Safety Without Radio

[Das_Boot]

Does anyone have any experience of sailing without a radio. Is it feasable if you carry the following equipment.
1. Radar
2. Epirb.
3. Hand held radio (the ones that dont need license) 3km range
4. Mobile phone.
Perhaps there is something someone might add to the list to minimise the percieved risk.

[duncan]

The boat licence required for your Radar, and covering your epirb, will also cover any radio fitted so you can have one onboard for no additional cost anyway.

As you have discussed at length you are required to have an operators licence to use the radio except in an emergency situation.

Or to put it another way it's simply your choice so why involve others here?

Finally there is absolutely no reason to mitigate a perceived risk - only a real one.

[fireball]

Eh? You need a licence for a Radar?!!

[Mirelle]

For ordinary coastal sailing I don't carry a radio, or a radar, or an EPIRB, or a hand held, and I appear to have survived for the past thirty years.

If you are going somewhere where you need to talk to lock keepers, or bridge keepers, (eg Holland) it is worth carrying a VHF. Otherwise I would not bother.
A mobile phone works fine for marinas, etc.

The reason for NOT carrying a VHF radio is the irritating racket (far worse if DSC installed).

For longer passages, an EPIRB probably makes sense, provided it is a good one.

[duncan]

believe so - scuttles off to check..........

[steverow]

Dont even think about it.
The only device worth having would be a Satellite Mobile Phone..Iridium, but that's likely to cost you a lot more to run than the combined cost of doing the SRC and purchasing a VHF marine Radio.
IMHO it would be crass stupidity.

Steve.

[knewboater]

You need a radio for contacting other boats /marinas/talking to lifeboat and other safety services, if you can do this on a hand held with a 3 km range,then I am sure that the safety services will respond,probably you maybe out of range to call them in which case you are left with Epirb, do you deploy it or not? with a radio you can at least discuss non life threatening situations without calling out the services(which might take them away from another more serious incident). Mobile phones in my experience only work approx. 7 miles from shore . If you prefer not to have a radio then a satelite phone must be an alternative.

[Das_Boot]

I am busy looking into the satelite phone issue I think this negates the need to transmit over long distance. Therefore any radio would be for the purpose of listening. Can you get weather forcasts on satelite phone. Or if you have a weatherfax I suppose that will cover you.

[Mike_Martin]

[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone have any experience of sailing without a radio. Is it feasable if you carry the following equipment.
1. Radar
2. Epirb.
3. Hand held radio (the ones that dont need license) 3km range
4. Mobile phone.
Perhaps there is something someone might add to the list to minimise the percieved risk.

[/ QUOTE ]

So there I was expecting to see a post about correct types and numbers of flares and a description of the International non-radio DISTRESS signals. What I found was a list of Radios!!!

Just to set things straight if you were trying to help people avoid the need for a Ship Radio Licence you didn't do very well.

Both the EPIRB and RADAR require registration under a Ship Radio Licence.

PMR 446 radio? Well it could be useful if HMCG, passing shipping or anyone useful listened to it. Unfortunately they don't so forget it for safety but fantastic for chit-chat.

Mobile phone (still a radio but that's being picky!) AS long as you keep it in a watertight container AND program the number of the MRCC that is closest to you before going (you really don't want to rely on 999). It could be helpful!! However, you remove the possibility of assistance from passing shipping, instantly! You also in (big seas) negate the possibility of RNLI DFing you during a search. BUT it could work.

Mike

[Mike_Martin]

The radio being referred to is a PMR 446 radio. PMR stands for Private Mobile Radio ie Land based.

Please do not confuse them with Marine VHF radios which are monitored by the Emergency services.

Mike