Marine Radio Licence Course

Who should have a Marine Radio Licence?

A Marine Radio Licence is required if you are operating Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Marine VHF and/or MF/HF Radios or Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). The licence does not have anything to do with whether the vessel is recreational or commercial. If you intend obtaining a commercial qualification such as a Coxswain or Master <24 or higher you need to have the licence anyway however it is simply about having the knowledge to correctly operate Marine VHF and/or MF/HF Radios.

If you currently have an old type Marine VHF and/or MF/HF Radio on board your vessel and you do not currently have a Marine Radio Licence you will find that it will be necessary to obtain a licence in the future if you intend to up grade your radio to the preferred Digital Selective Call (DSC) type of radio. To access the full features of these radios requires that the radio to be registered and a Marine Mobile Service Identity number (MMSI) obtain from AMSA.

To obtain an MMSI you need to provide your Marine Radio Licence number. So the first step is to obtain your marine radio licence.

You can enroll in the marine radio licence course at any time from the enrollment link on this page and on completion of enrollment you will receive:

1. A FREE downloaded version of the Marine Radio Handbook and/or the VHF Radio Handbook,
2. Access to additional training material and resources related to Marine Radio knowledge and operation,
3. Unlimited access to over 350 questions of a similar nature to the final exam and
4. Access to our Free App for Tablet and Phone mobile studying
5. Access to our Senior Trainer/Exam Supervisor via phone and email.
6. Access to our Free Simulated Marine Radio App for demonstration of competency in using marine radios
7. Final online exam process for the total cost of $288.00. (this cost includes the government exam paper cost of $89.00)

Steps to Obtain a Marine Radio Licence

As a result of the Office of Maritime communications directing that all face to face exams are to cease immediately and that the course be conducted 100% online the process has been made much easier.

The steps to follow are:

1. Complete the course enrollment and pay the total course fee of $288.00 (This includes the government charge of $89.00 for exam papers)     

For LROCP enrol here       For SROCP enrol here

2. Successfully complete a number of practice questions online similar to the final exam

3. Provide evidence of using a marine radio. (We provide a simulated device to you when the practice question have been completed)

4. Sit the final exam (takes about 20 mins) via Skype or Zoom

 On completion of the exam we will send your paper for marking to the OMC and they will mail your marine radio to you.

Types of Marine Radio Certificates

There are essentially 2 types of certificates:

1. The Long Range Operators Certificate of Proficiency (LROCP) which is for operating both VHF radios (short range radios) and Medium Frequency/High Frequency (MF/HF) Radios (which are designed for long range transmission) and
2. The Short Range Operators Certificate of Proficiency for VHF Only (SROCP) is designed for those who are only carrying and/or operating a Very High Frequency (VHF) (Short Range) radio.

Basically if you intend travelling on offshore coastal voyages, are part of a yacht race crew, or applying for commercial qualifications such as a Coxswain’s or Master V certificate, you should obtain an LROCP Certificate. THIS IS THE PREFERRED CERTIFICATE TO OBTAIN.

If you are operating small recreational vessels in harbours and bays or staying near the coast then an SROCP (VHF Only) Certificate will be sufficient.

NOTE: We do not receive many applications for the SROCP (VHF Only) and we do not generally recommend that applicants obtain this certificate. The simple reason is the cost to obtain the 2 certificates is the same.

However the problem occurs if you wish to upgrade the certificate. In the past we have had applicants with VHF only radio certificates who have sought to upgrade to the LROCP due to a number of reasons (required on a yacht in an official yacht race, to obtain a commercial certificate or even joining a Marine Rescue organisation as a volunteer etc). Unfortunately the OMC do not have an upgrade process. You simply have to do it all again with all the time and costs involved.

Knowledge Required for a Marine Radio Certificate

It is important to understand that the knowledge required to obtain a Marine Radio Certificate is not extensive and it is not difficult to obtain a Marine Radio Certificate. The level of knowledge required to pass the final exam (70% pass required) includes the following subjects:

• Knowledge of MF/HF and VHF marine radios
• Identify the difference between Ship Stations, Coast Radio Stations and Limited Coast Stations
• Understand and use the ‘Phonetic Alphabet’
• Use correct operating procedures and channels when operating a marine radio
• Understand Distress, Urgency and Safety Communications
• Understand Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Communications
• Understand the use of 406 MHz EPIRBS
• Understand the use of SART’s
• Understand Search and Rescue in Australia
• Identify the different types of radio equipment, their application and limitations
• Identify the components of a marine radio and the care and maintenance required with radio equipment and power sources

How long will it take to obtain a Marine Radio Operators Certificate?

We estimate that to complete the online component will take approximately 4-5 hours of self study. The online assignments are open book and take between 4 to 10 minutes each to complete.

When the assignments are completed an email response is sent to your inbox advising you of your results and sections that need to be reviewed. When candidates are consistently achieving 80-85% in the online components then we recommend sitting the final face-to-face ‘closed book’ examination.

When the final 50 question multiple choice examination has been completed the examination papers are returned to the OMC for marking by the Invigilator. This is the longest part of the process as it can take up to a week to get a result back.

How long does a Marine Radio Operators Certificate last?

The Marine Radio Operators Certificate is one of those very rare certificates in that, when obtained, it has no expiry date and there are no renewal fees!