queensland marine radio

[Thorbjorn Hale]

Me and my dad are planning some more adventurous trips out in the boat and the JetSkis (eg Moreton run, offshore goldcoast).

What type of radios do you guys use? We have a waterproof gme vhf and two waterproof uhf radios. What channels do you use? I haven’t done my vhf licence but I’m guessing it would be worth bringing it with in case of emergencies.

cheers Thorbjörn

[Neil Stratford]

If you plan to use your VHF radio - Yes you need to do a marine radio course to use a VHF radio.

Use channel 16 in an emergency.

Use Channel 16 or 73 for Manly Coast Guard

Use Channel 16 or 67 or 73 for the Seaway Tower Gold Coast

Use 68 or 72 for Rec Boating activity.

Regards

Neil

[Thorbjorn Hale]

Thank you Neil. Do you ever use a uhf?

[Neil Stratford]

Yes I use UHF in my car.

Very handy when towing the boats up the highway , if anything ever goes astray , like flat tyres or loose straps  , truckies usually will call u up and let you know on channel 40. 
regards

Neil

[mangajack]

Do the vhf course, it will answer all of your questions.

[Thorbjorn Hale]

1 hour ago, Neil Stratford said:

Yes I use UHF in my car.

Very handy when towing the boats up the highway , if anything ever goes astray , like flat tyres or loose straps  , truckies usually will call u up and let you know on channel 40. 
regards

Neil

I also use uhf for talking to friends whilst camping, I’m guessing you leave it in the car and don’t bring it on the boat

[Angry51]

2 minutes ago, Thorbjorn Hale said:

I also use uhf for talking to friends whilst camping, I’m guessing you leave it in the car and don’t bring it on the boat

It's probably mounted in dash not portable/carry around.

[Junky]

GME VHF mounted in my tub. 

My 1m aerial is mounted on rooftop on a quick lock swivel, so it would equate to a 2m high aerial on a gunwale. 

 

You can edit scan preferences so it doesn't scan all channels. 

I scan channels 16, 67, 73, 72 down here, and I also have 80, 81, 82 added in for further north. 

 

Be sure to log on. 

VMR Jacobs well is open 24/7, I'm sure some on the northaide are as well.

Pays to be a vmr member too. $70 odd from memory. My minister pays mine so ill ask. 

Can log on by phone as well. 

[Sylvathorn]

AVCG Southport (QF1) is 24/7 as well.

If you are an AVCG member you are also covered by all AVCG Flotillas Australia wide, regardless of if you are a local member, unlike some other MR organizations

[dmck]

On 13/06/2023 at 11:38 PM, Sylvathorn said:

.............................., unlike some other MR organizations

Interesting comment and should be explained further.

In Sth Aust, all VMR groups (Sea Rescue groups, AVCG, SES groups, Coastal Patrol etc) will provide support to anyone - regardless !

[Neil Stratford]

Yes my uhf in the car is permanently mounted up under the dash board . I also have a hand held unit,  if I’m not in the car.

regards

Neil

[Old Scaley]

4 hours ago, dmck said:

Interesting comment and should be explained further.

In Sth Aust, all VMR groups (Sea Rescue groups, AVCG, SES groups, Coastal Patrol etc) will provide support to anyone - regardless !

Pretty sure there is/was a plan by the State Government in Qld to bring Coast Guard and VMR under one umbrella and add some funding so that you would be covered everywhere in the state no matter which one you signed up with. Not sure if that is still happening or how far off it would be.

@Thorbjorn Hale, I would highly recommend doing a marine radio course. Lots of great info that might save your life one day. VMR run courses at Manly and Raby Bay.

[dmck]

1 hour ago, Old Scaley said:

Pretty sure there is/was a plan by the State Government in Qld to bring Coast Guard and VMR under one umbrella and add some funding so that you would be covered everywhere in the state no matter which one you signed up with. Not sure if that is still happening or how far off it would be.

 

That is exactly what has happened in SA...   and SA Govt has developed a VHF radio network that essentially offers 24/365 coverage "SA Coast Radio".  THe Various regional VMR groups serve "their patch" but it can be monitored at numerous points.

As a further benefit all groups are being skilled to similar levels.

[Sylvathorn]

Hopefully that happens here too, all the marine rescue organizations under one umbrella would definitely be a plus, especially all groups being skilled to similar levels.
That wasn't exactly what I was referring to though.
Back in the late 90's I was a Quartermaster in the AVCG, QF1 flotilla, Gold Coast, when I had to transfer to Melbourne for work, so I contacted VF8 Geelong, as I was planning to do a bit of fishing down that way. They said all good, I'd be covered by my QF1 membership if I needed any help.
Spin the clock, when I returned to Qld a few years later, I sold the boat and so let my QF1 membership expire.
In 2015 I bought another boat and had decided to move to Hervey Bay, no AVCG there, so I contacted VMR466 Hervey Bay, told them I was planning to move there in a year or so and could join VMR450 Jacobs Well, then transfer to Hervey Bay when I moved up. They said no I couldn't transfer from one VMR Flotilla to another, not possible, I'd have to apply to join them when I moved up.
OK, I thought I'd give them a little value add ... I explained that I'd been a Quartermaster in AVCG, had Senior First Aid (including Workplace), Heart Foundation Qualifications, Advanced Resuscitation, and had been a member of Queensland Ambulance (all would need updating), I had Radio Grade 1,2 & 3 plus I was an assistant instructor in Coastal Navigation.
They said no, they wouldn't recognize any of those, I would have to train with them. Personally, that turned me off them. Hopefully they have changed and become more flexible by now.

Regardless, I would still strongly encourage any and all boaties to join a Marine Rescue organization, regardless of who it is.

[Sylvathorn]

On 16/06/2023 at 9:25 AM, dmck said:

Interesting comment and should be explained further.

In Sth Aust, all VMR groups (Sea Rescue groups, AVCG, SES groups, Coastal Patrol etc) will provide support to anyone - regardless !

Hi @dmck, when speaking to VMR Jacobs Well they said they support VMR Southport members as a courtesy. When speaking to VMR Hervey Bay, they said that they didn't, that I'd have to be a member of their flotilla, or that fees would be charged if I needed assistance on the water.
for more details, see my full comments above.

[dmck]

Thanks for the explanations Sylva. Sounds like the various groups are run as private clubs.  Do any of them get govt subsidies?  if they do I'd expect they should 'serve the general public'.

https://sasearescue.org.au/

https://www.coastalpatrol.org.au/

 

I've just read the AVCG website... and they infer SA boaties must be a paid up member of their "Marine Assist"  offering in order to get service!! First I've heard of it....

[Sylvathorn]

6 hours ago, dmck said:

Thanks for the explanations Sylva. Sounds like the various groups are run as private clubs.  Do any of them get govt subsidies?  if they do I'd expect they should 'serve the general public'.

https://sasearescue.org.au/

https://www.coastalpatrol.org.au/

 

I've just read the AVCG website... and they infer SA boaties must be a paid up member of their "Marine Assist"  offering in order to get service!! First I've heard of it....

Unfortunately they always ran a bit like 'Private Clubs' @dmck in the past, I was hoping that all the new emphasis on Marine Rescue may have made some changes. In the past AVCG always recognized all other AVCG Flotilla members, but like the other Organizations (and there actually are quite a few) didn't recognize the others ... I have always believed that situation was absolutely crazy.
Yes they do get Government subsidies and tax free status including fuel, which sounds great, but even after all that, back in the 90's, it still cost AVCG $90 per hour per boat to have a boat on the water in the 90's, it would be more now, VMR's costs would be similar,
So I don't actually resent them charging non marine rescue members .... but I firmly believe that any member of ANY MR or SES organization should be covered by their support as all of them get some govt subsidization.
Unfortunately they are a lot like insurance companies ..... money, money money!

Secondly and more importantly, in the past, they failed to recognize other organizations qualifications ... very clubby ... read my quals, including workplace and qld ambulance .... they exceed AVCG and VMR quals by quite a bit and yet they have the audacity to claim they don't need to recognize them ... seriously boy's club

[jimee]

Some really good info here. After a 30-year hiatus, it sure has changed a lot. Given me a lot to think about and make sure I join VMR.

[mangajack]

Let's say you were a member of the VMR or CG in SEQ and you decided to do a road trip to somewhere like Stanage Bay as your launch point. Would your membership in SEQ count at all towards the unfortunate chance of an event requiring assistance from the Stanage Bay CG?

I know that VMR's in Moreton Bay used to share "services" under one membership, but don't know how far that extends geographically?

[ellicat]

3 hours ago, mangajack said:

Let's say you were a member of the VMR or CG in SEQ and you decided to do a road trip to somewhere like Stanage Bay as your launch point. Would your membership in SEQ count at all towards the unfortunate chance of an event requiring assistance from the Stanage Bay CG?

I know that VMR's in Moreton Bay used to share "services" under one membership, but don't know how far that extends geographically?

AVCG - reciprocal rights -

[Junky]

On 28/06/2023 at 10:21 AM, Sylvathorn said:

Hi @dmck, when speaking to VMR Jacobs Well they said they support VMR Southport members as a courtesy. When speaking to VMR Hervey Bay, they said that they didn't, that I'd have to be a member of their flotilla, or that fees would be charged if I needed assistance on the water.
for more details, see my full comments above.

Jacobs well are a top bunch. Extremely helpful folk. 

 

I've been a member of Raby Bay for the last 15 odd years and was going to join JW. JW said no, stay where I am and they would happily recognise my membership with RB.

I log on with JW when I'm out overnight so as to have that 24/7 coverage. 

Always friendly and happy to assist if needed, no questions asked. 

That's a win for me. 

 

Even Round Hill said no problem with RB membership. The girls up there are great to deal with as well. 

 

Also have club Marine, which gives extra towing coverage if needed (hopefully never, touch wood). 

[Sylvathorn]

That's great @Junky, wish all MR's were like that nowadays.

Maybe I was lucky with Geelong and unlucky with Hervey Bay?

Saw the QF2 reciprocal rights statement too @ellicat, looks like it's getting a bit like RACQ with repeat offenders, possibly QF2 has had a few of those?
We used to get a few at QF1, lots of boats get caught on sandbars in the Broadwater and we never did that, but I ceased being an active crew member nearly 20 years ago. Maybe things have changed by now, hopefully not though!