Short Range Certificate (SRC) course

Thanks to our club members FSMBC is now a registered RYA school accredited to teach and examine the RYA Marine Radio SRC Course.

Details of the Course on the RYA Website.

A course and exam for anyone who owns a fixed or handheld marine VHF radio. A radio is an important piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct procedures. The Short Range Certificate is the minimum qualification required by law to control the operation of VHF and VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment on any British flagged vessel voluntarily fitted with a radio either fixed or hand held.

The commercial cost of this course is normally around £100 plus RYA £70 exam fees. FSMBC are offering it for £25, and that is just a contribution to the cost of the club purchasing new VHF training equipment to use alongside a set of equipment the club has kindly borrowed from Steve White (our examiner and club member). The course will be taught by qualified instructor and club member Mark Payne.

To Book

Firstly, book on our website here! There are 8 places (first come first served). Once confirmed them book an exam through the RYA as detailed below.

Total Cost

£40 to book on the website. This is £25 to FSMBC towards the equipment cost and £15 (£12.50 +VAT) for a RYA student pack which includes the RYA book and paperwork to attend the course.

Additionally you will need to visit the RYA SRC Exam Page and pay £70 online for the exam and your certificate. This must be done before the course/exam.

Total £110

Timings & Venue

The course will run all day Saturday 16th March in the club's Committee Room (above the workshop). Exact times to be confirmed but assume something like 09:00 to 17:00.

The exam will be the next day Sunday 17th March in the same room. The exam is 1/2 hour and there will be 8 members. Steve will confirm the exact timings and procedure.

Preparation

It is expected you would do 3 hours of study in advance to learn the phonetic alphabet, pro words and phrases, and local VHF channels etc. Most of this is in the handbook you will get in advance plus your own research.

Qualification

Whilst not guaranteed, assuming you do the preparation and are attentive it is a near 100% pass rate. If you pass, the examiner sends the paperwork into the RYA (we'll need a passport photo) and the RYA send you your SRC (VHF) formal licence direct to your home address. The licence does not expire and is a legal requirement to have one to operate a VHF radio.

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Last updated 11:36pm on 15 September 2024