VHF Radio

The Rules and Info You Needed

For Use On Your Kayak Or Small Boat

There's been a lot of questions asked recently about VHF radio usage in internet Angling forums and especially in KFUK which is why we compiled this page. The need for VHF radio is growing rapidly along with the sport and with this article we hope to give you all you need to know to get you your VHF radio and will add to it as necessary. So go and grab a cold one from the fridge or boil the kettle and settle down to educate yourself in the ways of Kayak safety at sea using VHF radio.

To kick us off here's some information regarding the need for VHF as I'm sure you'll be sitting there thinking "do I really need it?" I've looked into it in great detail and the UK local coastguard's value VHF radio more over the use of flare's and ink spot devices because when you let a flare off, it travels approx. 80 ft into the air and is seen by ALL around which then provokes a full scale rescue operation including helicopters and life boat crews as people from all areas ring 999 to try and help. I'm sure you don't need reminding of the cost and effort involved in such an operation? This of course doesn't mean you shouldn't have flare's or other devices and in fact it's best to have both and know how and when to use them. When it comes down to the bottom line, we should all know when it's safe to go out to sea or not and I'm sure MOST of us do but the British weather is so kind to us it likes to keep us guessing most of the time and can throw us a nasty wind and sea at the drop of a paddle that could risk our precious life!

If you do get into trouble at sea and have got a VHF radio fitted to your PFD as I do (NOTE: VHF not fixed to the Kayak, if the wind/tide were to take the Kayak away from you then you'd really be in bother!) then if your in the water you can call for help on channel 16 without the need for a full scale rescue operation by explaining your predicament and position etc. This is where a hand held flare may come in handy as you can speed up assistance by setting it off while maintaining constant radio contact. They'll see the flare but won't need to alert all operations, hopefully.

Here's how to get your VHF Radio licence, step by step:

What You Need;

• Internet access (or pay £20 fee by postal registration)
• Adobe acrobat (PDF file reader (free download))
• A valid e-mail address
• Your course certificate number (and course type)
• A printer to print the licence off

1. Take the short range VHF radio course
2. Register online (free) with OFCOM
3. Download or run Adobe Reader if you need to?
4. Print off your licence & keep it safe
5. Buy Your VHF Radio

Getting A Licence

Your first step to getting a valid VHF radio & licence on your craft (kayaks to us lot) Go and take the short range VHF radio course, the prices for this vary according to the venue so do get a few quotes if possible. There's a course venue near you so have a browse of the RYA site for the closest one. Mine cost me £88 all in but that's with the two books that you get to keep and are sent out a week prior to the course so you can swat up. Then you need go on-line and register at OFCOM who govern all aspects of radio licensing in the UK. Register your details then they'll send you an e-mail with your username etc. Once you've got that you need to go back and apply for your licence at the OFCOM site. They post you out your username once you've registered.

Your course examiner will now forward your details to RYA who will then post out your Short Range Certificate. From here you need to go back onto the OFCOM site, log-in then apply for the licence. Then you'll be taken through the process where you'll need to type your course certificate number in so you can print the licence off. Now go and buy your radio but prior to doing so please research them. I've written a small piece on them below.

"OFCOM’s new online radio licensing system is now live. You can apply for a user account for the licensing system by registering your details at the following address: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/olc/ Having registered, your username will be sent to you by post. It will then be possible to use the online licensing system in order to apply for a free, "lifetime" Ship Radio licence or a Ship Portable Radio licence, or to amend, validate, or surrender your licence."

Getting A Radio

Do pay attention to detail though as some can mislead you with lack of detail and good advertising tricks. A waterproof radio makes perfect sense on a Kayak with a buoyant one being the optimal choice for those who can afford it. I personally went for the ENTEL HT640 which knocked me back £150 but is arguably the best around in it's price bracket with rave reviews on the net. There's a lot of talk about wattage too and all you need to know is that 1Watt covers you for up to a mile of usage and the now standard issue of 5 Watts covers you up to approximately 10 miles offshore which I doubt us paddlers will ever need? There is one other issue I've read up on and that's the fact that boat users switch to 1Watt usage to save battery power. As Kayakers I doubt we'll need to do this but the course will teach us all how to go on so I say go and take it!

One point I overlooked when I got my radio and is the reason I've re-written this page is the fact that it's VERY IMPORTANT to get a handheld VHF radio with DSC which stands for "Digital Selective Calling".

Extra Info

I found the RYA site very useful with loads of great information. Other useful links for you include this archived article on the OFCOM site and if you poke around the RYA site you'll find a regional centre locator to help you find your local venue to take the course. There's about 75 pages to browse in alphabetical order so you might want to skip through a few to speed you up. I'll add more as I find it, please feel free to help out by getting us more information if you think I've missed something?

One other point we feel we need to promote with regards to the use of VHF radios is the fact that if your caught using one abusively and without a license then your looking at a £5000 fine and possibly 6 months in prison. I don't think I need to say more, BEHAVE! This page shall be reviewed and updated with fresh information as and when we get it so do keep looking in.

Stay safe out there and help us put Kayak Fishing on the map not only in the UK but all over the world.

Andy and Ray

KFUK