Maritime Radio Operating procedures for small craft

Radio Operator personnel on small craft should carefully note the following:

• the international maritime radiotelephony VHF channel for all Distress, Urgency and Safety calls is Channel 16 (156.800 MHz)
• When vessels are at sea, the VHF Transceiver should be set to Ch16 at all times
• if it is necessary for a vessel to monitor a VHF Channel other than CH16, use should be made of the Dual Watch facility on the Transceiver, thus ensuring that a watch is being maintained on VHF CH16 in addition to the second VHF Channel

To operate marine VHF radio you must obtain a radio operator qualification and Ships Radio Licence (SRL).

The term Ships Radio Licence applies to all vessels, irrespective of size, with marine radio transmitting equipment onboard.

Before you apply for a Ships Radio Licence you should possess the requisite marine radio operator qualification.

To apply for a Ships Radio licence click here as referenced in Marine Notice 70 of 2022

For pleasure vessels fitted with VHF radiotelephone and DSC, (digital selective calling), the qualification required is the Radio Operators Short Range Certificate.

Courses are provided by recognised course providers. For information on radio operator certificate providers please go to seafarers.ie

Possession of a marine radio operator certificate will enable you to use the correct radio procedure should you encounter difficulty whilst afloat.

Before you apply for a radio licence you must possess the relevant qualification. When a licence is issued you will receive a radio callsign and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. These uniquely identify the vessel and its owner for marine radio-communication purposes.

The Department of Transport maintains a database of all ship radio licences. It is therefore important to ensure that your licence is correct and up to date. This is a condition of the ship radio licence.

You should ensure that all radio transmitting equipment, which includes radar and EPIRBS, is listed on the application form.

Apply for a radio licence here.

A Distress Call should always be made on Ch16 and should follow the following format:

Example

• "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY this is NONSUCH NONSUCH NONSUCH"
• "Mayday NONSUCH Call Sign EI 1234"
• "Position 15 nautical miles south of Mizen Head (or position in latitude and longitude). My vessel is holed and is taking in water. Immediate assistance required. There are 12 people on board. EPIRB has been deployed. (Give any other information which may be of assistance to the Irish Coast Guard)"

The broadcasting of a Distress Call and Distress Message on VHF CH16 should immediately alert the nearest Coast Radio Station and other vessels in the vicinity.

The Coast Radio Station should be the first station to acknowledge receipt of a Distress Call and Distress Message, and vessels should not acknowledge receipt until they are satisfied that a Coast Radio Station has received the message. Vessels in the vicinity of the vessel in distress should then acknowledge receipt of the message.

A Distress Acknowledgement by a vessel should take the following form.

Example

"MAYDAY NONSUCH this is Lazy Lad Call Sign EI 1432"

"Received Mayday"

As soon as possible, vessels that acknowledge receipt of a Distress Message should transmit the following information:

• name of vessel
• osition of vessel
• the speed at which it is proceeding towards, and the approximate time it will take to reach, the vessel in distress.

Small craft that are equipped with VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment should note the following:

When there is a need for a vessel to transmit a Distress Alert by DSC, this can be achieved by pressing the Distress and Send buttons on the equipment (on most equipment).

The transmission of a DSC Distress Alert is always made on VHF CH70 which is reserved for DSC alerting and calling. The equipment is designed to ensure that a DSC Distress Alert or a DSC Call is always transmitted on VHF CH70 and cannot be transmitted on any other VHF Channel.

The transmission of a DSC Distress Alert in the manner described above includes the identification of the vessel in distress, the position of the vessel in latitude and longitude when the DSC equipment is interfaced with a Position Fixing System such as GPS, and an indication that the vessel concerned is in a distress situation.

Irish Coast Guard Radio Stations which are all fitted with DSC and vessels in the vicinity that are equipped with DSC equipment will receive a DSC Distress Alert, and the Coast Guard can immediately instigate search and rescue procedures.

DSC equipment also allows for the formatting of a Distress Alert to include details of the nature of the distress, for example: on fire, sinking. However, in situations where time is of the essence, the method of transmission described above should be employed.

A vessel in distress should broadcast a radiotelephony Distress Message on VHF CH16 immediately following the transmission of a DSC Distress Alert broadcast.

Coast Guard Radio Stations do not monitor all VHF Channels such as the Inter-ship channels CH06 and CH08. The International VHF Channel 16 and the International DSC VHF Channel 70 have been specifically set aside to assist you to obtain immediate assistance in Distress, Urgency and Safety situations use them!