Welcome to the world of marine communications

The world of marine communications is complex and heavily covered by rules and regulations as well as a complexity of technologies. Whether you use a marine radio for work or for leisure then I trust you will find these pages of interest to you.

Why have a Marine Radio on board?

Radio provides the ability to talk to many stations all at once, meaning the marine radio serves many uses from talking to other ship stations, a marina or even the coastguard.

A appropriate marine radio for the area of operation is a mandatory requirement for ALL vessels (including pleasure craft) 13.7 metres or over.
If in-shore sailing then a marine GMDSS VHF radio and if off-shore or ocean sailing then you are required to have a marine GMDSS MF/HF (SSB) radio.

A maritime radio capable of transmitting and receiving,
appropriate to the sailing area of operation

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Marine Radio Legal Requirements

Each country has its own regulatory authority, here in the UK it is the responsibility of the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) and OFCOM.

These notes are for UK registered ships and are only meant as a guide. Non UK registered ships should check with the country of registration.

There are 3 regulations that have to be considered, these are:

1. The mandatory fitting of radio communication equipment.

2. A ship's radio licence.

3. A radio operator's certificate of competence.

Mandatory fitting of radio communication equipment

Depending on the size of the boat will depend whether or not it is mandatory to fit radio equipment.
Here in the UK all ships (yachts, boats etc.) are covered by the Merchant Shipping Regulations.
For ships less than 13.7 metres (45 feet) only have to comply with SOLAS V regulations.

Ships 13.7 metres and over are covered by the Merchant Shipping Regulations which say that "a maritime radio capable of transmitting and receiving, appropriate to the area of operation".
Therefore ships of 13.7 metres and over, should have a VHF radio and if off-shore sailing an MF & HF (SSB) radio.

You can download a file from the RYA web site 13.7m regs Class XII Exemption.pdf which covers leisure craft of 13.7 metres and over.

It is also worthwhile visiting the RYA page 'Equipment for Pleasure Vessels'.

Ship’s Radio Licence

It is an internationally agreed legal requirement to have a ship's radio licence. On the ship's radio licence you will find the ship's international callsign and, if requested, 9 digit MMSI number.

Callsigns and MMSI numbers are internationally allocated. If you know the vessel name, callsign or MMSI number you can find the vessel particulars at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) web site.

click here for ITU ship database

For USA ships visit the FCC ship license database click here.

More information on legal requirement click here for OFCOM Ship Radio Guidance Notes

Marine Radio Operator's Certificate of Competence

Regualtions vary around the world and are dependent of the country of registation of the ship, not the citizenship of the radio operator or captain.

In Europe, to operate a marine radio, the radio operator is required to hold a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) marine radio operator's certificate.

For ships less than 24 metres in length, two types of GMDSS certificates can be obtained.
1. Short Range Certificate which is limited to VHF only operation.
2. Long Range Certificate which allows operation of all (VHF, MF & HF (SSB)) marine radio equipment.

For ships over 24 metres in length, then the radio operator must hold either:
1. Restricted Operator Certificate which is restricted to ships operating in GMDSS Sea Area A1.
2. General Operator Certificate allows operation in ALL GMDSS Sea Areas (A1, A2, A3 & A4) of marine radio equipment (VHF, MF, HF & Inmarsat).

The Short Range Certificate is issed by the RYA, the Long Range Certificate, Restricted Operator Certificate and General Operator Certificate are issued by AMERC.

GMDSS operator radio certificates are issued on behalf of the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency. A list of Long Range Certificate course providers can be found at AMERC.

In the US, if the ship is visiting international ports then the marine radio operator must obtain a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit, they do not need to take a test to obtain this permit. For more infomation visit the FCC site at https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/ship-radio-stations

In Canada the marine radio operator must have a Radio Operator's Certificate to transmit on all marine radios - VHF, MF/HF, and SSB.
For more information visit http://boating.ncf.ca/vhf.html#operatorlicense
The license is issued by the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons https://www.cps-ecp.ca/

Do consider help and assistance is more likely to come from other yachts or ships within the vicinity of a vessel requiring assistance.

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Communications Types and Distance

There are a number of communication types that need to be considered and ideally if going long term sailing all options must be considered.

Type	Range	Advantage (Distance)	Disadvantage
Wi-Fi	10 to 100 metres	Fast data, but can be slow if many users using the same Wi-Fi hub.	Very short range. Only has good as the shore-side WiFi and internet infrastructure. Open Wi-Fi can have security issues.
Mobile Phones	5 to 10 miles from base station	Can be used for phone calls and internet access.	Only work close to land. Requires mobile phone infrastructure.
AM/FM Broadcast Radio	AM up to 200 miles during day, further at night. FM line of sight from the transmitting station.	Broadcast radio to the masses.	Only one way, broadcast to you.
Marine VHF radio	Ship to ship 20 miles Ship to shore up to 50 miles	Provides voice communications between ships and coastguard. Can be received by many stations therefore provide, one-to-many communications.	Cannot be used to communicate with a private person ashore. e.g. You cannot operate from a private house.
Marine MF/HF (SSB)	MF 75 to 200 miles. HF provide potentially global communications.	Provides voice communications between ships and coastguard over 100s or even 1000s of miles. Can be received by many stations therefore provide, one-to-many communications. Marine email services available via SailMail Free weather data and fax services in many parts of the world. Low running cost.	Cannot be used to communicate with a private person ashore. e.g. You cannot operate from a private house. Dependent of radio propagation, which very throughout the day and some days can be more reliable the others. High installation cost onboard a yacht.
Satellite Networks	Some networks provide near global coverage while others networks only offer limited coverage.	Reliable service within the satellite network coverage area. Telephone calls and data (email/internet) connectivity. Can be used for one-to-one communications and with Iridium’s SATELLITE PTT (Push-To-Talk) one-to-many communications giving the ability to talk to many other stations all at the same time.	Airtime charges (running costs) are expensive. Therefore to keep cost down it is worth considering using an email compression service such as SailMail. Requires the satellite to be in view and the antenna onboard the yacht require good 360 degree view of the sky with no obstructions. If the satellite is not in direct view then expected slow of even dropped calls.

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GMDSS: Global Maritime Distress & Safety System

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Handbook, produced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines GMDSS as follows:-
The basic concept of (GMDSS) is that search and rescue authorities ashore, as well as shipping in the immediate vicinity of the ship in distress, will be rapidly alerted to a distress incident so that they can assist in a co-ordinated SAR operation with the minimum delay.

The system also provides for agency and safety communications and the promulgation of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) - navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts and other urgent safety information to ships.
In other words, every ship is able, irrespective of the area in which it operates, to perform those communication functions which are essential for the safety of the ship itself and of other ships operating in the same area.

GMDSS sea areas serve two purposes:

1. To describe areas where GMDSS services are available
2. To define the radio equipment that must be carry.

GMDSS operation

Full operation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System came into force on the 1st February 1999.

Under IMO legislation, all passenger vessels had to be fitted with the necessary equipment by 1995, and all vessels over 300grt to be GMDSS equipped by the 1st February1999 deadline.

National administrations are also being encouraged to provide the necessary shore based infrastructure in sufficient time.

Benefits of GMDSS

All Distress and Safety communication will be automated and watch keeping on traditional voice and Morse code frequencies become history.
At the press of a button, a ship can send its identity, position and nature of distress by either satellite or terrestrial communication.
It will then be up to a shore based Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) to alert vessels in the area to go to the aid of the casualty.
This co-ordinating role of the RCC is a new one.

Under the SOLAS 1974 system, ships in the area were required to monitor for distress alerts and then respond directly.
The GMDSS now makes this the responsibility of the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC or Maritime RCC) .

GMDSS also changes the nature of Routine and Safety Radio operation.

These become fully automatic, enabling ship's to deal with all incoming and outgoing ship's radio communication. It is no longer necessary to sail with a specialist radio officer onboard.

Components of GMDSS

GMDSS consists of several different safety systems based around different communication technologies.

These include:-

* Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on VHF, HF and MF.

* NAVTEX

* INMARSAT

* EPIRBs

* SARTs

* VHF, MF and HF Communication.

Do consider help and assistance is more likely to come from other yachts or ships within the vicinity of a vessel requiring assistance.