Powerboat VHF training

The Course

Our aim with this course is to achieve the following:

To ensure that you understand and have experience of issuing distress alerts (maydays) by voice and using the red DSC (Distress Selective Calling) button.

To give you practical hands on experience of making calls on the radio. We do this in a progressive way starting with scripted calls between those on the course moving on to giving you scenarios that you need to make a call from. We've found this method works really well to help you get more confidence in the use of the radio exploring the various ways you use the radio and the associated channel numbers to use.

We're also as we go covering the syllabus ensuring that all of the areas that the examination covers are addressed by the time we get to the end of the afternoon.

We divide the day as follows:

The morning session will cover the practical operation of a standard Marine VHF, Channel usage, Distress/Urgency/Safety and routine voice procedures.

In the afternoon we go onto look at the GMDSS scheme, equipment used in GMDSS i.e. EPIRBs, SARTS, Digital Selective Calling (DSC) NAVTEX, practical use of DSC equipment.

At the end of the course there is a multiple choice examination. The examination is straightforward and the subjects addressed in the exam are all covered during the course itself.

Course Requirements:

Fluency in the phonetic alphabet.

One passport photograph plus a cheque or credit card details for £25 (£30 from 1st April 2010) to the RYA for the issue of the Operators Certificate. This is NOT free for RYA members.

Apart from these requirements, no previous knowledge is assumed.

We are unusual as a school as we run a considerable number of training radios meaning that we are likely to have a radio identical or similar to the one you will have in your boat. This also means that even on large courses there will usually be a radio for each person. We have radios from:

• Icom (M601/3, M505, M421)
• Navman
• Silva (now known as Nexus)
• Raymarine

When does it run/availability

• Courses are available 7 days a week, allow at least  1 weeks booking notice
• Available all year round, seven days a week. (Weather permitting)
• 1 Day Course
• Flexible times from morning to evenings available

What you need to bring along

• Just bring yourself and away you go!  This is a class room based course

 What to do next?

• Simply add it to your basket by clicking the "buy now" button
• Go to the checkout and complete your purchase
• When you complete your purchase we'll send you an activity voucher email with contact and location details of your instructors
• Simply give them a call, get your date booked in and off you go! (you have six months to redeem your voucher)

The GO AWOL promise

Here's five great reasons to choose GO AWOL:

1.  We partner with some of the best activity providers so you can rest easy knowing that you're going to have an awesome time

2.  You get an activity voucher that can be used anytime for the next 6 months giving you total flexibility over when you want to book your dates. It's also ideal as a gift for someone

3.  Your activity voucher is totally flexible – you can change the activity any time you like provided that you haven't booked the date in with the activity provider. And even if you have done this we can still usually change your activity

4.  We offer one of the broadest range of beginner, intermediate and advanced courses

5.  And best of all, if you haven't had a superb time on the activity you booked through us tell us why and we'll sort out an alternative activity for you or give you a refund

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