This past weekend I struck luck and got access to the ROC (Restricted Operator’s Certificate) course consists of SOCP. SCOP stands for Ship’s Operative Cooperative Program. During my stay there, I have learned how to properly communicate through the radio, for example, how to call in a distress call:
Mayday Mayday Mayday! This is Raven Raven Raven, Mayday. Located approximately 10 Nautical Miles south of Esquimalt BC. Crashed against a coral reef, boat sunk, 2 people on board 1 injured. Require immediate medical attention, this is Raven, Over.
I also learned that whilst using the radio, there are certain rules to follow: Don’t say repeat (in the military they take that as strike again), instead say: “Say again?”, don’t say over and out whilst on the radio (Over means you are waiting for a response and out means that your broadcast is over, no response needed. Over the whole course of the weekend, I have also learned how responsibility spreads upon you. If you broadcast on a military/police channel, create a false distress call, or use channel 16 (coast guard channel) as a fool around channel, all the people in charge have to do is calculate where you are (using the method of triangulation) and pinpoint your exact location. Radios also have different purposes: Broadcast/receive messages, radar, even sonar (they all use waves at different frequencies to receive and send signals. To top this all off, I must say that this $300 course (which I got to go to for free) was worth it and now I am an owner of a Radio License which is good for life.
- Iaroslav Serg Pyrozhok