vhf dsc course

anyone know where the vhf course can be done in the northwest. i got a phone number from the coastgaurd in spring but everytime i phoned the feller said " in a fortnight", this went on for most of the summer with no course happening :x
cheers steve

Steve, try the National Fishery College in Greencastle on 074-81068/81099. I did a vhf course there some years back. I'd say they still do them, if not they will put you on to who does.

Hi Steve T

Will you please post here how you get on, who does it, where etc. as I need to do it myself and I am living in Mayo so Donegal is not too bad, so long as its not north Donegal! :lol:

Thanks

All you need to know is here:

http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Marine/Maritime ... -examiners

You might want something like this as well....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VH-F-DSC-RADIO-CO ... dZViewItem

http://www.bim.ie/templates/text_conten ... ode_id=305

http://www.bim.ie/uploads/text_content/ ... ations.pdf

I guess looking at the pdf above most recreational anglers would be looking at a Class IV vessel (<12m) operating in Area A1 and A2, meaning you need the GMDSS Long Range Certificate.

I hear it's a 2 day course, ?150. Then another ?100 for the licence fee from 2006 onwards - but at least it's for life as far as I hear.

Trying to get time to do it myself....

Last edited by x on Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

And while we're on the subject of DSC, anyone recommend from experience a good make or model. Or equally one to avoid like the plague?

Last edited by cobh-skipper on Fri May 26, 2006 9:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks for the info folks. Kieran, ill let you know when i find a course going in the area, did you get a boat yet? Also i read that silva are recalling some of its early sets, someone hit the distress button and nothing happened!
cheers steve

Steve, can you let me know also ?

Will do hrock, will get on the case in the new year
cheers steve

hello ppl,

received these details on courses for various areas.

1. JOHN ROBERTS,
WEST GALWAY SCHOOL OF NAVIGATION,
BUNOWEN PIER,
AILLEBRACK,
BALLYCONNEELY,
CO. GALWAY.

TEL: 095-23569,FAX: 095-23001,EMAIL:john@serioussailing.com,WEBSITE:www.serioussailing.com

2. CORMAC MC GINLEY,
B.I.M. COASTAL TRAINING UNITS

MOB: 087-4158352

3. BOB WALSH,
B.I.M.,

MOB: 087-6837134

4. BERNARD MC MULLEN,
B.I.M.,

MOB: 087-2379778

5. TONY WRIGHT,
IRISH SAILING ASSOCIATION,
#3 PARK ROAD,
DUN LAOIGHAIRE,
CO. DUBLIN.

TEL: 01-2800239, FAX: 01-2807558, EMAIL:ton@sailing.ie, WEBSITE: http://www.sailing.ie

Personal Survival Techniques course (STCW)
Elementary First Aid. (STCW))
Radio VHF. DSC Modules 1 & 2. plus an upgrading course from Restricted
licence & Module (1) to DSC Module (2).
Coastal & Offshore Navigation. ISA & DCM&NR Coastal skipper & Offshore
skipper.

Training is normally carried out at our training centre in Inniscarra,
however if the required numbers are available, and as we have a mobile
licence we can travel if required by arrangement. Scheduled courses are
posted on our website as they come available, the address is
http://homepage.eircom.net/~bluewatert I would appreciate if this
information could be passed on to your members, if there is any cost
involved please let me know.

Regards Brain.

Capt. Brian Smith.
Bluewater Training,
Gurteen, Inniscarra.
Co. Cork. Ireland.
Tel 353217332005
Email <mailto:bluewatert@eircom.net> bluewatert@eircom.net

http://www.bowwaves.com

Greencastle (Donegal) fisheries school run vhf courses and a host of other safety ones, i did the powerboat, sea survival, first aid and firefighting at sea and they were all well run and practical. If we got a a group of about six or seven of us they would run a vhf course, would need to find out costs.

Pete

Where is Greencastle, is it Donegal town or somewhere else ?
if not to far up id be interested
cheers steve

Steve, Greencastle is about as far north as it gets. There is another lot in Letterkenny that do the training - see the list as posted above.

hi all,7 of us done the dsc course over two days,in the training unit in dunmore-east,well worth it,the course was run by bim based in dunlaoire,and the training unit is moved around the country to lots of other destinations,175 euro well spent,and 3.50 a year after that for the licence,any more info on this pm me,the course included module 1 and 2,all the best dezzer.....................

Call me thick..(and it wouldnt be the first time) But what is this course for? What is the situation regarding having and operating a VHF radio in this country?

Anybody using a VHF radio must have a licence. All craft with a radio on board must register to get a callsign ( E.g.: IE6555). The coastguard may ask for your callsign when you are in conact with them. You also have an account so you can make ship to shore phone calls! This might've been handy pre-mobile phone. In practice many operate without either.

DSC (digital selective calling) is the new VHF. They tell us that they (coastguard) will stop listening to normal VHF some time in the future.
Some info here: http://www.sailing.ie/inside/default.asp?pageId=226
And here: http://www.iwai.ie/boating/vhf/index.html

I am going to presume that most people, seeing as they work without it dont actually bother with this. It is something I would like to do however, I presume you only have to do the course the once?

Theoretically you could be done for using a VHF without an operators cert or a ships licence.
I've never heard of that happening. I personally enjoyed doing the course and its good to have a callsign. I haven't looked in upgrading my cert to DSC. A change in radio will be time enough.

hi lads,sorry i did not mean to open a can of worms,i for one found it very enjoyable,and did learn alot,things you would take for granted,it makes listening to the radio much easier,to answer petekd,s question you do only have to do the course once,and renew the licence every year at a cost of euro 3.50,if you have done the basic course,then its only euro 75.00 a one day course to upgrade to dsc,and in the event of an emergency(god forbid) it will help when you press that dsc button.all the best dezzer............