OVERVIEW

Marine Radio

MARC043 – Transmit and receive information by marine radio (Long Range HF)
MARC044 – Transmit and receive information by marine radio (Short Range VHF)

Both courses are designed for marine radio operators on Australian vessels which are fitted with marine telephony or marine radiotelephony which is either High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF), or Inmarsat satellite communications.

MARC043 – Transmit and receive information by marine radio (Long Range HF)

This unit involves the skills and knowledge required to:

Transmit and receive information by marine radio, including using marine very high frequency (VHF) and high frequency (HF) radio according to regulations
Carry out user maintenance and fault-finding procedures on radio equipment and power supplies
Operate emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), search and rescue radar transponders (SARTs), automatic identification system search and rescue transmitters (AIS-SARTs), AIS man overboard (AIS-MOB) devices and digital selective calling MOB (DSC-MOB) devices.

This unit applies to people working in the maritime industry in the capacity of:

Master on commercial vessels <80 m in length within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or
Chief mate or deck watchkeeper on a vessel <80 m in length within the EEZ.

Licensing/Regulatory Information

Legislative and regulatory requirements are applicable to this unit. The Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Radcomm Act), through the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Maritime Ship Licence) Determination 2015 requires that operators of VHF maritime ship stations are appropriately qualified to operate the stations. This means that operators are required to hold a relevant Australian maritime radio operator’s certificate of proficiency or an equivalent overseas qualification.

The Australian Maritime College (AMC) acts as the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) delegate in providing marine radio certificate services under the Radcomm Act, including the issue of Long Range Radio Operator’s Certificates of Proficiency (LROCPs). Operators who have attained a Statement of Attainment from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for this unit can apply to the AMC for the issue of a LROCP without the need to sit a further examination. This unit is one of the requirements to obtain Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) certification as defined in the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part D..

The LROCP qualification allows the operator to operate both the VHF marine radiotelephony equipment and the MF/HF marine telephony equipment. The examination consists of a 50 multi-choice question paper (duration 1 hour with a 70% pass mark) and a practical component. The practical component may be conducted by either the invigilator or another person nominated by the invigilator.

MARC044 – Transmit and receive information by marine radio (Short Range VHF)

This unit involves the skills and knowledge required to:

Transmit and receive information by marine very high frequency (VHF) radio according to regulations
Carry out user-maintenance and fault- finding procedures on radio equipment and power supplies
Operate emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), search and rescue radar transponders (SARTs), automatic identification system search and rescue transmitters (AIS-SARTs), AIS man overboard (AIS-MOB) device, and digital selective calling MOB (DSC-MOB) device.

This unit applies to people working in the maritime industry in the capacity of:

Coxswain on vessels <12 m in length with propulsion power that is unlimited for an outboard engine or <500 kW for an inboard engine operating in inshore or designated waters or
Coxswain on tenders or auxiliary vessels <12 m in length operating within 3 nautical miles (nm) of a parent vessel within the EEZ.

This unit covers VHF radio equipment only; MARC020Transmit and receive information by marine radio or telephone should be selected where competency in both VHF and high frequency (HF) radio is required.

Licensing/Regulatory Information

Legislative and regulatory requirements are applicable to this unit. The Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Radcomm Act), through the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Maritime Ship Licence) Determination 2015, requires that operators of VHF maritime ship stations are appropriately qualified to operate the stations. This means that operators are required to hold a relevant Australian Maritime Radio Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency or an equivalent overseas qualification.

The Australian Maritime College (AMC) acts as the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) delegate in providing marine radio certificate services under the Radcomm Act, including the issue of Short Range Radio Operator’s Certificates of Proficiency (SROCP). Operators who have attained a Statement of Attainment from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for this unit of competency can apply to the AMC for the issue of a SROCP without the need to sit a further examination. This unit of competency is one of the requirements to obtain Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) certification as a Coxswain Grade 1 Near Coastal (NC), as defined in the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part D. The AMSA mandated practical assessment (AMPA) is a requirement for AMSA certification.