Radio do's and don'ts

Bruce Vass interviews South Australian VMR radio operator Allan Miell about do's and don'ts of using your radio and issues VMRs experience while communicating with cruisers. Allan and wife Carol run VMR523 American River on Kangaroo Island.

Q. What are the common mistakes that recreational radio operators make?

A. The biggest mistake is where we have an emergency and the operator on the other end hasn’t got a clue how to use the radio, is radio shy or is in a panic. My advice is to use your radio as often as you can, get your crew used to it as well, get up to speed with channels on VHF, their limitations and how to overcome problems when they arise and if you have HF, work at it until the frequency system becomes second nature. Try the HAP (Hourly Area Predictions) forecasts for optimising frequency use. This is available on the internet and is updated hourly.

Become aware of how repeaters work, their coverage and where they overlap. Scan all of the channels that service the area you are going into; there is nothing worse than when your mates are on channel 21 and you are on channel 80 — he can’t hear you and you can’t get him. In this instance we become “orchestra” conductors, but this would not need our intervention if 21 and 80 were scanned. Arrange a club working channel for all members to use when in close to each other so that if one calls on 80 and no go, try the club channel 72 which is also in the scan function of your radio if you put it there. Most radios nowadays scan three or five channels with channel 16 being automatic.

Almost every time we hear some one calling and getting no responses, the problem is operator error. The squelch knob is a problem, turn it too far the wrong way and you hear nothing. The only solution to this is to make a habit of turning back the squelch until you get static, then reset the thing every time you turn on the radio or lobby the radio manufacturers to put the knob in a different place or with a different feel from the volume knob.

The other problem we get is when someone is on US settings. They can broadcast to the repeaters so we hear it and we respond, but they cannot hear us. This is because US settings on 80, 21 and 81 are simplex having no receiving frequency to receive the repeater transmission.

Q. Allan, what is your opinion about the practice of logging on for cruisers?

A. I can speak only for us. Logging on and off is a good practice and sometimes essential. As a boatie, at one time I would not have bothered, but now I would not go out without logging on. For a day-sail, it provides comfort and a sense of security to the skipper and crew. Sailing single-handed, I would definitely log on and off every time.

Logging on and off functions exceptionally well in conjunction with your EPIRB, but only if your registered first call on your EPIRB is the radio station who knows where you are. Should your first call be to home, an uncle, or a friend, the odds are they don’t know where you are, or if you are out, or how many are on board, so it becomes a wasted call when Australian Maritime Search and Rescue phone them. If you are logged on with us, with departure and arrival estimates logged and we are your first call, we have a very good estimated position for them and confirmation of numbers aboard, which assists in reducing the initial search area and unknowns. In a mayday situation, AMSR has commented that it was very helpful that they could get the information from us before the police could provide it. It is interesting to note that in an emergency the police don’t contact radio stations to ask if they know anything. I think politics plays a big part in this, and it could be at the expense of those in trouble. Maybe only a coroner’s findings and ensuing recommendations will fix this.

We also operate a system with boats going overseas using HF radio, AIS positioning, email, phone contact, C-MAP and a world-wide weather system which works exceptionally well. Don’t rely on mobile phones or satellite phones to save your life. They can be unreliable.

In regards to a missing log off, if your chosen radio station operator has a big boat and bluewater background, they will establish in their minds whether this needs follow up or not. Depending on this assessment, the follow up could be softly, softly, “call the cops” or maybe nothing. Many organisations have a standard call-the-cops procedure and I believe this is wrong. If you are out in a 12ft tinny, five miles off the harbour in 30 knots of wind and you didn’t show up at the right time, I would “call the cops”.

Many of the charter boats are now logging on and off because of legal problems. Logging on can demonstrate care for passengers’ safety in the event of a catastrophe and the ensuing legal actions.

Q. What information do you record for each log on?

A. We record time of call, channel or frequency, your boat name, number of persons on board, sailing from/too, time of departure, ETA and any other pertinent information. There are variations to this depending on where you are and what you are doing etc. At various times during the day I check for outstandings, and if follow up is required then I do it. Common sense, judgment and experience come into play at this point. If I have any thoughts about your boat or my concept of your ability or attitude, they are recorded as well. It is all relevant when the wheels fall off.

Our radio log is a private document, but one that we have to keep by law, ensuring every call is recorded. It is also a legal document in a coronial enquiry. Only ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) has the right of access without question. It is a lot more than a bit of paper with some scribble on it.

Q. What is your opinion of the voyage plan system introduced recently in NSW?

A. Voyage plans have been around for a long time in various guises. On paper they are great, but they have shortfalls.

The Coast Guard forms that arrive in Adelaide are not followed up, for instance, according to Coast Guard stations interstate, and one of the problems is that Adelaide is only there on weekends. The vessels arriving here that have filled them in (I get to talk to most) ask me what do they do now and I tell them I don’t know — I guess you bin it. I have asked the water police about them and they said they don’t know. We occasionally get one here but no one knows what to do with it.

We work in cooperation with other stations and pass boats along to each other via VHF, HF or phone and it works better than any other system that I know. A comment that has been made to me about the new NSW system is that yachties feel that they have lost their freedom to come and go as they please and that once you are in their clutches they are in control of your actions. I guess there are other thoughts that I have not been privy to.

Q. What are your thoughts about Digital Selective Calling?

A. Remember that DSC transmissions will only be picked up by a station that is in line of sight. In the South Australian gulfs, it is a bit of a waste because Ch16 VHF is monitored by Coast Radio Adelaide, supposedly around the clock. There have been times when I have been unable to contact them either on VHF or HF. Coast Radio Adelaide does not pick up DSC calls as they are unable to receive VHF Channel 70. Beyond the gulfs it has its place but remember non-repeater transmissions are line of sight.

We monitor DSC on VHF but not on HF. We don’t monitor HF DSC because AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) monitors it round the clock.

By the way, our VHF MMSI number is 005030116.

Q. Do you need to be proficient in the phonetic alphabet?

A. If you are going interstate, overseas, or dealing with overseas shipping that have operators with limited English, the answer is most definitely become proficient at our favourite alphabet.

If you are working in Australian waters, it does not really matter as long as you make sure we get the spelling of your boat name correct. This is essential as the name of your vessel is what is used to trace your origins, check that you have arrived at you destination or not or in an emergency.

Q. Some marine rescue organisations issue call signs for boats. Generally it seems boat names are mainly used. What is you preference?

A. Club-issued call signs will not assist the police to trace your residential address and all of the other information recorded on your boat registration. Should a catastrophe take place where the police need information from people at your home, they have to contact the club first. What if the club is closed, the night person has not got the info or does not know how to source it? The best way is your boat name, which we give to the police in an emergency when requested. They access Transport SA records and the job is done. Likewise some organisations ask you for your boat registration number. Yes, your home can be found with this but no quicker than the name of your boat. The problem here is if I called you using your boat registration number would you recognise it — probably not.

Please make sure the boat name you use is the one on your registration papers. Our focus is totally boat names. The boat takes on the personality and identity of the skipper. Some times, with “tinnies” or similar we have to use numbers and really there is no alternative.

Q. Closing thoughts/advice?

A. Use your radio until you know all about it and feel confident in using it — practice makes perfect. Don’t worry about making mistakes, we all do it. Maybe try my fix it when you do. I laugh at my mistakes and make fun of them on radio and it seems to make people’s day. Everyone gets a giggle, and that’s good stuff.

The same for HF radio. For practice, give us a call and we will go off to a little-used frequency where we can play with it to our heart’s content.

Your radio is still the most reliable instrument in use that can ensure your safety.

All of the electronics and gadgets supply information to the radio operator, both you and us, but a machine cannot think, reason, use logic, project or — most importantly —  make decisions. In an emergency decisions are always made by humans, some good and some bad. We use all the electronic monitoring systems that we can get our hands on and we do this for your safety, not for fun. We have a lot of fun on radio. This is good for us because we really do need it as a stress-reliever. However, it is not a game or an exercise to get government funding (and we don’t get or want any money from the government). The sole purpose Carol and I run this radio station is because we care for your safety, and we are continually mindful of the fact that things will go wrong. We get our laughs, but we never lose sight of why we are here.

Examples of distress, urgency and safety calls

Distress call

Mayday, mayday, mayday.

This is Bluefin, Bluefin, Bluefin,

Mayday, Bluefin,

We are 10nm east of Edithburgh,

We are sinking rapidly after striking a submerged object.

Estimate further 15 minutes afloat.

We are a 10m yacht, colour white.

There are three persons onboard.

We have activated the EPIRB.

Over.


Urgency call

Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan.

All stations, all stations, all stations.

This is Bluefin, Bluefin, Bluefin.

We are 10nm east of Edithburgh.

We have lost our propeller.

Estimate drifting north-east at three knots.

Require a tow urgently.

Over.


Safety call

Say-cure-e-tay, say-cure-e-tay, say-cure-e-tay.

All stations, all stations, all stations.

This is Bluefin, Bluefin, Bluefin.

Navigation warning.

Position 10nm east of Edithburgh.

Shipping container floating just below the surface.

Danger to navigation.

Out.

MAKING IT EASIER TO HEAR

While on the topic of radios, I myself recently solved an operating problem with my VHF radio. In the past we would listen to commercial radio in the cockpit but also have the VHF radio on in the cabin, but with no external speaker and with all the background noise it was difficult to hear the calls and part or most of the communication was missed. I have fitted an interrupt circuit between the VHF radio and the cockpit speaker so that commercial radio is interrupted by incoming VHF calls. I have also started using the memory scan on my VHF radio to scan six channels that I am interested in. Along the way, I found that the internal battery in the set needed replacement to hold the channels in memory. This has certainly invigorated my radio use, and I now find it interesting and helpful to listen to the traffic. If anyone is interested in getting hold of this circuit, you can contact Lester Marks at lestermarks@bigpond.com.au