© Australian Communications and MediaAuthority 2002.
ISBN 978-1-922708-64-9
First publishedfor the Postmaster-General's Department 1969
Revised edition 1971
Published for the Department of Communications 1978
Revised editions 1981, 1984
Revised edition for the Department ofTransport and Communications 1987
ReprintedApril, June 1988
Reprinted 1990
Reprinted 1991
Revised edition 1992
Revised edition for the Spectrum ManagementAgency 1993
Revised 1993
Revised 1996
Revised edition for theAustralian CommunicationsAuthority 1998
Revised Dec 1998
Reprinted June 1999
RevisedApril 2000
Revised edition for theAustralian Maritime College 2002
Reprinted September 2003
Revised edition for theAustralian Maritime College 2006
Revised 2008
Reprinted 2012
Revised 2012
Revised 2013
Reprinted 2013
Revised 2015
Reprinted 2017
Revised 2018
Revised 2020
Revised 2022
Revised 2024
3.CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY AND REPLACEMENT OF OPERATORS CERTIFICATES
3.1 Current legislation does not permit the issue of a certificate of proficiency to a candidate under the age of sixteen. Candidates must be sixteen years of age before being accepted for examination.
3.2 Certificates of proficiency and endorsements will be issued to successful candidates.
3.3 All candidates are required to produce proof of identity and age at the time of examination.
3.4 If an operator’s certificate or endorsement is lost, mutilated or destroyed, or a change of name has occurred, the holder may obtain a replacement by submitting a Replacement Application form (refer www.amc.edu.au/i st c ce ti icates).
3.5 Where issue of a replacement certificate or endorsement is required because of damage or change of name, the original certificate or
endorsement should accompany the application. In the case of change of name, documentary proof of the change should be included: for example, a marriage certificate or deed poll document.
3.6 A fee will be charged for the replacement of a certificate or endorsement.
3.7 It is in the interests of candidates applying for a replacement for a lost certificate or endorsement to provide information regarding the place and approximate date of original issue.
4.APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION
4.1 An application to be examined for a certificate or endorsement can be made to the OMC.
4.2 Examinations for the marine radio operator qualifications are conducted by appointment and may be held at any location suitable for examination purposes. Many marine rescue organisations, boating clubs and colleges of technical and further education (TAFE) conduct examinations on behalf of the OMC. In special circumstances examinations may be held at ACMA offices.
4.3 Examinations for the Marine Satellite Communications Endorsement cannot be conducted at an ACMA office and are only available at organisations with suitable Inmarsat equipment available for training.
4.4 Examination fees are charged.
5.OPERATOR TRAINING
5.1 Many marine rescue organisations, boating and fishing clubs, maritime colleges and some colleges of technical and further education (TAFE) provide training courses leading to the marine radio operator qualifications
5.2 Some maritime and TAFE colleges provide training courses leading to the Marine Satellite Communications Endorsement.
5.3 The ACMA or the OMC may be able to provide information about local training organisations.
5.4 Persons using this handbook as a study guide should note that much of its content is non-examinable. Careful reference should be made to the detailed examination syllabi shown in Appendix 1
RCC R C
Co ti o s to at d at o H C r i s H H H H H
to ati broad asts o at r or asts a d ar i s or oasta a d i s as ar as
C s at i a a d C ar i
or bot statio s Ca si RCC stra ia C or bot statio s
t d d o ra oasta a d o a ar as t di to t i its o stra ia s ar a d R s R io P o a ai r a sa o a
RCC R R PH
Co ti o s Radiot o at o H istr ss a d a t r i s
H
H H
H
H a i atio ar i s broad ast o H
43.3 Services provided by these stations include 24 hour listening watches on H H H H a d H or distr ss a d sa t sit atio s and thebroadcast of navigation warnings on 8176 kHz.
43.4 H is s d or a o i sa t tra rior to tra s itti t sa t tra o a or i r t is i orta t to r stri t radio traffic on these frequencies to distress, urgency and safety calls. The operator must not use 8291 kHz for routine or general calling. Radio checks or calls of a general nature should be directed to volunteer marine rescue groups or other service providers.
43.5 o o i d a d si radiot o or i a s ar a ai ab or o i atio s it C ar i i a d i a a t r t t i itia a H H H si H H si H H si H H si
43. Coast Radio Hobart
Coast Radio Hobart o itors a d H d ri t o rs o o a ti or d tai s at tt s tas ariti o a
43. Coast Radio P rt a d Port H d a d
Coast Radio P rt a d Port H d a d o itor a d H o ti o s a s
43. Navigation warnings will be broadcast on 8176 kHz in accordance with a schedule commencing 3 minutes prior to the hour (UTC). Navigation warning broadcast schedules can be obtained from the State/NT marine authorities.
68. VHF M ARIN E R ADIOEQUIPM E NT
68.1VHF marine equipment offers:
-a communications range between vessels of up to 20 km (10.8 nautical miles) and between vessel and shore of 50 km (27 nautical miles), and occasionally significantly greater;
-a safety service provided by imite Co t t tion operated by marine rescue and other organisations;
-the advantages of being relatively inexpensive, of providing the highest quality signal, of suffering least from interference caused by atmospheric or ignition sources, and of providing access to a shore telephone service; but
-the disadvantage of suffering blind spots behind cliffs, sand hills and heavy vegetation.
68.2 VHF marine equipment is suitable for small vessels remaining relatively close to the coast and within range of imite Co t t tion ope tin on VHF channels.
68.3 VHF marine radio equipment fitted with digital selective calling may offer a single-button distress facility and automated watchkeeping (see Chapter 6).
S ECTIO N 12 C OMPON E NT PARTSOF M ARIN E R ADIO EQUIPM E NT
69. TH E M AJOR PARTSOF R ADIOEQUIPM E NT
69.1Marine radio equipment, whether operating in the MF/HF, 27 MHz or VHF bands, is made up of three major parts:
-the power supply;
-the transmitter and the receiver (transceiver); and
-the antenna or aerial.
69.2 Each part is dependent on the other . A fault in any one of the parts will not allow the equipment tofunction correctly.
70. TH E P O WE R S UPPLY
70.1The power supply has to provide electrical energy to the transmitter and the receiver to enable them to perform their functions.
70.2The most convenient form of power supply for small vessels is the lead-acid battery.
70.3 Fuses located in the wiring between the battery and the transceiver protect the vessel and equipment against damage should a malfunction occur.
Frequency Band Purpose
5755 kHz Frequencies used by Maritime Communication Stations to broadcast weather forecasts and warnings. The broadcasts are generated by the Bureau of Meteorology and automatically transmitted on these frequencies.
Table 15. Units of Frequency. Sub division of the radio frequency spectrum
www.acma.gov.au
www.amsa.gov.au
www.bom.gov.au
tt cospas-sarsat.int
www.imo.org
www.inmarsat.com
www.itu.int
www.painswessex.com
www.admiraltyleisure.co.uk
Australian Communications & Media Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Bureau of Meteorology
Cospas Sarsat
International Maritime Organisation
International Maritime Satellite Service
International Telecommunications Union
Pains Wessex
British Admiralty/Products/Publications/Maritime Communications
Relay I am passing a message for vessel....
Go ahead
I am ready/not ready to receive your message
I do not have channel.... Please use channel....
Repetition If any parts of the message are considered sufficiently important to need particular emphasis, use the word ‘repeat’, e.g. ‘Do not repeat do not overtake’.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement of a message should be by the word 'Received'.
Position When latitude and longitude are used, these should be expressed in degrees and minutes (and decimals of a minute, if necessary), north or south of the Equator and east or west of Greenwich.
When the position is related to a mark, the mark shall be a well-defined charted object. The bearing shall be in the 360-degree notation from true north and shall be that of the position from the mark.
Courses
Bearings
Courses should always be expressed in the 360-degree notation from true north (unless otherwise stated). Whether this is to, or from, a mark can be stated.
The bearing of the mark or vessel concerned is the bearing in the 360-degree notation from true north (unless otherwise stated), except in the case of relative bearings
Bearings may be either from the mark or from the vessel.
Distances Distances should be expressed in nautical miles or cables (tenths of a nautical mile), otherwise in kilometres or metres. The unit should always be stated.
Speed Speed should be expressed in knots (without further notation meaning speed through the water). ‘Ground speed’ meaning speed over the ground.
Numbers
Geographical names
Numbers should be transmitted by speaking each digit separately, for example one five zero for 150.
Place names used should be those on the chart or Sailing Directions in use. Should these not be understood, latitude and longitude should be used.
Time Time should be expressed in the 24-hour notation indicating whether UTC, zone-time or local shoretime is being used.
Maritime Operations and Coastal Seafaring
Maritime Operations and Coastal Seafaring
INDUSTRY-FOCUSED COURSES
INDUSTRY-FOCUSED COURSES
AMC provides world-class vocational education and training for students wishing to pursue a career in the maritime industry. Located in Australia’s picturesque island state of Tasmania, AMC offers a wide range of industry-focused courses at all levels.
AMC provides world-class vocational education and training for students wishing to pursue a career in the maritime industry. Located in Australia’s picturesque island state of Tasmania, AMC offers a wide range of industry-focused courses at all levels.
GPH, Coxswain, Master 24, Master 45 and many more.
GPH, Coxswain, Master 24, Master 45 and many more.
For additional information contact us via email:
SMO.administration@utas.edu.au or visit our website amc.edu.au/study/coastal
For additional information contact us via email: SMO.administration@utas.edu.au or visit our website amc.edu.au/study/coastal
