Marine VHF Radio - Are You Legal? Book a training course at AYC on 23rd April to get your Short Range Certificate.
Published 00:00 on 21 Mar 2016
If you are using a Marine VHF radio on your boat or in connection with it, then TWO licences are required by law, to cover this use. These are a Ship Radio Licence (or a Transportable licence if you have a set which is not linked directly to a vessel) and an "Authority to Operate" held by the person using the VHF or the person supervising the use of the set.
The Ship Radio Licence (or the Transportable Licence) is issued by OFCOM. It licences all the transmitting equipment that you have on board the boat (including "hand held" radios when these are used in connection with the operation of the vessel). This includes VHF radios, radar, EPIRBs and SARTs. The issue of a licence will also allocate a call sign and MMSI (for DSC operation) to the vessel if it does not already have one. It is applied for online at http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/ships-radio/, lasts for ten years and is free!
The "Authority to Operate" is contained in the Short Range Certificate (SRC) for Marine VHF Radio. To obtain this, one has to provide evidence that you have completed a training course and then pass an assessment, which consists of a short written paper and a practical test. The assessment is conducted for the RYA (on behalf of the MCA) by an independent assessor.
The Club runs the training course for the SRC and arranges an assessor. Both the course and the assessment are now be scheduled to take place on the same day, although it does result in a long day! A course has been arranged on Saturday 23rd April. The cost of the course is £70 for members (£90 for non-members), which includes the cost of the required course pack. The assessment, which includes the issue of the certificate for successful candidates, costs £60. This is paid separately on the day of the course. Places are still available on both courses.
For more information go to the Training pageor e-mail training@axeyachtclub.co.ukfor an enrolment form and to reserve a place.
