I was hoping to get some reviews for GMDSS courses. Which is the best? Which is shortest in # of days, I know they have to be 70 hours but can they be done in 7-10hr days? Which one is the least expensive? I live in Panama City, FL and want to keep travel to a minimum. I have looked at them on line but I was hoping for some reviews/ advice on which one is overall the best.
Its going to be hard to compare since all of us only sit through this sham class once in our lifetimes. I went to Merrcomms in Panama City Beach about 12 years ago. I don’t even know if they are still in business. The instructor was a retired Radio Operator and tried his best to keep us awake with a lot of sea stories. The subject matter is excruciatingly boring, so that helped. Standing up after lunch was mandatory or I’d fall asleep.
I went to MPT in Lauderdale , was good instructor. Everyone passed in the course even know some had to retake exam twice in same day. It’s $1695.00 so probably not the cheapest but quality school. It includes MROP if you don’t already have it. They also fill out and send your paperwork to FCC so all you do is go home and check mail for FCC permit in mail and you get your uscg approved certificate the day you finish the course.
[QUOTE=seadog6608;138069]Its going to be hard to compare since all of us only sit through [I][U]this sham class[/U][/I] once in our lifetimes. I went to Merrcomms in Panama City Beach[/QUOTE]
Sounds like a review to me.
-
-
- Updated - - -
-
[QUOTE=coldcreepin;138071]…They also fill out and send your paperwork to FCC so all you do is go home and check mail for FCC permit.[/QUOTE]
They all do that. That’s the way the FCC licensing system works.
[QUOTE=seadog6608;138069]Its going to be hard to compare since all of us only sit through this sham class once in our lifetimes. I went to Merrcomms in Panama City Beach about 12 years ago. I don’t even know if they are still in business. The instructor was a retired Radio Operator and tried his best to keep us awake with a lot of sea stories. The subject matter is excruciatingly boring, so that helped. Standing up after lunch was mandatory or I’d fall asleep.[/QUOTE]
Merrcomms? I tried googling it. No luck but man that would be sooooooo sweet to have the class here at home! I doubt they are in business anymore.
I bought the Merrcomms book and studied it at sea, which made the GMDSS class a lot easier and gave me a lot more free time at night. There are several sources of free FCC exam questions and tests available on line. The question pool is only 600 questions. You have to memorize a lot of totally useless info for the exam.
MPT is really hard to beat for any course (except BST or Lifeboatman). They offer every course (including GMDSS) every month, and unlike most schools, they never cancel classes due to low enrollment. Fort Lauderdale is a one of the cheapest places in the US to fly into. The Hyatt Suites Place is a nice hotel and only $67 a night with the MPT discount, it includes free shuttle to/from the airport, and to/from MPT, and serves a pretty good free breakfast. Fort Lauderdale is a much nicer place to go take a course than most others, your wife or girlfriend will like it. MPT chose wisely when they set up there.
The GMDSS course might be cheaper at Clatstop or Delgado, but after travel, meals, and hotel, it will probably end up costing more than going to MPT. Many schools around the country use one of the same two instructors (the guy from Merrcomms, or a guy named “Terry”) who fly in to teach their GMDSS courses. The schools won’t fly those guys in unless they have enough students to make a profit. MPT uses their own full time staff, and their own fully equipped classroom to teach the GMDSS course.
Regarding quality, or at least the perception of quality, MPT is very well regarded. The union schools MITAGS, PMI, and Calhoun are also well regarded. Falck Safety Services (formerly Houston) is well regarded. Although any of the maritime academy professional ed courses are well regarded, I have found them to be very unreliable (cancellations due to low enrollment), overly expensive, expensive low quality lodging, and too often low quality courses with shitty instructors.
I have taken one course or another at most of the academies and most of the other major US schools. My favorites are first, the Maritime Simulation Institute in Newport, RI, second, MPT, and third, AVTEC in Alaska.
I had several classes canceled at MPT. They schedule crowd and crisis management courses every month. Each time signed up it was cancelled because they did not have at least four students. Also had a three week celestial navigation class cancelled. So to say they don’t cancel classes is just plain wrong. It happened to me on three occasions.
[QUOTE=PMC;138118]I had several classes canceled at MPT. They schedule crowd and crisis management courses every month. Each time signed up it was cancelled because they did not have at least four students. Also had a three week celestial navigation class cancelled. So to say they don’t cancel classes is just plain wrong. It happened to me on three occasions.[/QUOTE]
I stand corrected. MPT told me that they never cancel, and they have never cancelled on me, but obviously you have had poor luck with them. I have had poor luck with most other schools cancelling on me.
Has anyone here taken the test and received GMDSS Operator from the FCC then applied that to SCTW requirements? I honestly dont see anything on the USCG/ mil site that states that you have to have taken an approved course. I will call the NMC to confirm but today is Saturday and I thought I’d check here first.