The Long Range Certificate is an internationally valid certificate issued to radio station operators. It entitles the holder to participate in marine communications on
leisure crafts using
Marine VHF
Marine VHF radio is a worldwide system of two way radio, two way radio transceivers on ships and watercraft used for bidirectional voice communication from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore (for example with harbormasters), and in certain circumstan ...
,
Medium Frequency
Medium frequency (MF) is the International Telecommunication Union, ITU designation for Radio frequency, radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 300 kilohertz (kHz) to 3 megahertz (MHz). Part of this band is the medium wave (MW) A ...
,
High Frequency
High frequency (HF) is the ITU designation for the band of radio waves with frequency between 3 and 30 megahertz (MHz). It is also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as its wavelengths range from one to ten decameters (ten to one ...
radios and
Inmarsat
Inmarsat is a British communications satellite, satellite telecommunications company, offering global mobile services. It provides telephone and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate with groun ...
satellite communication
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. ...
as agreed in
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convention ...
.
The certificate is consistent with the agreement of the Article S47 of the
ITU Radio Regulations
The ITU Radio Regulations (RR) is a basic document of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that regulates on law of nations scale radiocommunication services and the utilisation of radio frequencies. It is the supplementation to th ...
.
Issuing authorities
Depending on local legislation, the certificate can be issued e.g. by a maritime association such as the
AMERC in the UK, or a regulatory agency such as
FICORA
The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority, abbreviated to FICORA (, ), was the public authority responsible for communication regulations in Finland. FICORA regulated radio frequencies and television broadcast permits, supervised the operati ...
in Finland.
Course and Exam (UK)
The Long Range Certificate Training course takes four days including the exam on the final day.
The course includes Voice procedures/radio telephony, GMDSS logbook, VHF, MF, HF, Navtex, EPIRB, SART, Batteries, Fuses, Antennas and Hand Held VHF
There are three sections to the exam;
* Radio Telephony (RT) Exercise. Each candidate responds to a distress scenario by voice using the correct phrases and has to log the entire scenario
* Written Paper- 2 long questions and 12 multiple choice questions
* Operational Performance Test. Demonstrate practical use of all equipment that is covered on the course.
See also
*
Short Range Certificate
The Short Range Certificate is an internationally valid certificate issued to marine radio station operators. It entitles the holder to participate in marine communications on leisure crafts using Marine VHF radio and DSC (Digital Selective Calli ...
References
{{Reflist
Maritime communication
Radio regulations