RYA VHF DSC RADIO COURSE

Change to Distress Relay protocol Earlier this year the RYA liaised with the MCA and AMERC (Association of Marine Electronic and Radio Colleges) to review the protocol for Distress Relay. The key change is: An Urgency Announcement should not be sent prior to transmitting a voice ‘Mayday Relay’ call and message. Therefore, if a distress is received by DSC or voice, the skipper of a vessel should act as follows: 1. Wait five minutes for the distress to be acknowledged by the Coastguard or another vessel 2. If no acknowledgement or distress working is heard, send a ‘Received Mayday’ voice call to the station in distress, then: 3. Relay the distress message to the nearest Coastguard, which may be by any means, but should primarily be sent using a ‘Mayday Relay” voice call addressed to the specific Coastguard station followed by repetition of the original ‘Mayday message’. 4. The Coastguard should respond and take over distress working and co-ordinate the assistance. 5. If unable to contact a Coast station, send a ‘Mayday Relay’ call, addressed to ‘All Stations’, followed by the repetition of the original ‘Mayday message’. You should then prepare to co-ordinate the assistance to the vessel in distress between yourself and any other vessels in the vicinity. The same approach, starting at step 3, should be taken if you believe another vessel, aircraft, person or vehicle is in distress and unable to transmit its own distress signal.” Summary of other regulatory and technological changes  The term ‘SART’ may refer to an AIS-based ‘Search and Rescue Transmitter’ or a radar-based ‘Search and Rescue Transponder’. Both systems are now officially part of the GMDSS.  The channels on which UK Maritime Safety Information (MSI) messages are transmitted have been changed to 62, 63 and 64.  A Ship Portable Radio Licence (SPRL) is for equipment such as a handheld VHF, PLB or EPIRB that may be used on multiple vessels. An SPRL is valid only to the extent of UK territorial seas.  Some VHF sets fitted with DSC now include an in-built function to cancel a distress alert instead of the switch-off-switch-back-on approach. Users of VHF radios are reminded of the importance of familiarising themselves with the specific equipment that they will use.  RYA SafeTrx has replaced CG66 as the UK’s voluntary identification database. Cont… Explanation of changes to SRC courses and exams Issued 16 September 2019. Information correct at time of publication  Official ITU Radio Regulations terminology has been adopted to refer to urgency, safety and routine DSC calls. The correct terms are, ‘Urgency Announcement', 'Safety Announcement' and 'Routine Announcement'. Previously these we referred to as ‘Alerts’, a term which is reserved for DSC ‘Distress’ calls only.  An EPIRB or PLB must be programmed with a Hex ID. An EPIRB may also incorporate an AIS transmitter as well as a GNSS receiver. New written Exam Papers In response to the changes above, a new suite of four SRC written exam papers (L, M, N and O) are now available. These have also been updated to reduce the number of UK-specific questions and to avoid confusion with some of the questions in Part A. The new papers should be downloaded from the Training Support Site and used instead of the old papers E, F, G, H, J and K with immediate effect. Their availability is restricted to RYA SRC Assessors, so Assessors will need to be signed-in to their personal account on the RYA website in order to download them. For the first time, an answer sheet is available for each paper which can also be downloaded from the Training Support Site. Most of the questions are either right or wrong with the exception being the requirement to compose a distress call and message. The answer sheet includes marking guidance so that this element of the exam paper can be marked more consistently across the board. There is no change to RGN D9.9 “Completed examination papers must be held by the centre for five years, or until its next SRC centre inspection, whichever is shorter. Centres should include a statement to this effect within their privacy policy.” RYA Training may request copies of completed written exam papers at any time. While the changes are becoming embedded, SRC Assessors and RTCs should be mindful of the fact that some course students, while being taught using the new syllabus in the classroom, may have received a course pack which is not yet the updated version. Equally, Assessors may have exam candidates who have undergone the course either online or in the classroom prior to the changes coming into force. To accommodate this, SRC Assessors are requested to be flexible and use their judgement during both written and practical exams. Students who have been taught the previous Distress Relay protocol and who demonstrate during their exam the use of an Urgency Announcement should not be penalised but should be given guidance on the correct protocol during their debrief. The same applies to other areas such as using the term ‘alert’ instead of ‘announcement’ and the inclusion of other items not previously taught in the course. New Marine Radio (SRC) course syllabus The new course syllabus includes guidance on what should be included on a RYA Marine Radio (SRC) course and to what level each element should be taught. This includes:  Although AIS uses VHF it should only be taught in the context of life saving equipment that is fitted with AIS, e.g. EPIRBs, SARTs and Personal AIS Beacons  Personal distress and MOB beacons should be taught to only a limited extent, in part due to the ever-changing technology that is emerging  Navtex should be taught at a basic level and on a practical rather than technical basis  ATIS is not included in the syllabus The syllabus can be downloaded from the Training Support Site. Updated SRC Report cards The new SRC course packs will include a revised report card, now called an ‘Exam Eligibility Form’. The sections on the sticker part of the form have been updated and detailed instructions on how the forms must be handled and completed are given on the reverse. Please note that there is no change to the requirement that only original forms (stickers) may be submitted to the Certification department. Issued 16 September 2019. Information correct at time of publication The change has been brought about following confusion surrounding how report cards should be supplied for an exam candidate who has taken an online course or completed the course at another training centre. The tear-off temporary pass certificate remains part of the form and may be used as evidence of successful completion of the SRC exam when used for an RYA Yachtmaster exam, Advanced Powerboat exam or a commercial endorsement. The temporary pass certificate is valid for 28 days from the date of the exam. Stocks of course packs containing the existing report form should be used up first before starting to use the new style of form that will be received with future course pack orders. Updated VHF Handbook (G31, e-G31, SRCP and e-SRCP) The VHF Handbook, which must be issued to every RYA student prior to an SRC course, has been updated to reflect the changes mentioned here. Course packs containing the July 2019 reprint are expected to be available by the end of October 2019 when existing stock runs out. A full list of changes can be found in the books change log. A Summary of Updates for RTCs and Assessors to share with students holding the old edition can be downloaded from the Training Support Site. Printed copies are available on request by emailing training@rya.org.uk. Revalidation reminder SRC Assessors who qualified before 1 May 2014 have been invited to complete the online revalidation course and must do so before 31 October 2019 in order to retain their SRC Assessor qualification. Assessors qualified after 1 May 2014 will be (or have already been) contacted approximately a month before their expiry date with instructions on registering for the revalidation course and should complete the revalidation before the expiry date. If you have any queries about your revalidation please email training@rya.org.uk.