ORCV Safety and Training

Getting on the Blower is postponed.

(Radio Clinic)

A glum rainy day is not a good way to have an outdoor event when you're crawling all over boats. Accordingly, the clinic scheduled for November 14 has been postponed for now. Check this article again when the headline changes.

You put the batteries on, open the circuit breaker, switch on the radio, grab the mike and start talking. At least that is the way most of us have been used to VHF radios for races on the Bay. They provide a clear, easy to listen to signal, when compared with HF and 27 MHz marine radios.

All right - it might be John Duffin during inclination tests, but it does show SnT, technology in use and Waterfront City Marina Docklands, so qualifies... Phewwwww.

This clarity is a characteristic of the frequency modulation (FM) that is used in these radios. However, operation over the short ranges involved in club races does not give a good indication as to how they will operate over the longer distances required for offshore and ocean events. Poor installation, poor quality cable, even just weathering and corrosion over time, can make the difference between reliable and unsatisfactory radio communications.

On November 14^th, 2010, you can bring your boat to Melbourne’s Waterfront City Marina Docklands, where ORCV volunteers will work with you to assess the effectiveness of your VHF radios for long-range communications. Specialist measurement and reference equipment will be used to provide you with a calibrated signal strength and written assessment of the findings.

In this clinic, our ORCV specialist will work with you to:

1. Test the transmission strength of your mounted VHF radio and the effective radiated power you achieve at your main antenna

2. Check the sensitivity to receiving strong and weak signals

3. Measure the standing wave ratio, resonance and impedance of the antenna and cabling

4. Repeat the above tests using your emergency antenna, as is required if you have mast mounted antennas

5. Repeat the on-air tests using your hand-held VHF radio

6. Assess voltage drop and thus the condition of your batteries, cables and connections under transmission load for both your VHF and if installed, HF radio

7. Inspect and report on your antenna, power cables and connections for both the VHF and if installed, HF radios.

8. Test communications, using both simplex and repeater operation.

Please note that this session is not intended to repair or install equipment. No mast climbing will be undertaken and any issues identified during this session will need to be attended to by boat owners or their specialist contractors. The session will, however, provide you with a better understanding of your equipment and demonstrate simple routine inspections and tests that you could undertake regularly on your own.

This clinic will be at no charge for yachts competing in the Melbourne to Hobart or Melbourne to Launceston races this year. Other yachts will be charged $50 each and non-members will be charged $100.00, subject to available timeslots, however.

Each test will take approximately 30 minutes and bookings for timeslots can be made via the enrollment form,

which you can download from HERE.

For queries regarding this Radio Clinic Day, please contact Sally or Tanya at the ORCV office on 03 9689 1622 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Remember - no radio, no race! QED. (Just ask Mocean, who were leading the 2008 M2L, I think it was, when they had to retire.)

© John Curnow, ORCV Media

Please contact me for re-issue rights.