VHF Radio licence

[wonkywinch]

Though to fit it in one day you do have to solemnly swear that you've done at least 3 (?) hours of independent study of the pre course materials, I think

The RYA say "Minimum duration 10 hours plus exam time. The exam will always be classroom based but the course can be taken in the classroom or online".

The way the schools fit everything in one day is they set 4 hours worth of homework/pre course prep and that it to learn the phonetic alphabet. Since that was something I use every day at work, I turned up for the class and the first exercise was each student reading their name out in phonetics. It was so comical hearing the substitutions, one guy said "Roger" and the instructor said "yes, carry on", the guy said, "that's it, my name is Roger".

 

[Zing]

Relevant to this question is control and enforcement. If sailing a UK registered boat in foreign waters official don't seem to show interest in inspecting the boat or operator's license. Yet they are interested in safety or crewing issues. For example a rusty Panamania ship that has not had a recent survey and is unsafe can be arrested. There are only a limited number of things the authorities can arrest for and minor transgressions of minor flag rules are not included, I think, including radio license issues. So if they can't enforce a breach, what's the point of checking for compliance.

Some nations that have specific regulations, enforceable locally for visiting foreign flagged boats like an ICC or insurance, but I'm not aware of any requirements regarding radios or radio licenses.

 

[capnsensible]

Like car driving licences really. Rarely checked anywhere...until you crash. Even if its not your fault......

 

[mjcoon]

... It was so comical hearing the substitutions, one guy said "Roger" and the instructor said "yes, carry on", the guy said, "that's it, my name is Roger".

That might have been on ISIHAC ("I'm Sorry I haven't A Clue")!

 

[capnsensible]

 

[ShinyShoe]

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.

It used to be a thing. Presumably someone had a job, funded by the installation license when you paid for it.

Now, there are two situations (in UK) it's going to be asked for:

- you've made a significant issue on 16
- you've done something bad in sailing terms and MAIB/MCA/Police/H&S are pulling your boat to pieces to find something they can pin on you.

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.... ...either someone had reported it, or the local coastguard had, i was surprised how fast someone official turned up.

I'd expect local CG. Unless the issue was so broadband it was affecting commercial radio or another agency.

He may have been unlucky. But there are ofcom guys around. They just generally are dealing with stuff that pays ££, like commercial radio stations. So if someone is nearby they may get a wee phonecall...

Add. There are stacks of marinas I've been in that won't rent you a short stay berth without proof of insurance.

I guess they are concerned you damage someone else and the someone else makes the marina pay because you didn't comply with the rules.

Not sure why a marina would need to check VHF paperwork, but I completely accept the point... If someone asks... Just show them it and get on with life... Life is too short to be a knob

 

[wonkywinch]

If someone asks... Just show them it and get on with life... Life is too short to be a knob

I wish someone would tell people like the driver in this video:

 

[capnsensible]

I wish someone would tell people like the driver in this video:

I wonder what the drivers forum name is?

 

[Mark-1]

Now, there are two situations (in UK) it's going to be asked for:

- you've made a significant issue on 16
- you've done something bad in sailing terms and MAIB/MCA/Police/H&S are pulling your boat to pieces to find something they can pin on you.
with life... Life is too short to be a knob

First case, 100% yes, and it's happened in the past.

FWIW, personally I'm a bit skeptical about the second case because we're talking about Operator's license, rather than an installation license, so they'd need to find some transmissions by the guy who did the bad thing. I bet there's never been a prosecution in relation to an operators license in those circumstances. (Other than where a radio transmission was involved in which case that's just the first case, above.)

 

[ShinyShoe]

First case, 100% yes, and it's happened in the past.

FWIW, personally I'm a bit skeptical about the second case because we're talking about Operator's license, rather than an installation license, so they'd need to find some transmissions by the guy who did the bad thing. I bet there's never been a prosecution in relation to an operators license in those circumstances. (Other than where a radio transmission was involved in which case that's just the first case, above.)

The second case is only likely if:

- they want to pin SOMETHING on you
- they can't find something better!

Perhaps you call a boat and agree to pass red to red. An accident occurs. They can't pull out the usual "failure to keep watch" because you were clearly watching as you hit the other boat! But you don't have a VHF ticket and they have clear evidence you did use it, and at that stage it wasn't an emergency...

 

[Mark-1]

The second case is only likely if:

- they want to pin SOMETHING on you
- they can't find something better!

Perhaps you call a boat and agree to pass red to red. An accident occurs. They can't pull out the usual "failure to keep watch" because you were clearly watching as you hit the other boat! But you don't have a VHF ticket and they have clear evidence you did use it, and at that stage it wasn't an emergency...

Yeah, no doubt, but the radio was involved in the incident so just another scenario of your first case.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Yeah, no doubt, but the radio was involved in the incident so just another scenario of your first case.

Yeah but it's not that you've been a complete dick on 16. So your radio use could be immaculate. It a the fact that someone is looking for something else.

Either way £70 for an exam doesn't much feel like it's worth it to leave them a chance to have you in court!

 

[awol]

So what about those that qualify to sit the exam without the course? Is it worth £70 to use DSC to chat? DSC for emergency use is not an issue.

 

[lustyd]

Is it worth £70 to use DSC to chat?

And position requests, among other things. Not that that's useful if everyone has AIS but can be handy still.

 

[wonkywinch]

So what about those that qualify to sit the exam without the course? Is it worth £70 to use DSC to chat? DSC for emergency use is not an issue.

I had exemption from the course but had never used a marine radio so unfamiliar with DSC & channel numbers used. I thought the money on the course was well worth it and I doubt I would have passed the exam without. I'd also recommend classroom courses where you get to use actual radios rather than the isolation of an online course. Either way, it's about £70 online and £80~£90 classroom plus the £70 RYA exam fee.

I've been asked for a copy of my licence on many charters, Greece, Croatia, BVI, Bahamas etc.

The people who haven't ever done a course are easily identified by their morning call on CH16 "xxx Coastguard, request radio check". On the other hand, experienced expert ex aviators like me prefer to chuck in a bit of banter when using the wireless.

 

[ShinyShoe]

I had exemption from the course but had never used a marine radio so unfamiliar with DSC & channel numbers used. I thought the money on the course was well worth it and I doubt I would have passed the exam without. I'd also recommend classroom courses where you get to use actual radios rather than the isolation of an online course. Either way, it's about £70 online and £80~£90 classroom plus the £70 RYA exam fee.

And I suspect that's the common case - I know plenty of radio amateurs who try to spark up a marine radio discussion with me - "So what frequency are you on, do you start all your calls on 156.6MHz?"

- I am not replying - "oh actually we would be on 157.85Mhz most of the time, we try to keep the chatter away from 156.6"

Likewise they won't ever have come across DSC. And there are some real oddities to how DSC behaves. Like the preferred approach is not the big red button because that's an unspecified alert!

Add to that a Mayday Relay and responding to vessels calling Mayday and some basic radio competence while useful isn't what you need to pass the exam.

The people who haven't ever done a course are easily identified by their morning call on CH16 "xxx Coastguard, request radio check".

I'm not sure that's true. Or everyone north of the Solent sits the exam and noone in the Solent does!! I think this self propagating beast is created where you hear 10 other people do it in the last half hour and you think "I don't recall being told to do it on the course, but everyone else is doing it so I need to look like I know what I'm doing" and so they do the same... In emergencies it's known as the bystander effect (people walk past people unconscious in the street because they assume if everyone else is that's OK)

You rarely hear a radio check in other places and so it doesn't self propigate.

Back when I did my course (2001?) The recommendation was to contact 67 for the solent for routine traffic. I'm not completely sure that's still an option is it? Do they have a headset on 67?

 

[finestgreen]

Back when I did my course (2001?) The recommendation was to contact 67 for the solent for routine traffic. I'm not completely sure that's still an option is it? Do they have a headset on 67?

NCI on 65 will do it

 

[wonkywinch]

Back when I did my course (2001?) The recommendation was to contact 67 for the solent for routine traffic. I'm not completely sure that's still an option is it? Do they have a headset on 67?

No idea, they are busy professionals, I hardly ever do radio checks but if I need to (eg antenna connector change) I call a marina (CH80) for rough and ready check and/or a more distant NCI station (CH65) to test the range. Calls to local coastguard, with the set invariably left on it's default high power output are pointless and check nothing really. A bit of wet string could serve as an antenna in this example so the response the caller received could be misleading when they then call for help 10 miles offshore and wonder why nobody is replying.

 

[lustyd]

Radio checks in busy areas aren’t all idiots, there are just a lot of people on a lot of boats. On any given day in the Solent there are probably 100 people installing or fixing an installation. There are likely 500 charter boats going out with uncertain quality sets, and there are literally thousands of RIBs and the like going out where the radio and antenna might have been removed for transport.
You can debate the channel being used, who they call and the way they ask but it’s likely most of them genuinely need to check the radio.

 

[mm42]

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

Oh higher, GMDSS Restricted or General Operator's Certificate (ROC or GOC)

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

SRC will do for RYA Quals, when you get into the Master 200GT and above CoCs you need an ROC or GOC, depending on the ticket.