Upgrade to VHF licence for GMDSS

[RoyandSally]

I got my VHF licence back in the day of custard tins and string but I've just done the online course with the aim of upgrading it to include DSC as our new radio has this.  Has anybody done this test?  I'm doing it with Scotsail and having difficulties getting a straight answer out of them as to whether the practical test will cover the whole course or, as I understood, just the GMDSS part.  By text they've said it will be the whole course but in that case why is the rate reduced and I'm not sure they are reading my messages correctly.  Needless to say, nobody is answering the phone.  Can anybody help answer this?  Enough stress doing an exam at my age (what happens if the phonetic alphabet disappears in a senior moment!) without all this!

[SteveWD]

After holding non-DSC VHF licences for years we "upgraded" to the VHF DSC licence a few years ago at a course run by Parkstone YC. It was taught, examined and issued by an RYA qualified member. The course was one long, very busy day (0800h - 1900h). Actually, the day wasn't an "upgrade" as the syllabus assumed complete beginners.

Prior study of the RYA course handbook was essential. The course involved practice Mayday and other drills with simulated radio equipment.

We were told that ours was the last of the one-day courses as in future they would have to be two day as the RYA had decided that one day was too intense. They would also have to have an independent examiner.

Since getting the licence, we find that the reality is that unless you constantly use the all of the radio procedures and protocols you forget the less used ones, particularly over the winter. The most used calls are to/from marinas and other boats in a rally. We dual watch Ch16/one other and the number of maydays and pans is surprisingly high (poole / solent area) and that local fishermen are the world's worst channel hoggers (as well as littering the sea with invisible boat traps).

Main thing to remember for safety is how to use the big red DSC mayday button and how to press the MOB button on the chart plotter - and to let someone know where you are going.

And PS the number of radio checks to the coastguard must drive them crazy - use a friend's boat a marina or coast watch instead.

[Peter Taylor]

As Steve says, it's worth studying the course book "RYA VHF Radio (inc. GMDSS)  (E-G22)" beforehand and, if you want to "cheat" the "RYA VHF Radio SRC Syllabus and Sample Questions (E-G26)". Both are available as ebooks. The course I did was not as many hours as Steve quotes and I hadn't heard they were going to a two day course.

My understanding is that there is only the one RYA course which assumes no knowledge but, if you already have a non-DSC licence most centres will give you a discount. My experience was that, if you already have USED a VHF radio, the course is fairly easy. Problem is, although people might have a VHF radio, most have rarely needed to USE it!

National Coastwatch volunteers (at least at Calshot) get to take a short range radio training course for free. Having done the course they still need practice and many Watch-keepers, if out on the water, call up their station for a radio-check  simply for practice in using the radio (both for those on the boat and those at the station). You can call up a local Coastwatch station direct on channel 65 and ask for a radio check, the present weather, or, if you have missed it, the inshore weather forecast. It gives both the Watch-keepers and you practice with the radio.
 
Unlike the Coastguard, Coastwatch stations are not inundated with calls for radio checks so feel free to call them on channel 65. The call sign to use is "station-name NCI" e.g. "Calshot NCI". While most stations are open every day for most of the daylight hours, some are not. You can find out station opening times on the web at... https://nci.org.uk/content/station-map-and-list (click on the station name for their details). You can also phone stations which can be useful if it turns out you do have a problem with your radio.  Recently one person phoned Calshot while trying to call us on his radio - we could tell him that we were picking up a carrier when he transmitted but no voice, which suggested a microphone problem.

A couple of tips: make sure your radio is set to "International" channels, not "USA" or "Canada", otherwise you won't hear a reply from a Marina or Coastwatch, nor will you hear the new Coast Guard safety information broadcasts when they switch to new channels in the autumn. Also: make sure you can spell your boat name and call sign phonetically even when in a panic - having a sticker by the radio with name, call sign, and MMSI number helps!

Peter

[Wave Sweeper]

I made a Mayday call a few years ago from the upturned hull of my boat. I was amazed how many people with similar boats,  who, when told about this, said that they had never thought before that if they were in that situation their radio would be submerged and unavailable. Several went away saying they would buy a waterproof handheld!

[Rob Johnstone]

Regarding MayDay calls, I have a waterproof printed copy of the wording of a "specimen" MayDay call from Vagabond which I keep in one of the pockets on the cockpit bulkhead. The thinking behind this is to try to take some of the panic out of the situation. So far I've not found out if it works, although I noticed that Peter Taylor had a similar specimen on Seatern the other day.....

[Peter Taylor]

Several went away saying they would buy a waterproof handheld!

And if you are buying the radio for safety reasons and can afford it, buy a DSC one! Although they have the disadvantage of being power hungry,  you do have to make a MayDay call using the Distress button will send your position automatically before you follow up with a voice Mayday (as Rob says, using your crib sheet!). Hopefully you are more likely to be in a pan-pan situation in which case the distress button does not transmit a position (don't ask me why!). But in your voice call, the Coast Guard will want your position as lat/long rather than "just by the Hamble Cardinal Mark" so it's worth knowing how to get your device to tell you what it is. A DSC radio will show it on the screen, various apps on my iPhone show it (eg iOS compass), but I still can't remember how to find it from my Garmin chart plotter!

The CG will also want to know how many persons on board, are they wearing lifejackets, what sort of boat, the colour of your hull and sails, etc. etc. Don't try to cut them short as one person did on Sunday as his motor cruiser drifted ever closer to a lee shore - you will get told off which only lengthens the process!
Peter