An alternative — compulsory for SOLAS vessels — is that the radio should conform to the type approval requirements of the Marine Equipment Directive (MED) and be marked with the “ship’s wheel” symbol.


Strictly speaking, it is up to the holder of the ship radio licence to make sure that the radio equipment conforms to all these requirements. In practice, it is almost impossible for anyone to do so, without a high level of technical knowledge and access to sophisticated test facilities. If you have access to the documentation supplied with the radio when it was first bought, look for a copy of the declaration of conformity. Otherwise, look for the CE mark or ship’s wheel mark.


Be careful of radios imported from outside Europe, bought by mail order (particularly from websites) or bought at boat jumbles. Many radios, especially those built for the American market, do not conform to the European standards. They are not necessarily “sub standard” but it is illegal to install one under the terms of a UK Ship Radio Licence.


Radio log 


The Radio Regulations require all vessels with radio telephone equipment to keep a record of distress, urgency, and safety messages received or sent, along with other “important events” concerning the radio, and a daily note of the ship’s position. Under UK law, pleasure craft, and small commercial craft operating under any of the MCA Codes of Practice, are exempt from this requirement. It is still, however, good practice to make a note of such events in the boat’s deck log when required.


Secrecy 


Anything you say over a marine VHF radio can be picked up by anyone with another ordinary marine radio within a radius of many miles. In some respects, this is a great strength: one distress message, for instance, may be he heard by hundreds of other vessels, without having to be repeated to each one in turn. It does, however, mean that radio operators are duty bound to respect the confidences of their counterparts.


The need for secrecy is enshrined in the international Radio Regulations, in British law, and in the declaration of secrecy that is included in the application for a radio operator’s certificate.


It is a criminal offence to:-


Intercept radiocommunications not intended for the general use of the public without authorization;


Divulge the existence or contents of any information obtained by the interception of radio communications.


 


In other words:- Don’t eavesdrop. Don’t gossip

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