BEST IN CLASS

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A licence to operate VHF radio, either fixed or handheld, is a legal requirement, but more importantly knowing HOW to use your radio might just be a

In his iconic book ‘Life on Earth’ charting the development of our world, Sir David Attenborough describes humans as ‘compulsive communicators’. However, the original version of this wonderful work was very much a product of the mid to late 1970s, before the rise of mobile phones and other easy to use forms of contacting each other, as today we have come to expect instant communication, wherever we are, even when we are out on our boats.

For the vast majority of leisure boaters around our coasts, for much of the time we are still within visual contact of the shore, so may have mobile phone coverage, which is great if you want to chat with friends, but is a poor substitute for a properly set up VHF radio set.

These Diary pages have already featured the technology that underpins the modern VHF marine radio set, but for the user this really is a case of ‘never having it so good’! You can walk into almost any marina chandlery and, without spending a great deal of money, walk back out with a high-quality radio that is heavy on features and light on power consumption.

Take A Course

Having the set, though, is only half the situation, as to use a ship-based VHF in UK waters you need to have passed an exam that will check your proficiency and will allow you to be issued with a Short Range VHF Licence (one of a number of licence options but this is the one that is appropriate to the vast majority of leisure boaters).

Getting the all-important licence is hardly an onerous task, as it is only a day long course which then leads on to the RYA exam. Without a doubt the easiest option to sail through the process is to sign up with one of the many excellent sailing schools who offer the Short Range VHF course, as here you will be learning as part of a group.

It has long been accepted that ‘shared learning’ is not just a very effective way of taking on board a new subject but by ensuring that it stays fun as well, you have a good chance of retaining what you have been taught (an important factor that we will return to!). With the benefit of having run the courses many times, sailing schools have developed their training packages to the point that the interest (and the learning) is maintained without becoming either boring nor stressful.

Online Option

However, not everyone has easy access to a school, or might find it difficult to dedicate a full day to taking the course, with the option then being to take the equally excellent RYA online course. For anyone used to using their laptop or PC for Teams or Zoom calls, the online course allows the sailor to ‘dip in’ to the modules as required and to practice making the allimportant calls just as one would in the classroom setting.

The syllabus for both the classroom based and online course is the RYA Book G31, the RYA VHF Handbook. Copies of this are included with the course fee and it is a useful ‘aide memoire’, whilst for those taking the online option, G31 is available as an E-Book from the RYA Shop.

A word to the wise here; even RYA members will need to create an online presence then download the RYA’s E-Book app. For those who are used to internet purchases being instantaneous, it can take several hours for a newly purchased E-Book to show in your app.

The syllabus itself is a clever mix of background information, which explains just how things work as they do, then the ‘hands-on’ practical advice needed to ensure that users do not only operate their radios correctly, but do so in a manner that when the need for help is imperative, all the information needed to get assistance is transmitted in a clear and understandable format.

The use of a clever mnemonic, MIPDANIO – Mayday, Identity, Position, Distress, Assistance, Numbers - of people at risk, Information, Over, or an abbreviated form for urgent but not distress calls could just be a life saver!

It has been mentioned before and will be repeated now (“I say again” - one of the phrases you will learn) that this is not just about passing the exam, as one day, without warning, you may just have to do this for real. When there is a genuine emergency developing onboard is not the time to be trying to remember what to do next or how to attract the right help to the right place!

After The Course

With the course complete, either in the classroom or at home, the reward for your efforts will be a completion certificate from the RYA which, when graced with a passport sized photo (and proof of identity) will allow you to progress to taking the final exam. Although you have to pay separately for this, the school where you took your course (or arranged your online option) will arrange the test, which comes in two parts.

The first part is the written paper, itself in two parts which will make you think, but there is nothing in there that has not been fully covered by the syllabus and the training. Once that has been handed in and marked, you can progress on to the practical aspect of the exam, where you will be tasked to conduct a number of calls on the school’s test sets, which are not connected to the airwaves. They are arranged in such a way that you can work through the various scenarios, more importantly getting to operate the red ‘distress’ key!

Again, MIPDANIO is your guide to successfully working through the test with the good news that the exam is marked in real time, so an hour after you start you should be fully legal and safely able to operate the radio on your boat.

Radio Licence

However, there is one more thing you will need and that is to organise a radio licence for your boat, with these being administered by Ofcom. In a world where very little comes without a price tag, the good news is that these are free. A simple online application will get you your licence, complete with the all important MMSI number and your unique call sign.

Whilst this is the time for that lovely glow of satisfaction that comes from happily passing through the course process and exam, the real prize is that knowledge of what you need to do when something goes badly wrong. Here at All at Sea we can but trust that it never will, but should the unthinkable happen, you will be well schooled to get the help you need as quickly as possible.

Many thanks to all of the team at Solent Boat Training at Shamrock Quay for their help and guidance with this issue!