This unit involves the skills and knowledge required to:

transmit and receive information by marine very high frequency (VHF) radio according to regulations

carry out user-maintenance and fault-finding procedures on radio equipment and power supplies

operate emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), search and rescue radar transponders (SARTs), automatic identification system search and rescue transmitters (AIS-SARTs), AIS man overboard (AIS-MOB) device, and digital selective calling MOB (DSC-MOB) device.

This unit applies to people working in the maritime industry in the capacity of:

coxswain on vessels <12 m in length with propulsion power that is unlimited for an outboard engine or <500 kW for an inboard engine operating in inshore or designated waters or

coxswain on tenders or auxiliary vessels <12 m in length operating within 3 nautical miles (nm) of a parent vessel within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

This unit covers VHF radio equipment only; MARC020 Transmit and receive information by marine radio or telephone should be selected where competency in both VHF and high frequency (HF) radio is required.

Licensing/Regulatory Information

Legislative and regulatory requirements are applicable to this unit. The Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Radcomm Act), through the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Maritime Ship Licence) Determination 2015, requires that operators of VHF maritime ship stations are appropriately qualified to operate the stations. This means that operators are required to hold a relevant Australian Maritime Radio Operator's Certificate of Proficiency or an equivalent overseas qualification.

The Australian Maritime College (AMC) acts as the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) delegate in providing marine radio certificate services under the Radcomm Act, including the issue of Short Range Radio Operator’s Certificates of Proficiency (SROCP). Operators who have attained a Statement of Attainment from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for this unit of competency can apply to the AMC for the issue of a SROCP without the need to sit a further examination. This unit of competency is one of the requirements to obtain Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) certification as a Coxswain Grade 1 Near Coastal (NC), as defined in the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part D. The AMSA mandated practical assessment (AMPA) is a requirement for AMSA certification.

ELEMENTS

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1

Operate VHF radio equipment to transmit and receive messages

1.1

VHF radio equipment is selected for operation within limits of specifications

1.2

VHF radio equipment is operated to transmit and receive various types of signal according to manufacturer instructions, established radio operation procedures and regulatory requirements

1.3

Regulations and procedures applicable to vessel stations equipped with VHF radio and DSC facilities are applied during radio communication

1.4

Work health and safety (WHS)/occupational health and safety (OHS) procedures and hazard control strategies are applied when operating VHF radio equipment according to vessel safety management system

1.5

Radio communication problems are documented and promptly reported according to established procedures

2

Maintain and fault-find VHF radio equipment

2.1

Routine maintenance checks are carried out on VHF radio equipment according to manufacturer instructions and specifications, and company procedures

2.2

Out-of-specification performance and faults in VHF radio equipment are correctly identified and investigated using prescribed fault-finding techniques according to established user maintenance procedures and manufacturer instructions

3

Access search and rescue VHF radio facilities

3.1

Request is made to the appropriate organisation for the provision of the required search and rescue services

3.2

Information required by the Modernised Australian Ship Tracking and Reporting (MASTREP) system is supplied and received in the required format

4

Deploy and operate an EPIRB, SART and AIS-SART

4.1

Routine checks are carried out on EPIRBs, SARTs and AIS-SARTs to confirm their operational capability according to manufacturer instructions and specifications

4.2

Appropriate action is taken to rectify or replace EPIRBs, SARTs or AIS-SARTs that are found to be malfunctioning or are inoperable according to manufacturer instructions and company procedures

4.3

EPIRBs, SARTs and AIS-SARTs are deployed according to manufacturer instructions and established search and rescue procedures

5

Operate a MOB device as a locating device in an emergency

5.1

Routine checks are carried out on AIS-MOB and DSC-MOB devices to confirm their operational capability according to manufacturer instructions and specifications

5.2

AIS-MOB and DSC-MOB devices are operated according to manufacturer instructions and regulatory requirements

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Not Applicable

C – Equipment Operations