is it possible the course has a bit more content than "how to say help" and "how to press the red button"? Perhaps you should go on the course and see! I believe some who are "already experts" in marine comms say you can actually do the online course in 4 hrs... presumably they don't need the full hour to do the exam either.
 
Daydream believer said:
But done properly it is not just a case of blindly pressing a red button is it.
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Especially not on something like the SH GX6000 - the most prominent red button will turn it off! I can't remember if the one under the flap is actually red or its just the cover! The one on the fist mike will make the radio switch to Ch16 (good) and display the word "Distress" which might make an inexperienced user think it has sent / is sending a distress message!
 
ylop said:
I don't think he's scared of radios - he's scared of admitting that if you are going to be permitted to broadcast radio waves that it might be a good idea to have controls on who, how and what is permitted, and consequently have to prove you are not completely and utterly clueless. I can't work out if he has an SRC and is objecting to the cost and quality of the training OR if he doesn't have one is declaring it unnecessary. The later seems a particularly bold move in foreign lands where marine paperwork seems to matter a lot more; the former seems to ignore the convenience that having an international agreement has brought.

In any case he seemed to be arguing for the sake of it, when having declared radios should be as easy to use as smartphones, he was pointed to one that was used from your smartphone and then he said he didn't need it!
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Oooooh! I have a license! From 20 years ago.

You want the argument, methinks.
 
capnsensible said:
For safety at sea, a mobile phone is vaguely useful. But you only talk to one person. The vhf is a net. Plus, of course, if phones were so good, the 600 odd thousand commercial vessels world wide would be using them. It has always seemed to me kinda selfish to ignore maritime comms for everything from emergency messages, collision avoidance, weather reports, yadda yadda. But not everyone understands seamanship. However much they are entitled to do so....
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So what?
 
Alicatt said:
Yes as the radios use ATIS and are of low power without the features of the DSC enabled radios.
At sea you can use DSC, I had to get my radios reprogrammed for the VDES channels for 1st Jan 2024 as that became a legal requirement.

I'm a licenced ham radio operator and have been since 1980.
In the early 1970's I also installed serviced and repaired marine radios for ships/boats, but back then I did not have a radio licence and had to call on one of my colleagues who had a restricted ticket to come and test the radio installation after I had finished the install, on the training course at Decca Radar Ltd. we all brought up the fact that those of us in the class were the only ones trained on the radios but we could not actually transmit on them :)

It was a bit of nostalgia when I stepped on board our new to us boat and seen the radios same as I installed in the 1970s
View attachment 189068
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This is so beautiful :love:
 
No argument from me but this subject does seem to get some people on their high horses.


So how about a quick explanation of how to press the red button.
As in the type you give to your passengers.
 
Mister E said:
.
So how about a quick explanation of how to press the red button.
As in the type you give to your passengers.
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I attached a laminated sheet (with practical procedure, mmsi, phonetic alphabet, etc) in the toilets at eye's height, both my daughters learned it all when they were 5-6yo and 15 year later still know it by heart. :)

IMG_20220630_223113_1CS_copy_599x410.jpg

PS The red button is activated with two presses, a first short one, then a second longer one to confirm.

This appears after the first press
IMG_20210624_204722_6_copy_612x349.jpg
 
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