Experience required prior training: None
Certification required prior training: None
Minimum age required: 16 years old
Suggested number of training hours: 7 hours theory / 1-hour exam practical
Many yacht rental companies require both a skipper’s license and an SRC VHF-DSC radio operator certificate for their waters. In some places, this certificate is crucial for chartering. In the UK, a DSC SRC/VHF radio operator certificate takes precedence over a skipper’s license. Obtaining this certificate from ISSA is essential for yacht chartering. It holds the same significance as a skipper’s license and is indispensable if you plan to charter a yacht independently.
Why do I need a radio operator certificate? Safety above all!
Under GMDSS – SOLAS regulations, all ships at sea must possess safety and communication systems meeting global standards. A trained crew member, be it the skipper or another individual, must hold a radio operator certificate and know how to operate these safety systems correctly.
Radio operator SRC/VHF DSC
The DSC SRC-VHF radio operator certificate is as important as a skipper’s license! And if you intend to charter a yacht on your own, then a radio operator license is indispensable for your package of documents.
Skills and knowledge required for an ISSA VHF / SRC Radio
The radio operator’s certificate is indispensable training that each of us must undergo if we are thinking about driving a yacht. This certificate must have at least one person on the seagoing yacht crew with sea communication equipment (which is on virtually every marine yacht).
It is a 1 day course, but it’s worth preparing for it a few days earlier even mastering the alphabet, whose knowledge is one of the most important skills when using the VHF radio station outside our country. In addition to the alphabet, the course includes several selected elements related to the operation of marine radio. These are extremely practical skills. Practical exercises on real radio stations are an inseparable element of the training. The course lasts from 5 to 7 hours, depending on the number of participants, and ends with a test on the same day.
Course Program:
- Introduction to VHF Radio
- Types of VHF Radios (Fixed & Portable)
- Simplex & Duplex Transmission
- VHF Radio International channels (16, 70, 13, 6, 14, 8, etc)
- VHF Radio Functions (use of each button on the unit)
- Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
- VHF Radio Regulation
- Phonetic Alphabet & NumeralsVHF Radio Procedure words and its use (Mayday – Pan Pan – Securite- ship to ship call)
- GMDSS Components (DSC – EPIRB – SART – NAVTEX – INMARSAT – HF RADIO – POWER SUPPLY)
