NAME OF YOUR CLUB
Guidelines for Radio Operators using VHF Equipment
(including Patrol Boats, Power Boats and Yachts with VHF radios, and Radio
Duty Officers in the Club Radio Room.)
Note: It is a requirement for all operators of a ship station and shore station, other
than those using only 27mhz marine band, to possess a certificate of proficiency
issued in accordance with the Australian Radio communications Act 1992. A 'Marine
Radio Operators VHF Certificate of Proficiency' is the minimum requirement for
Blairgowrie.
It is in fact an offence, for a person not holding at least an ROCP to operate our Club
radios. All members who use VHF radios are therefore urged to obtain an
RO(VHF)CP. It is not difficult to obtain and it will give you added confidence in radio
procedures. YV and several clubs regularly conduct courses.
There are a number of very good reasons why we should all follow the correct radio
procedures:
•
•
•
•
•
1.
for efficient and effective radio communications.
to be professional in the way we manage our sailing.
to keep radio transmissions to a minimum.
to cope with emergencies with a minimum of drama, perhaps saving a
life through clear effective radio work.
to avoid unwanted involvement from the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority or other government agencies.
FREQUENCIES, CHANNELS
CHANNEL 16
There are two main reasons for using Channel 16.
1. In an extreme emergency (e.g., Your boat is in difficulty and you
need urgent assistance) you would make a "Mayday" or "Pan-Pan"
call on Channel 16. (More on these calls later).
2. The other main use of Channel 16 is for "calling" another boat or
station which may be listening out, and not tuned to the Club
working frequency. As soon as radio contact is made, both the
caller and the called station must switch to another Channel to
continue - (either 71, 73, or 77). The only time a Patrol Boat would
need to use Ch. 16 is in an emergency when no response can be
obtained from the Club Radio Officer or another Club station.
Note: When you first turn on a VHF set, always check the Channel, as most
radios are automatically set to Ch. 16 when first turned on.
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
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CHANNEL 71
The Club has permission to use this Channel but only on Saturdays and
Sundays.
CHANNEL 73
This Channel is the one mostly used by the Club for our Race Management. .
We share this Channel with many other clubs so keep "chat" to a minimum.
CHANNEL 15
This discrete Channel is used by the Club for all championship events.
Transceivers will usually only operate on Low power on this channel therefore
it is unsuitable for long keelboat race reporting.
Patrol Boat and Keelboat skippers should always check with the Race Officer to
determine which is the working Channel for the day.
Most radios have the capacity to transmit on either "high" or "low" power. Always
operate on "low" power. Check the radio when you turn it on to make sure it is set on
"low" power.
2.
MICROPHONE TECHNIQUE
Hold the microphone about five centimetres from your mouth and speak clearly in a
normal conversational tone. If it’s too close to your mouth, the transmission will be
distorted. There is no need to ever raise your voice, especially if the person you are
calling is having difficulty understanding your message. Raising your voice or
shouting into the microphone only distorts the transmission and makes it even more
difficult for your message to be understood.
(This is a common problem with many radio operators, both on the water and in the
Radio Room)
3.
MAKING CONTACT
Always, always, always say the called station first, followed by the calling station.
Remember too, that transmission without identifying the caller is prohibited. Here are
a few examples of correct procedures:
(call)
“Patrol 2, this is Club Tower . Please come to the pier to collect an extra crew
member.”
(reply)
“Club Tower , Patrol 2 - on our way now”.
(call)
"Club Tower , this is Patrol One. Do you still require my services?"
(reply)
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
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"Patrol One, Club Tower , affirmative."
(call)
"Patrol Four, this is Patrol Seven. Please move the wing mark 200 metres to
the north."
(reply)
"Patrol Seven, Patrol Four. Message understood."
When calling a boat that may not be expecting contact:
(call)
"Seahorse, Seahorse, Seahorse - this is Club Tower - Over"
(reply)
“Club Tower , this is Seahorse - go ahead."
4.
5.
NORMAL RACE-DAY COMMUNICATIONS
•
Before making your call, listen to the active Channel to make sure noone else is using it.
•
You only need to call the Club Tower or another Patrol Boat once,
unless there is no response from your first call.
•
However, if you call and do not get a response, wait a minute or two
before trying again. The Radio Officer or the Patrol Boat being called
may be occupied on other matters.
•
Think first about what it is you want or need to say before making the
call.
•
If you are asked a question and do not have the answer ready, your
reply should be “stand by one”, (which literally means “wait a minute”),
then call the party back when you have the information. Never tie up
the air waves while trying to obtain the requested information.
ENDING A CONVERSATION
The normal acceptable way of terminating a two-way conversation is to say, "Patrol
Four standing by" or "Club Tower standing by". This means that you are remaining
on that Channel listening out and ready to accept future calls.
If you are not a Patrol Boat and not using the Club working Channel, you could say,
"Seahorse standing by on Channel 16" or "Seahorse listening out on Channel 16”.
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
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The term “out” (short for “listening out”) is often used, as in “Club Tower , Patrol 2,
message understood, Patrol 2 out”. The problem with the term “out” is that it can
have many meanings. It can mean that you’ve concluded the communication and
are standing by on that Channel. It can also mean that you are returning to the
calling Channel, or that you are shutting down and turning off your radio.
So we prefer to use the term “Standing by”.
"Over and out" is a totally meaningless phrase and should not be used.
6.
PHONETIC ALPHABET
It's easy to learn and should be known and used by all operators. Failure to use it is
a dead give away that you are not trained and you're not licensed!
The best way to learn is to practice while driving using the number plates of other
cars. Anyone can learn it in a couple of hours, and once learnt you won't forget it.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
Juliette
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
7.
DEALING WITH AN EMERGENCY
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whisky
X-Ray
Yankee
Zulu
Every senior member who goes out on the water, either on a Patrol Boat or a yacht
that has a radio, should be shown by the skipper how to use the radio in case of an
emergency.
If an emergency arises and you require urgent assistance, there are three alternative
procedures.
a.
If the Club Tower / Radio Room is manned (e.g., on Race Days), call the Club
because the Duty Radio Officer can readily seek assistance from:
- Club Patrol Boats
- Other club yachts or power boats
- Adjoining Club patrol boats
- Local Rescue Service and CoastGuard
- Volunteer Marine Rescue
- Water Police
- Police Air Wing
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
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An emergency call must always state your call sign or boat name (or both),
your location, the nature of the emergency, the assistance you require and
the number of persons on board.
An example:
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday – Club , Club Club . This is Patrol 3, Patrol
3, Patrol 3. We are located 200 metres north of Channel No 12
Mark. A member of our crew is unconscious. We cannot start the
motor. We require urgent medical assistance. There are three
persons on board. Patrol 3 standing by.”
b.
If the Club Radio Room is un-manned or has not responded, you use
Channel 16, as follows:
If you are experiencing a life-threatening situation then the call is “Mayday”
on Channel 16. An example:
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday - this is the yacht “Seahorse”, Victor Lima
Victor (radio licence no. if known), yacht “Seahorse”, victor lima victor
????, yacht “Seahorse”, victor lima victor ????, located one nautical
mile west of South Channel Buoy No 3. Our yacht has been holed
and will sink in about ten minutes. We require urgent assistance.
There are three persons on board. “Seahorse” standing by.”
c.
If the emergency is extreme but not immediately life threatening, the call is
“Pan-pan”, also on Channel 16. An example:
“Pan-pan, Pan-pan, Pan-pan - this is Club Patrol 4, Club Patrol 4,
Club Patrol 4, located in the South Channel east of the Fort. There is
a large motor cruiser adrift and heading for the rocks on the South
Channel Fort. The vessel appears to have no motor or anchor. There
are three persons on board. We already have a damaged boat in tow
and are unable to assist. Club Patrol 4 standing by.”
8.
A FEW USEFUL HINTS
•
Use the terms “Negative” or “Affirmative” when answering questions,
(instead of YES and NO).
•
The term “Romeo” is useful in that it means “Yes, I understand and will
do what you ask”.
•
Never speak quickly. It will only confuse the listener.
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
Page 5 of 6
•
Those short, unidentified wisecracks or humorous comments are
definitely not acceptable. Some members seem to think this
behaviour is OK, especially when using the hand-held sets, but it is
both illegal and unprofessional.
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Swearing is prohibited at all times.
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Always replace the microphone on the mounting clip - this reduces the
chance of having an “open mike”.
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If you don’t understand a message, the response is, “say again”.
e.g. “Club Tower this is Patrol 4, please say again”.
•
When saying numbers, nought is always “zero”.
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If you ever hear a “Mayday” or “Pan-pan” call, stay off the radio until
you are sure the emergency has passed or has been attended to by
rescue services.
Acknowledgment
This procedure guideline was provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and
Revised in January 2011 by their club member, Chris Wilson.
They are happy for other member clubs of YV to access and copy this procedure.
Both BYS and YV would be happy to receive any updates or improvements to this
procedure guideline or any others your club may have that they are willing to share
with other clubs via the On Line YV Club Manual.
Provided courtesy of Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and Chris Wilson
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