RYA VHF/SRC Radio course
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. This includes both fixed and handheld equipment using International channels.
A radio is an important piece of safety equipment on board, and it is vital to understand the correct procedures. Unnecessary transmissions could block out a Mayday distress call.
We offer a 1 day classroom course (W6 9TA), which includes the exam at the end of the teaching session.
The classroom sessions are fun and interactive with an opportunity to practice using VHF training radios. These are actual VHF radios adapted to link with each other and not transmit externally. Thus, the user experience is exactly the same as using an onboard radio and students can practice real-world scenarios, such as sending distress signals and routine communications using Digital Selective Calling (DSC). You will also learn about other safety equipment and its use i.e. EPIRB. It also provides the opportunity to ask questions on any areas of how radios work that you are not clear about.
We keep our classroom numbers small at a ratio of 6:1 maximum, so that students get plenty of hands-on experience.
Minimum age: 16
The course will be taught and examined using training radios. The exam takes the form of a multiple-choice paper and practical radio scenarios (each part taking roughly 30 minutes) and generally starts about 17:00.
Course topics include:
- The basics of radio operation
- The correct frequencies (channels) to be used
- Distress, emergency and medical assistance procedures
- Making ship to shore communication
- Digital Selective Calling (DSC) using training radios
- Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)
- Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB)
- Search and Rescue (SART)
Course Timing: Timing: 0900-1700 + additional hours 1700 - 2000 for those taking the exam
Materials included: RYA G31 VHF Handbook
COST: £150 payable at time of booking
The SRC exam fee is an additional £76 and covers the cost of the examiner and the administration of processing and issuing the certificate. This fee is payable directly to the RYA and is separate to the £155 fee that you pay for the training course.
Requirements:
There are some upfront reading materials prior to you attending the course (you should aim to spend at least three hours on the materials provided)
This is mandatory to give everyone a basic understanding of the materials and to ensure the syllabus can be covered. The pre-reading materials will be emailed to you upon booking.
Prior to taking the exam, you will use the RYA online exam payment system to pay for the exam and receive a personalised exam application form. Print this out and take it with you to the exam, together with your eligibility documents and passport sized photo.
See full details on the RYA website. here
COURSE DATES 2025:
Sunday 14th December
By signing up to this this course, you are accepting LCSC's Standard T & C's for Shore-based Courses - please find a copy below
Downloads
Last updated 12:13 on 19 November 2025