RYA SRC/VHF study guide
RYA SRC/VHF · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The RYA Short Range Certificate (SRC) is the qualification most commonly associated with operating a marine VHF radio fitted with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on UK-flagged recreational craft. It is aimed at leisure sailors, motor cruisers, anglers, kayakers and small-boat skippers who need to use a VHF set lawfully and, more importantly, competently when something goes wrong. The RYA SRC/VHF study guide has 6 sections and about 2,924 words.
01General Knowledge of Radio Communications and the GMDSS
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System is not a single piece of equipment - it is a worldwide framework of frequencies, procedures and carriage rules that lets any vessel raise a distress alert and lets shore authorities coordinate the response. The SRC syllabus tests the six GMDSS functions: alerting (DSC on VHF and HF, Inmarsat, 406 MHz EPIRB), search and rescue coordination by shore MRCCs, on-scene communications (Ch 16 and portable VHFs), locating (SART and 121.5 MHz homing), maritime safety information (NAVTEX, SafetyNET, coastguard broadcasts), and routine communications.
472 words, about 2 min02VHF Radio Operation, Controls and Channel Usage
The rotary knob is on/off and volume. The squelch is set just past the point where background hiss stops, so weak distant signals still open the receiver.
469 words, about 2 min03Distress, Urgency and Safety Communications (DSC and Voice)
MAYDAY means grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance: sinking, fire, man overboard, abandoning ship. PAN PAN means urgency - a problem threatening safety but not yet life-threatening, such as engine failure in a shipping lane, a medical consultation, or obstructing a fairway.
495 words, about 2 min04Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and MMSI Procedures
The Maritime Mobile Service Identity is a nine-digit number identifying a station in DSC and AIS. A ship station is MID plus six digits, where the MID identifies the flag state (UK: 232, 233, 234, 235).
484 words, about 2 min05Licensing, Regulations and Radio Etiquette
A ship radio licence authorises the vessel and its equipment to transmit; in the UK it is issued free by Ofcom and covers every radio on board, including a DSC VHF, an EPIRB and a SART. A ship portable radio licence covers a handheld used away from its licensed vessel - in a tender, for example, or on a friend's boat.
472 words, about 2 min06EPIRBs, SARTs and Battery/Antenna Care
A 406 MHz EPIRB transmits a digital distress alert carrying the vessel's identity and, on GNSS models, its position, to the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system; a 121.5 MHz transmitter provides homing for rescue aircraft and boats. It is registered to a vessel and a responsible person with emergency contacts.
532 words, about 3 min