Logging on to VMR without radio

[ANYFISH]

gday
i was planning a trip just outside the seaway to get some bait and was wondering if there is any way to log onto the V.M.R. if you havent got a radio?
These blokes do a bloody good job so if any thing does go wrong i want to make their job easier ;D ;D

cheers, anyfish

[blue_rogue]

Anyfish,

If you want to log on without a radio you can give them a call on your mobile phone. The number is (07) 55 912948.

When they answer, have ready several things.

- Call sign
- People on Board (P.O.B)
- Rego Number
- Destination
- Time of Return
- And thank them, they like it....

Hope this is helpfull

Dominic

[Heath]

Not an ideal situation I'm sure you will agree. But yes, they will take the login via mobile phone. Don't be surprised if they give a bit of an ear bashing though ;D

But do think seriously about getting a radio. Just think how much quicker it would be to jump on a radio & notify them of an incident rather than trying to dial a number on a mobile phone, while going down into the briney....

[mackmauler]

u can fill out a trip form

[propdinger]

on saturday morning there was a guy talking to V.M.R and he had a radio and didnt know how to use it or his call sign or his rego and he was stranded with 9people on board couldnt give gps marks as no gps and from what i could gather he was in between green and wellington point but he kept on saying peel and green and in all took 10 minutes for the vmr to workout where they were and what was wrong in this time if he had all his info and bearings ready before he used the radio vmr wouldnt have been so pissed off. i have both vhf and 27meg and gps and know how to use them so if i get into trouble i wont be waiting as long as some for a rescue (it may have cost me $100's but whats a life worth???

jeff

[moondancer]

All the above suggetsions a re OK - a log card, mobile etc. But I'm with Jeff - save up for a marine radio - boat show in a couple of weeks might have some specials (or so they say!!) Also, maybe try a 'wanted' ad on this site - someone might have a good 2nd habd one to sell you. If you're mainly in the bay, a basic GME or similar 27meg marine radio is good enough - offshore, go VHF. Over the years my radio has saved me heaps of trouble - getting breakdown help quickly, updating weather reports, etc. IMHO it should be mandatory safety equipment for any boat bigger than a shoebox!
Lawry

[jaybee]

Mackmauler
u can fill out a trip form yeh great while you are sinking, ;D Sorry rob couldnt resist, ;D
cheers
Joe

[subzero]

Gidday fella's, I would like to think that VMR and or Coastguard members dont actually get pissed off with boaties as such... We do get frustrated with the ineptitude of SOME, amazed at the stupidity of others, and dissapointed at those "regulars" who leave our ramps and jettys every weekend but dont do the right thing by logging on.
[smiley=hammer.gif]
Occassionaly we even get to have a laugh at other peoples foolish actions, then sadly we too may screw up ourselves and it put things back in perspective.[smiley=shocked2.gif]

I would be horrified to learn that any member of any rescue unit would give someone some kind of growling for logging on by mobile phone. Yes it is a far from adequate means of communicating on the water, (if you can and are in cellphone coverage), but at the end of the day its better than nothing... a lot of people have and do nothing...
I certainly recommend to anyone logging on or off in person the benefits of having and hopefully using a 27meg/vhf radio... I will not nag or hound them as I dont want to put them off logging on by whatever means they can... [smiley=scholar.gif]

TRUE STORY!!!! HARD TO BELIEVE!!!! But it is true, I promise you
3 weeks ago on roster, 6.30pm, settling in to eat something at base, women knocks on door... Very distraught.. [smiley=gorgeous.gif]. 2 16 yr old kids overdue [smiley=stupid.gif], left from the Logan river, were going to Peel, (Strong wind warning current 25-30kn winds), her son just got his boat license [smiley=bandana.gif] [smiley=huh2.gif]
Here are the facts
She didnt know her own SONS name, [smiley=stunned.gif]she had been remaried twice, living with new dad :o The kid used different last names for different things :(
Couldnt check to see if the car and trailer had gone and they were on the way home because they had left from their own pontoon
Now this is the worst part, she couldnt tell me the colour of the boat, the make, the size and guess what, it wasnt the boys boat, SHE OWNED IT :o ??? In her panic, she left all and any details of the boat she had at home
I am trying to fill in all the details for this so I can pass it on to VKR WAter Police [smiley=bobby.gif] [smiley=disappointed.gif], but really I had nothing to pass on of any value >:(
For a job like this in those conditions, in the dark with 2 young inexperienced blokes on the water, the Police would have activated the Rescue 500 chopper at a cost around $2,500-00 an hour plus most of the Rescue bases and boats in the Southern part of the bay... As I was about to fax it off, the kids had drifted into a cellphone coverage area and the mums phone rang... it was the little sh**s... mum's leg's gave out on her, she burst into full on tears :'( , started screaming at the kid over the phone.. [smiley=argue.gif]. turns out they decided to head South to Tipplers because of the weather... made good sense... bad news of course was that if they hadnt got through on the phone and were in trouble, [smiley=behead.gif]NO ONE would have found them because we would have all been looking North of the Logan. They couldnt ring mum to say they were going to be late because they had no coverage [smiley=oops.gif]
The good news was once mum calmed down, she told me she was going straight out in the morning to buy a Marine Radio [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]and that her boy and his mate would not be going out again on the water untill they knew what they were doing... She also was going to show more care and attention... One of the rare occassions I totally believe what I am told... ;D
Anyway, truth can be stranger than fiction and this is...

HANDY SUGGESTION....
If you do only have com's through a mobile, try using text messaging as it does not require the signal strength as much as voice. [smiley=thumbsup.gif] FREQUENTLY, but not always, a boat can be contacted, or make contact using messaging... when voice will not.... On the water you may have to keep pushing send, but eventually it should go through, incoming calls, the telco's computer will try and resend every 20 secs or so untill it finally passes the message on as you drift in and out of a week signal
Cheers Lloyd

[ANYFISH]

thanks fellas
i know that the mobile is definately not the best way to log on but i am hoping to buy a new boat in the next month or so. this new boat will deffinately have a radio. i wouldn't go out on a regular basis without one.
anyway thanks heaps for all the pointers
cheers

[bungie]

Talking of logging on, make sure you log off come the end of the day, and do it yourself don't rely on others. About a year back came back in to Manley, tried to log off but got no response (Might have been to close, being in the harbour) as I'm putting the boat on the trailer members of the coast guard are on the ramp. I told them the problem and they said they would log me off after asking my log in name. 8.30 that night I get a phone call from the Police to see if I had come home before they started looking for me.


Don't rely on others DO IT YOURSELF :)