The RYA VHF Marine Radio course is for anyone who owns a fixed or handheld VHF marine radio. A radio is an important piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct international procedures.
The RYA VHF Marine Radio course is also a prerequisite for RYA Yachtmaster candidates.
RYA VHF Marine Radio Course
How the VHF Online Theory Course Works
1. Download Training Modules
The RYA VHF Marine Radio course is split into seven training modules which are downloaded as a single course package. After studying the seven modules, you will see a number of practice scenarios enabling you to gain further experience in a variety of situations.
The training modules will be installed on your computer which means they can be completed online or offline. However, you will need to be online at your first log in and after completing all the modules so that your progress is recorded to the RYA Interactive website and you can access to the next step.
The RYA VHF Marine Radio course, accompanied by the RYA VHF Handbook, will take you through the training at your own speed in the comfort of your home.
2. Online Pre-exam Knowledge Check
When you’ve finished all modules and practiced as much as you like offline, return to the online site to take the pre-exam knowledge check. This will help prepare you for your final exam. There is no time limit for this knowledge check, but when you take your final exam there will be a 30 minute time limit for the written paper.
The pre-exam knowledge check must be passed in order for you to download your course completion certificate.
3. Instructor Review
Your RYA instructor will review your course and inform you of your result. If you have any queries or require further knowledge assistance then our instructors are online to help via email.
When you have completed the training course and satisfactorily completed your pre-exam knowledge check you will be able to download a certificate. Bring it with you to your assessment at Grenada Bluewater Sailing – it will be needed in order to complete your final application for the RYA VHF SRC Marine Radio.
Please note: The certificate you download from the online theory course is not your final RYA VHF SRC Marine Radio Certificate – you can only apply for that when you have passed the final assessment at our RYA Training Centre.
4. Final Assessment
The last step is to take the final assessment at Grenada Bluewater Sailing. Before you start the exam you will be offered time to familarise yourself with the radios used by us. You should be allowed approximately 15 minutes for this, and you will be able to ask your examiner questions about how that specific type of radio works.
Use this time to make sure you understand the process for sending distress, urgency, safety and routine alerts on the radio you will use in the assessment.
The assessment is conducted in person at our RYA Training Centre in Grenada and takes approximately 2 hours. You can book for the final assessment at the same time as you sign up for the online theory course.
Student Materials
Each student will be issued with the RYA VHF SRC Marine Radio pack, which will be posted to your address. You will need to bring the enclosed original application form to complete the final assessment with our RYA instructor at Grenada Bluewater Sailing.
Minimum Technical Requirements
Internet connection (broadband or 3G). Charges may apply for 3G .
1024 x 768 screen resolution – this must be available screen space (menu bars, docks or task bars may conceal part of the course window on smaller screens).
JavaScript must be enabled in your web browser.
Microphone and speakers/headphones.
Netbooks are not supported due to the reduced screen resolution.
Mac: Intel processor OS X 10.7 (Lion) or above.
PC: Windows Vista Service Pack 2 1 GHz (x86) processor 512 MB RAM Sound card. Windows XP and earlier operating systems are not compatible with this course.
Quicktime (for viewing videos) available here.
iPad/iPad Mini: using iOS 6 or above.
Older generation iPads may have performance issues. We strongly recommend installing the SRC Taster Course before buying the full course to check that it will work on your device.
You can download the VHF taster session to check it works on your operating system.
Watch our Taster Video!