Limehouse to Teddington

[Guest]

the OP is compliant if he's listening in without a license.

Running for cover now.

 

well I've been listening in this evening and I don't have a VHF licence, maybe the OP just needs a dongle and a lap top..

[carlt]

 

No....but we still await an ofcom prosecution.

 

 

A man from Dartmouth who used ships’ radio was conditionally discharged for 12 months and ordered to pay £200 costs after pleading guilty to unlicensed possession and broadcasting at Newton Abbots Magistrates’ Court on 10 February.

 

Jody Channer (29) of Townstal Road in Dartmouth was charged with possession and use of two unlicensed VHF radios. Officers of the Radiocommunications Agency found the radios in August when carrying out a follow-up exercise to its Marine Licensing Awareness campaign which took place in South Devon during June 2002.

 

Thomas Edward Machin aged 49 of High Street, Burniston, Scarborough, admitted two cases of operating without a licence when he appeared before Scarborough Magistrates' Court on September 3.

 

He was fined £100 and ordered to pay £100 costs.

 

In April this year technical staff from the Radiocommunications Agency inspected radio equipment on two passenger boats registered to Mr Machin and found that it was unlicensed. The systems were disconnected and Mr Machin was told to obtain the appropriate licences. Mr Machin subsequently obtained the licences.

[ditchcrawler]

Coming out of Limehouse I have talked to VTS on my mobile as they don't hear me when I am in the lock - I have bought a new aerial to see if it makes a difference but that is another story, the point is that VTS don't mind talking to you on the phone though I am sure that they would prefer you to use vhf - I think that is in their directions.

 

The last point is about something going wrong. The Thames tideway is a fantastic trip, but the consequences if something goes wrong are not good. WJM talked of 60 seconds to hit a bridge, 60 seconds to roll over, a nice concise warning. In those circumstances no one will waste time to criticise you if you get on the radio for an unlicenced, illegal transmission. I have no argument at all that it is much better to have been on the course and use the right language.

That is one of the problems the Coastguards are having with inshore boats around the coast, they think the mobile phone is a good substitute for a VHF and if they have a problem they ring the coastguard. This sounds found until there is a serious problem. With VHF you hear all the conversations, life boat, Coastguard, other boats trying to offer assistance. With the mobile you can only talk to one person and they have to try and relay to the others.

[Evo]

Holy crap Carl you're grasping now....one was running 2 passenger boats as a business, and the other sounds like he was up to no good smuggling or something.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Evo

[Evo]

Well well...its gone up....just checked my email.

 

I have been given your details by Stratford College.

 

I have a course this Sunday 20th at Hagley - map attached.

 

Passport photograph and knowledge of the phonetic alphabet required. -

attached.

 

Cost £110 plus £30 licence fee to the RYA.

 

regards

[Tillerman]

Holy crap Carl you're grasping now....one was running 2 passenger boats as a business, and the other sounds like he was up to no good smuggling or something.

 

 

...or it could have been a pirate radio station!

 

Anyway, the Radiocommunications Agency no longer exsits as its now Ofcom.

 

Since 2003 I bet there were far fewer prosecuted under the act as I suspect Ofcom has no one to do spot checks and indeed the local office in my neck of the woods, Nowich, closed down years ago - so who actually polices the act taking into account that Ofcom has sole responsibility for all broadcasting and see's in its sites the major broadcastors who get fined far greater sums that the £5k you would get under the WT Act of 1949 (amended 2006)

In fact have a look at Ofcoms website and you'll see amounts almost at bankers bonus levels being handed out to broadcasters for falling foul of the Broadcasting Act - little, if any, mention of VHF fines.

 

And, before anyone jumps down my throat, I am not saying that because the system is not properly controlled and policed that you can resort to anarchy, I am mearly pointing out the facts.

[carlt]

Holy crap Carl you're grasping now....one was running 2 passenger boats as a business, and the other sounds like he was up to no good smuggling or something.

there are others but they, apparently were the only ones notable enough to make the papers (or stayed in quotable archives).

 

...or it could have been a pirate radio station!

 

No, they were the marine prosecutions.

 

There are precious few prosecutions, about the same, or a few more, than successful prosecutions against overstaying...so I suppose overstaying must be okay, too.

[Guest]

Well well...its gone up....just checked my email.

 

I have been given your details by Stratford College.

 

I have a course this Sunday 20th at Hagley - map attached.

 

Passport photograph and knowledge of the phonetic alphabet required. -

attached.

 

Cost £110 plus £30 licence fee to the RYA.

 

regards

 

I reckon it's gone down from your OP

 

Its daft, its going to cost me about £160 + 1 day off work (very expensive - I work for myself) just to do a few miles up a river.

[Evo]

Whatever happens and whatever I decide to do I certainly got another 'Your an irresponsible arse' response from the regulars on here for raising what is obviously an issue that needs sorting out. You cant have London Harbour masters announcing in IWA presentations that they dont care wether you have a license or not but would prefer if you got yourself a radio and listened. In print they state they are mandatory but in practice their own staff dont give a toss and let anyone out there.

 

Good stuff though, liked the pics of coppers boarding the terrorists in their getaway vehicle, and the old empty working boat bobbing about like a discarded galvanised bath tub. Am seriously looking forward to it again...got 3 weeks this year..wahay

 

hahaha..Your right Martin except he must be charging time and half for Sunday. Well if he can I can so thats makes it alot more.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Evo

[Guest]

Whatever happens and whatever I decide to do I certainly got another 'Your an irresponsible arse' response from the regulars on here

 

last one being???

[Evo]

Well apparently I'm a dispicable racist, the anti-christ when it comes to saving wooden boats, and as for tightening up propshafts - well I aint goin there..!!!

[Guest]

hahaha..Your right Martin

 

Cheers...

 

- well I aint goin there..!!!

 

Good call..

[canaldrifter]

I wouldn't know. She died before I passed my driving test.

 

In that case you possibly passed your test by taking on board what she had to say?

 

Don't write off oldies just because they're old.

 

Tone

 

A couple of points, if you've listened in to VHF transmissions in the PLA area you'll know that nobody, including London VTS follows the correct calling procedure as taught on the VHF course.

 

It seems it was ok for the Lea Valley hire boats from Broxbourne (RIP) to travel up the tideway with a hand set for listening in, none of the hirers were certified, well some wont have been.

 

I'm sure that the actual PLA requirement is to keep a listening watch, this being the case you wouldn't need a license, unless you were going to transmit. So in my opinion (safety etc set aside) the OP is compliant if he's listening in without a license.

 

Running for cover now.

 

Don't bother running. You are spot on.

 

Tone

[carlt]

In that case you possibly passed your test by taking on board what she had to say?

 

No she didn't have a clue and there was no criticism of her age, merely that, owing to lack of training, she had no idea what she was talking about.

[canaldrifter]

Well apparently I'm a dispicable racist, the anti-christ when it comes to saving wooden boats, and as for tightening up propshafts - well I aint goin there..!!!

 

Tell you what Evo? Just do it. Have e VHF aboard... I don't think you will end up in the Tower of London... do you?

 

Pedantry doesn't mix with boating as far as I am concerned.

 

Tone

Edited March 19, 2011 by canaldrifter

[Naughty Cal]

Tell you what Evo? Just do it. Have e VHF aboard... I don't think you will end up in the Tower of London... do you?

 

Pedantry doesn't mix with boating as far as I am concerned.

 

Tone

 

Great advice their Tone.

 

<tongue firmly in cheek>

[Evo]

Me and Tone are on the same wavelength.

[Naughty Cal]

Me and Tone are on the same wavelength.

 

The wrong one?

[Alan de Enfield]

The wrong one?

 

27Mhz instead of 156Mhz ??

[mykaskin]

I've been staying fairly quiet on this one. First of all, I think it's right to have a licence, however its debatable if you need one for a listening watch.

 

At the end of the day the requirement is for security and safety. As someone who has been through London several times over the last few years in a variety of boats, it's fair to say that the Thames can be congested at times. Professional boatmen know the river, the boats, and what they are going to do and how they are going to do it from years of working on the river.

 

Here is a test case for Evo, based on a real life example:

 

Heading upstream with a good tide passing the London Eye heading for Westminster Bridge. There are two trip boats holding in the river blocking two of the bridge arches (second + third arches out from the North bank). The one nearest the bank looks like it might be heading into the main channel in front of the other boat but is holding back. Your boat is near the bank keeping out of the way of the traffic, in line for the 2nd arch.

 

You have a portable radio tuned to Channel 14, and these notes:

http://www.waterscape.com/media/documents/33

 

What do you do?

 

...and what would you do if the ISO phase light was blinking on the centre arch?

 

I'd appreciate if others would let Evo answer first.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Evo]

From that I presume we are all going in the same direction.

 

First thoughts:-

 

Why is he stopping..?? Is there something big comming the other way...call VTS, whats happening.

 

 

Iso phase light.. keep out of that arch something big comming.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Evo

[Guest]

From that I presume we are all going in the same direction.

 

First thoughts:-

 

Why is he stopping..?? Is there something big comming the other way...call VTS, whats happening.

 

 

Iso phase light.. keep out of that arch something big comming.

 

why not call the other boat?? rather than VTS

[Evo]

Because I dont know his number, I've called VTS on the phone. My thinking would be these guys know what they are doing they are not going to park up their trip boats blocking all passage for no reason...I'd be kinda prepared to do a Huey and hold on the other side, I wouldn't fancy holding in reverse.

[mykaskin]

From that I presume we are all going in the same direction.

 

First thoughts:-

 

Why is he stopping..?? Is there something big comming the other way...call VTS, whats happening.

 

 

Iso phase light.. keep out of that arch something big comming.

 

The trip boats are stemming the tide holding their position, pointing downstream (toward the sea). Your boat is heading upstream.

 

Assuming you are happy to use the radio without a licence, VTS - while aware of large traffic - are only aware of which smaller boats (read Trip Boats) are using the river and not necessarily their position and intentions.

 

While calling VTS to find out what was using the centre arch is the right thing to do if you need to use it, I think your actions have just shown your inexperience of the situation. Not the end of the world, many boaters have been in the same situation (myself included).

 

Lets assume for the moment that VTS have told you not to use the centre arch as there is outbound traffic. You are getting quite close to the trip boats. What now?

 

Mike

 

(edited for poor spelling)

Edited March 21, 2011 by mykaskin

[Guest]

Because I dont know his number, I've called VTS on the phone. My thinking would be these guys know what they are doing they are not going to park up their trip boats blocking all passage for no reason...I'd be kinda prepared to do a Huey and hold on the other side, I wouldn't fancy holding in reverse.

 

I meant 'hail' him on the VHF - not the phone...