#INSS - Anyone who wants to get certified in the use of short-range VHF marine radio should look to the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School (INSS) in Dun Laoghaire, which is running its next course from Monday.
The four-evening course taking place next Monday 22, Tuesday 23, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 October (from 6.30pm to 9.30pm each session) will put you hands-on with a real VHF radio rather than a computer-based simulator.
The INSS promises that no more than two people will share a radio at any one stage of the course which, along with the complimentary set of course notes, will equip you to pass the short exam and leave as “a hugely competent user of VHF radio”.
Over the four evenings you will learn the NATO phonetic alphabet, how to conduct day-to-day communications and make emergency or distress calls, and the workings of the GMDSS network and system.
This course is also a prerequisite for many other practical courses, and is a legal requirement for anyone who plans to use a VHF radio set.
Places are still available for next week’s course but dates are also open in the new year in late January, February and March, as well as four other courses scheduled for 2019.