VHF RADIO QUESTION

[Mohawk]

Yes it was ofcom....please see link below

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/ ... /maritime/

It is a ship radio license not a cb license.

there is a 9 digit MMSl number on the license they issued me with.

And as I said you need to read some more like for example this paragraph taken from the link you posted

"Although the licence "disc" is no longer issued, the licence, relevant Maritime Radio Operator’s Certificate of Competence and valid Authority to operate must be kept with or near to the licensed radio equipment where it is physically practicable to do so. These documents must accompany the radio equipment when the vessel is taken abroad."


relevant Maritime Radio Operator’s Certificate of Competence = the aforementioned SRC modules 1 & 2

[GERARDPPM]

i never disputed the fact with you that you need those certificates

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/ ... /of19a.pdf

4.1 International legal requirement
Even if your radio is covered by a valid WT Act
licence, you may not use it for general transmissions
until:
• you have passed the relevant examination and
possess a valid operator's certificate and authority to
operate; or
• you are under the direct and personal supervision of
someone who has done so. (This requirement
applies to all ports and marinas, as well as vessels,
that use radio equipment with access to
international maritime frequencies.)

However, you can still monitor the radio for safety
purposes or use it to summon assistance in a distress
situation, without one.

[Mohawk]

i never disputed the fact with you that you need those certificates

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/ ... /of19a.pdf

4.1 International legal requirement
Even if your radio is covered by a valid WT Act
licence, you may not use it for general transmissions
until:
• you have passed the relevant examination and
possess a valid operator's certificate and authority to
operate; or
• you are under the direct and personal supervision of
someone who has done so. (This requirement
applies to all ports and marinas, as well as vessels,
that use radio equipment with access to
international maritime frequencies.)

However, you can still monitor the radio for safety
purposes or use it to summon assistance in a distress
situation, without one.

The funny thing about that is legally you can't have the equipment in you possession without a license and you can't get a license without the operators cert, but they don't enforce it usually but believe it or not the time you will be in hot water without a licence is during a distress situation, especially if there is a fatality during an incident that you were involved in, even as a good samaritan helping to rescue the casualty, everything has to be recorded and loged and you may be be called to an official enquiry afterwards and your going to be asked there to produce your cert and license etc


Now you see why it is impossible to get a callsign (license ) and an MMSI with out first giving your SRC number..

The £20 UK license is the same as our €30 lifetime license what that is, up until a few years ago we had to renew our license annually it cost peanuts, from memory last annual one I paid was like €3.40 the outgoing administration costs were more than the licence fees collected so they cut their loses and issued a lifetime of the vessel license for €30 for existing licences or €100 for a new license.. that is the lifetime of the boat in the licensee's ownership

[hugo]

My one gripe is that some of the course providers supply a course that is at best Mickey Mouse with Mickey Mouse equipment that's not even GMDSS spec There is only one course provider that I would recommend in ROI and that is BIM either their collages or there coastal training units (CTU). If you are going to spend money on a course why not do a proper one that will teach you some very useful information rather than some guy with a Mickey Mouse course just after your money

Thanks for the warning Mohawk, it confirms my suspicion that the regulations maze is more about generating revenue than safety at sea. In this era of automated comms, a simpler system for leisure boats is easily possible. I'll stick to the mobile phone.

[GERARDPPM]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... king16.htm

licenses, certificates or none of the latter, it just shows you should have a radio nevertheless, the authorities can ask questions later. It just might save your life.

[Vitamin Sea]

If you cant afford the time, the travel or the cost of completing the SRC2 then common sense would see you install your radio but only use it in an emergency. Get a friend with a callsign to do the initial radio-check for you and periodically thereafter.
The course and license has three main purposes.
The first is to ensure that you can communicate effectively and efficiently the nature of your distress by voice and see it through to a favorable outcome.
The second is for identification. The Coastguard will have your details on file so that by giving them your callsign, they know what size, type of boat you have, how many passengers could potentially be on-board and where you normally operate from. This they can relay to the lifeboat or inshore rescue unit.
The third purpose is for you to benefit from the DSC alert functionality. This is a huge timesaver particularly for small boat skippers who may not have crew to deal with the emergency while he operates the radio.
You can read up and benefit from the first feature above but by not being licensed, you exclude yourself from the other two.

[Security man]

I agree entirely.

I had to complete the VHF SRC 1&2 before I got my "CERTIFICATE". The course is 2 days, was in Dublin and I also had to put myself up overnight, as well as the cost of the course and meals etc.
It was very well worth it though.

I then had to fork out another €100 to obtain a "LICENCE" - which gets you an MMSI number.

A "Certificate" and a "Licence" are two different things.
If you own a VHF Marine radio (whether you use it or not is irrelevant) you must have a Certificate (of competence).
Once you have this, THEN you can apply for a 'Licence' (which is not compulsory).
The advantage of going the extra mile and forking out the final €100 for the licence, is your vessel is then registered with the Coast guard and you get issued an MMSI number - which enables you to then make full use of the radios capabilities, such as DSC.
DSC is useless if you have no MMSI number, as this is what is actually transmitted by the radio in the event of an emergency.
Sometimes, depending on the emergency, you may have jst enough time to hit the 'panic button', but not send out a voice distress message. That extra €100 could make the difference between you coming back here to tell us the story or not...

[screeming reels]

Hi Geradppm,
Interesting discussion, i currently fly the coastguard helicopter out of waterford, and have been involved in SAR for 25 years.
I am not going to preach to you , as you have your mind made up about this matter, but take this as food for thought.
I had a licence to operate, HF, VHF, UHF, FM radio comms, but i still went and got my licence through the BIM courses ( very good they are too)
It was suprising how much" i thought i knew" about radio comms, until i did the course.
One thing that came across loud and clear, excuse the pun, was , when asked, how many people doing the course could not put out a correct PAN call or MAYDAY call, many thought they could do it, but failed miserably, and that was in a classroom , and not under any stress.( it is not just a question of shouting for help!!)
It is VITAL to aid the rescue services that they get the correct and concice details of your problems and position etc, many times we have ended up in the wrong place due to incorrect information passed by bad radio calls. Plus, if the correct message is not passed, the coastguard can spend valuable time trying to assertain what really is going on, they do get a lot of hoax calls etc.
Doing the course also installs a radio discipline, many times during a rescue mission we have been interupted by people " having a chat " on channel 16 beacuse they do not understand radio distress protocol, this all hinders what might be your rescue!
To conclude, i am not bothered as to if you want to do the correct thing or not,thats your perogative, and yes, to have a vhf radio on the boat is better than none at all or a mobile.
I hope you never need to call on the rescue agencies , but i am sure you might be a little miffed if they were unable to answer your call because they had,nt done the course on how to rescue you! we all have to help each other.
regards
screeming

[The Austrian]

I'll stick to the mobile phone.

well, I don't assume you price your life against the cost for properly equipped safety devices - or should I? After reading through all the posts on this thread I can only reassure you that every rusty cent spent on safety gear is worth a thousand times more than the equivalent of lost, sad and lonely years in grief and sorrow your loved ones would have to face after your demise. It just happens too often, decisions are made light-hearted and it's too late to regret it when it should come to the worst. Just my 2 cents worth, but think again, please.

[Peter Kinsella]

Yes, do be aware that mobile telephone coverage at sea is patchy at best. Some places, not so far from shore, have zero coverage. Also there are the potential problems of power drain, wetting, call credit and loss overboard in an emergency.
Fixed VHF is the safest way to go. VHF CH16 will always provide assistance. A VHF with DSC and registered with your MMSI is, by far, the best and safest choice. A one button push will tell the coast guard who you are and where you are (if interfaced with a chartplotter).

P

[twinkle]

there is no price on a life lost i also got a marine radio with my boat iv used it once to talk to another boat out before me wouldent know how to make a disstress call on it but i will do the bim course during the winter and be ready next season there is also a gps system on board
havent a breeze and a fishfinder that i just switch on and it stays atthat setting what im saying is you can spend thousands on equipment why not learn how to use it properly and legally i have a lot of safety stuff on board life buays lifejackets flares hopfully i will never get to try them out but if i need them i need to know how to use them correctly thats why i suggest take the course.i know you probley see it as another expense and unnessary but its the way it is theres no short cuts with this.

[peter97]

very intresting guys,and a lot of info there,my thanks to you all.