RYA VHF Radio Course Now Takes 2 Days

[Huib1965]

Maybe it was mentioned but as it is 2 days will it become double to cost as well ?
Prices vary at the moment ie between £59,- and JBT charging £100,- for 1 day...Will it become £200,- then..... ? If so then I either do it in 2013 or wait a bit and use it without it for emergencies only ? :-)

[C2 RIBS]

Looking at the bigger picture, users here complain about some boaters not being trained in aspects of their use and then we make it harder for the average boater to stay compliant by making another two day course at extra expense , when as we all know I can buy a boat tomorrow with all the kit aboard and not have a single certificate and go out an use it.

In relation to this post about VHF radios then I assume the same will generally happen and if needed the user will push DSC emergency button or pick up the handset and call for assistance. Does not make it right but we have put another obstacle in the way

[tonymac]

Originally Posted by donegaldan

and I gotta say, big fan of the instructions "If donegaldan falls out, press and hold the red distress button" !

I know the CG will move you to a working channel after calling them using DSC, but you

From my experience of being in a boat with you Donegaldan - if you fall out the rest of us have been thrown out long before

As for Ribochet:
Great post Dan

"Once again this shows the important of listening to the advice of an "expert" which you clearly are "

What are you after????? Spit it out. Just stop buttering him up - only makes him worse next time

[Solent Ranger]

Originally Posted by Huib1965

Maybe it was mentioned but as it is 2 days will it become double to cost as well ?
Prices vary at the moment ie between £59,- and JBT charging £100,- for 1 day...Will it become £200,- then..... ? If so then I either do it in 2013 or wait a bit and use it without it for emergencies only ? :-)

Yes! More than likely, we now have to send out a pack which includes a book and will cost each training center £10. On top of this the fee for the exam and the issue of the certificate will be £60. At the moment we don't actually know the cost for the online course but I think you can pretty much bet that the cost will be >£200 at the end of the day.

Training centres that offer the on line course - as we do- have a fixed annual fee plus an extra charge for each course we add so that is a fixed cost we have to cover. Every school is going to have to make changes to their web sites plus set up exam days. It is likely that I will only offer the online option with an exam day and radio experience day. I can't do any instructing at all if I run the exam/assesment but I can give "tuition" on the use of the radio itself.

The assessor is now external and I also think the fail rate will increase. The interesting thing will be how much the retest will be! Another £60? Probably, because the assessor is not going to do courses for nothing!

[chris.moody]

Still confused, if calling coastguard using DSC, after being switched to working channel by CG, who makes the first voice comms, the ship that instigated the call or the CG?

Chris

--
Tigga - Avon SR4 Rescue with 40hp Yamaha 2 stroke

[Poly]

Originally Posted by SPR

lol - Poly - you did your course before Clyde closed down - if I am not wrong ! so your question was NOT a question!

I brought the question up-to-date . It was actually asked by a Wafi not me. He asked it in a Clyde / Stornoway and Clyde / Belfast context.

group calling - you can't physically add stations to Group - A Group MMSI is issued from ofcom and each radio is programmed with that number to be part of the group.

You are absolutely correct. I think you've just made the point nicely though - there are people instructing courses who didn't know (or didn't explain this clearly) and who clearly have never used some of the more interesting features...

transit report -

by voice

A.

whatever coastguard , whatever coastguard
this is your name , your name
routine
over

you may well be right - but I've never heard anyone use a "routine" proword.

just letting you we have x number people in board, we are going to x or doing y we expect to be off the water by time , you hold my cg66 over

Useful to know where starting from (and if appropriate the route) e.g. Gigha to Oban via Sound of Isla? IIRC correctly the CG66 is 'held' by your local/normal MRCC, so if that is Belfast, and I've towed the boat to the forth - should I be telling Aberdeen that "Belfast CG hold my CG66"? There is no unique identified so there are probably half a dozen orange ribs called Jaffa around the country which could all have a CG66 - if its a voicecall (or h/held dsc) how are they going to match the right CG66?

[donegaldan]

Originally Posted by chris.moody

Still confused, if calling coastguard using DSC, after being switched to working channel by CG, who makes the first voice comms, the ship that instigated the call or the CG?

If calling the CG using DSC and after being switched to a working channel by CG,
first voice comms is instigated by the CG.

There are 2 rules regarding who controls a conversation.
A) If two boats are out for the day, and you call your friend, he controls the conversation.
B) If a boat initiates comms with the CG, the CG always controls the comms.
If they switch you to a working channel, then you wait for them to call you when they are ready and have time to talk to you, like a queue based system (appropriate amount of time waiting, they are human and can forget about you, however they may also be working an incident that you cannot hear or know about, so a little patience)

This is obviously with respect to routine calls.
If you are making any urgency (Pan Pan) or distress (Mayday) they will be all over you like .... well ... like Willk said... like Me over a bambi burger.
Guarantee you utter Pan Pan or Mayday, you get the CG undivided attention

Hope this answers your question

[chris.moody]

Originally Posted by donegaldan

If calling the CG using DSC and after being switched to a working channel by CG,
first voice comms is instigated by the CG.

There are 2 rules regarding who controls a conversation.
A) If two boats are out for the day, and you call your friend, he controls the conversation.:

That's interesting, on my vhf course I was taught that the person initiating the call was in control and was the person that finished the call. I've been doing it wrong for ages

.

--
Tigga - Avon SR4 Rescue with 40hp Yamaha 2 stroke

[Solent Ranger]

Originally Posted by chris.moody

That's interesting, on my vhf course I was taught that the person initiating the call was in control and was the person that finished the call. I've been doing it wrong for ages

.

--
Tigga - Avon SR4 Rescue with 40hp Yamaha 2 stroke

No you haven't it used to be that way until the introduction of DSC when it changed to the calling vessel controls the communication. If you think that when you wish to contact anther vessel using their MMSI number it is you that selects the working channel to call them on.

Either party can end the call though.

[donegaldan]

Originally Posted by chris.moody

That's interesting, on my vhf course I was taught that the person initiating the call was in control and was the person that finished the call. I've been doing it wrong for ages

Not the worst sin on the airwaves!
The simplest reasoning is that if you are calling, you are free and able to talk (routine traffic)
The other party can be busy doing something and thus restricted in their ability to talk.. I.e. Dropping divers, towing skiers etc

The DSC on most leisure craft is only capable of helping start a call on an agreed channel.
Even if you send a designated DSC message to just one boat requesting to talk, they still have the ability to ignore you if they are busy.
Not great etiquette, but if their hands are full, then talking to you is a lower priority (nothing personal)

Obviously the CG as professionals control all conversations where they are involved
Or they come out and smack you for being bad on the radio, and puncture your tubes

[Doug Stormforce]

Originally Posted by Solent Charters

.....You can either do online course and then come into a RYA training centre for a morning of further tuition and then after lunch take exam that now has a both a wriiten and practical sections, or take a 2 day course at the training centre for those who don`t like the internet method.

I think you have missed something here, there is no compulsion for centres to make the course 2 days. Its 3 hours of guided pre reading, minimum of 7 hours of tuition and a 30-60 minute SRC exam.

Originally Posted by hobbit555

So why does the Rya offer a watered down course for radio operation, then wonder why it isn't accepted by other European states. The restricted operators certificate(ROC) is 4-5 days or the GENERAL OPERATORS CERTIFICATE (GOC) 8 days are both accepted world wide.

Every European country offers a SRC, ROC, LRC and GOC. It is not a case of the RYA offering a watered down version, its run in most European countries. The 4-5 day ROC covers how to us Class A equipment, the 8 day GOC covers satellite and long range communications. The SRC Course covers VHF/DSC use for Class D users. It would seem you are advocating the 4 plus day course that covers equipment most Ribbers will never come across in preference to the SRC course which covers the equipment they have on board?

What most countries do not have is an online version of the SRC course yet.

Originally Posted by Poly

Actually my biggest criticism of the (existing) training was that it focussed far too much on the stuff you mention and not enough on the 'value' that VHF could bring to my everyday boating.

I wonder if anyone will use the 1.5 days VHF and add in another 0.5 day of wider "safety" stuff? Many people don't have a liferaft, and aren't planning long offshore cruises so the full sea survival course might be overkill but added to the VHF course you could cover a wider range of safety stuff that would be useful to many.

In reality most centre will add together whatever you want if you pay for their time and they have the appropriate skill set internally, however at Stormforce Coaching we will NOT be offering a 1.5 day course we will stick to the one day SRC course.

Originally Posted by Poly

Here are some of the features of modern VHF/DSC that I'd like to have been covered. I did ask the instructor but other than acknowledging that "some radios have those capabilities" he didn't seem to know:

- position polling: one of the more common routine radio calls between vessels is to try and meet up / find each other. Position polling can help.

- group calling.......reporting in with passage plans......when I should be calling VTS......or hear on a listening watch that might be useful...........VHF weather forecasts.......broadcasts which are routinely made.

Poly, all of these items are included in the current course and will be in the new SRC online course

Originally Posted by Huib1965

Maybe it was mentioned but as it is 2 days will it become double to cost as well ?

It is up to individual centres what they charge. The RYA fee of £30 is going up to £60 to cover the cost of the SRC exam. Our centre currently charges £99 for the day, from 2014 this will go up slightly as there are new costs associated with the course (a new handbook, co ordinating an assessor etc). However we will not be doubling the cost (or anything like that). We have priced online SRC course at the same price.

[tim griffin]

Originally Posted by tim griffin

The requirement is 10 hours minimum
So online and arrange your exam or a blend of 3 hours online followed by classroom teaching followed by exam
Or classroom 10 hours followed by exam.

Agree with Doug it's never been 2days or 1.5 days it's 10 hours minimum training plus exam 60 minutes for written paper and practical assessment
Exam fee is set by the RYA £60 the course fee is set by the centre.
Our fee will be £100 this includes your handbook G30 so only a small rise to cover the book and postage as I hope most schools will do ,and not use this as an excuse to ramp up the prices .
It will still be part of our special offers buy one get the second half price

Tim

[miahouse]

I recently did my VHF course and I was so impressed with how much I enjoyed it. 1 day it was great. 2 days hmm? I do advise to get it done if you have not!

OMT Training

[Johnscubanut]

If you are not so lucky to live near the coast to do this course, I have a contact that can do the new VHF radio course in Bedfordshire/Northampton area.
RYA school & approved, £60 for the course over 1 rather long day, (previous online studying I believe before the day also) plus £60 for certification. Have used these people for some of our members.
The centre has to have an outside assessor come in now, hence the increase in charges.
2 dates available at moment. Sunday 16th feb & Sunday 18th May 2014

And no, I'm not on commission!!! (yet?) lol
If you live not too far away, you'll save money on travelling/accommodation?
Contact me for details, cheers-John

[SPR]

Originally Posted by Johnscubanut

If you are not so lucky to live near the coast to do this course, I have a contact that can do the new VHF radio course in Bedfordshire/Northampton area.

RYA school & approved, £60 for the course over 1 rather long day, (previous online studying I believe before the day also) plus £60 for certification. Have used these people for some of our members.
The centre has to have an outside assessor come in now, hence the increase in charges.
2 dates available at moment. Sunday 16th feb & Sunday 18th May 2014

And no, I'm not on commission!!! (yet?) lol
If you live not too far away, you'll save money on travelling/accommodation?
Contact me for details, cheers-John

As previous companys have stated, the two day course does NOT need to be the Norm.

We (SPRmarine) can offer this course on a 1 day course as well as online -

We have decided to limit 1 day courses to Max of 4 , to give more time to each student and make sure each student have there own training radio to use for duration of course.

The examiner can only exam at 4 people at a time, and each student needs a radio during the examine too... we will still be running these on demand and relatively short notice....(a Group 4 will take around 2 1/2 hrs to examine )

More information: RYA SRC VHF Radio Courses - Jan 2014 Updates - RYA Training Courses - Laser Flares

Our prices also include lunch, the VHF Handbook (£13.99) as well as refreshments through out the course.

If you do a course with us and need a refresher, you can sit in another course subject places for small fee to cover Lunch & Refreshments.

and/Or if you buy & collect any Icom Radio from us we will do a 1 hr tutorial free of charge .


Scott