Take online GMDSS class with Northeast Maritime Online (NEMO) at your own pace. That will satisfy the course requirement. Then get the FCC question bank and study till you feel you can pass. You can take practice tests at:
Thereâs the golden nugget of info I was hoping for. Thanks. I had no idea.
1 Like
I see your point, and itâs a good one.
Does that ârequirementâ presuppose that ECDIS will only be fitted on vessels that are required to have it?
Was this issue considered, and decided, during the rule making process? Or is this something that wasnât even thought of or discussed?
Is the USCG authorized to require an ECDIS cert to operate an ECDIS on a vessel that is not required to have one?
A driverâs license is required to drive a truck, but no license is required to drive your truck on your private farm roads. The police have no authority to apply traffic laws on your property.
If I want to put an ECDIS on my boat, that is not required to have one, who the hell is the USCG to tell me that Iâm required to have an ECDIS cert to operate my unrequired ECDIS?
I could see an ALJ going either way with this.
I can also envision many tugboat owners and mariners assuming that if the ECDIS is not required, then the ECDIS cert is not required either.
The 10 Day GMDSS course included filling out the FCC application, and taking the 100 question FCC exam on the last day. The school sent the Certs and exam results to the FCC.
The 100 question exam, and the labs where you program and operate the radios, determines whether you pass the 10 day course or not. You need to pass both.
I would be very much in favor of a hybrid GMDSS course with only the lab and exam being done in person. 8 days on line and two days in class.
I cannot see how the USCG can let NEMO do it all online. Thatâs bullshit.
No donât study for the fcc test just apply to the fcc and submit the cert
Yes, and if that truck has air brakes then an air brake endorsement is required. It doesnât matter whether the truck is required by law to have air brakes or not, if it has them then the endorsement is required.
Why wouldnât they be?
In this case itâs the equivalent of driving on a highway though.
If itâs your personal boat then commercial licensing regulations arenât applicable. Also, an ECDIS endorsement is STCW so it would only be applicable to vessels subject to STCW.
I canât.
Thatâs a stupid assumption and would leave the owners open to massive liability if an incident were to happen and the operator didnât have the proper training. Itâs a critical piece of navigation equipment that is complicated enough it has been identified as needing special training.
BTW, weâre talking about full legal ECDIS units, not ECS units like most tugs use
Owners should expect that if they put an ECDIS in a vessel subject to STCW that their officers now need ECDIS training. Just like if they voluntarily put an ARPA radar in then their officers now need ARPA as well, regardless of whether ARPA is required.
Would the COI indicate the needs for ecdis and arpa operators like it does for gmdss operators ?
I havenât seen that on a COI.
There are. I have an Operator/Maintainer license for that reason. I have serious doubts if any of the units are either operated or maintained, but they do exist.
Thatâs how Iâve understood it. If the vessel is equiped with ECDIS, ARPA, OR GMDSS then you must have the training to run that vessel. This is why im going ahead with all 3 classes, more of a just in case. Even if theyâre on board and not in use, you still must have the training.
Take it whenever you can, once you pass the GMDSS test USCG will take that restriction off. Before I took the class I went through HAM radio operator classes. Took Technician, General and Amateur Extra licenses. After that GMDSS class was understandable. On the vessel you do your daily test(PV test), weekly and monthly. Monthly what we do is send a message to the vesselâs email. Have a SSB radio at home and itâs a great tool for long distance comms.
GMDSS is not a restriction/limitation. Itâs a separate endorsement. ARPA and ECDIS are limitations on certificates as OICNW, Chief Mate, and Master.
Will a COI state if the vessel requires you to have arpa and edcis like it states needs x amount of gmdss operators
So he is restricted to vessels that donât have GMDSS station. Donât know what license you have but mine has GMDSS Operator stamped.
Thatâs what he said. Itâs not a limitation, itâs an endorsement.
Read the question youâre replying to again.
Ahaha my bad, one of those days i guess. Thanks for the catch.
Wow that was a 2 week beat down. Glad that class is over and passed, whew! Thatâs a lot of material to cover.