RYA VHF/SRC Radio
Booking details
Please select your preferred start date below.
Please select your preferred start date below.
Joining Instructions: Please click here for course joining instructions
Recommended Reading: Sailing magazines and newspapers, but this is not essential
Course Prerequisites: No assumed knowledge
Minimum Age: No minimum but Under 16’s must be accompanied by adult. Persons aged 16+ can be unaccompanied subject to other pre-requisites having been met
This is a one day classroom based course. The Short Range Certificate (SRC) is the minimum qualification required by law to operate the VHF or VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment (radio) on any British flagged vessel carrying a radio.
This includes both fixed and handheld equipment using International channels, and the general operation and etecate of the radios.
The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course is there to help you to understand important legal concepts and maritime SRC/VHF regulations and how they affect you whilst out on the water.
A radio is a key piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct procedures and operations. Unnecessary transmissions could block out a Mayday distress call or endanger someone’s life.
The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course includes a wide variety of real-life situations – both routine and distress. With using real radios and talking with each other in the classroom it gives you amazing hands on experience for the use of the equipment.
You will also play with and see other safety equipment that is part of the course, so things like SARTs, EPIRBs and PLBs are also covered in the course, with the use, operation and registration of the safety equipment is covered.
Courses run in a single format:
The RYA SRC/VHF Radio operator course usually takes approximately 6-8 hours
When you have completed your course you eligible to attend SRC/VHF exam, this is normaly after the course, so the day is long but you will hopefuly become a radio operator at the end of the course.
With the course there is approximately 3-4 hours of pre-course reading that is avalible in a PDF, for you to download. If you do not get this give us a call and we will email this to you.
The Exam. This 1 hour session needs to legally take place at an RYA Recognised Training School and prepares you to take a short written SRC/VHF Exam.
You can sit this exam at our training facility at the end of the course, or if you do not want tot sit the exam then you can do this at any other Registered RYA Centre that is SRC acreditated that may be closer to you if sitting the exam at a later date.
There is an exam fee of £60 which is paid directly to the RYA. Students must be 16 yrs old on the day of the exam to be able to sit the operators exam.
This is the perfect course for anyone going afloat.
Being able to call for assistance on the vessel is a vital tool for anyone onboard, weather you are the skipper, first mate or even a crewmember.
Being able to operate the radio helps everyone. From calling for assistance, general communications between vessels and of course giving the marina the all important call to ask for a berth for the night.
It’s a long day but very rewarding for everyone on the course. The certificate is yours for life if you pass the exam at the end. You have a skill that could save lives in the future.
We really recommend this course for anyone who is operating a vessel as crew or skipper due to the need to be licenced.
Booking a charter holiday abroard it is now more commonplace for the holiday company to ask for some one on the boat to be qualified to operate the VHF radio.
The course will give you some amazing knowledge and laughs through out the day with a lot of communicating on the radios between students. Anyone can use a radio in an emergency. It is perfect for younger people who are under 16 to do as well so they know what to do when things go wrong.
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