Online RYA VHF/SRC Radio

Price: from £69 (Finance now available)

Location: Carried-out online

Duration: N/A

Study the RYA VHF radio online course from home with Commodore Yachting. This online RYA VHF SRC radio course is the minimum qualification required by law to operate VHF or Digital Selective Calling equipment on any British flagged vessel. Complete the theory online then attend a practical exam session at our Gosport Marina base.

Our RYA VHF radio online course covers marine radio procedures, DSC operation, and emergency communications. It is essential for all sailors, from kayakers to yacht skippers. View our course calendar for exam dates or read more on the RYA radio courses page.

Booking details

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Course Information

Joining Instructions: Please click here for course joining instructions

Recommended Reading: Sailing magazines and newspapers, but this is not essential 

Course Prerequisites: No assumed knowledge

Minimum Age: No minimum but Under 16’s must be accompanied by adult. Persons aged 16+ can be unaccompanied subject to other pre-requisites having been met

A marine radio sits on a wooden desk, displaying “Channel 16.” Papers and documents surround the radio equipment, indicating a work environment.
Two people are in a room, one speaking into a radio with paperwork around, suggesting a communication or coordination task.

Who is the course for:

This is a one day online based course. The Short Range Certificate (SRC) is the minimum qualification required by law to operate the VHF or  VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment (radio) on any British flagged vessel carrying a radio.

This includes both fixed and handheld equipment using International channels, and the general operation and etecate of the radios.

The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course is there to help you to understand important legal concepts and maritime SRC/VHF regulations and how they affect you whilst out on the water.

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What we cover on the course:

A radio is a key piece of safety equipment on board and it is vital to understand the correct procedures and operations. Unnecessary transmissions could block out a Mayday distress call or endanger someone’s life.

The RYA SRC/VHF Radio Course includes a wide variety of real-life situations – both routine and distress.

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VHF marine radio
A person on a boat communicates using a radio device, with various control panels and gauges on a wooden console.

Course formats & details:

Courses run in a single format:

  • Carried-out online at your convenience.

For some people attending a 1 day VHF/SRC course in our classroom is not an easy option. So why not do it online!

When you have completed your course you eligible to attend SRC/VHF exam, this is normaly after the course, so the day is long but you will hopefuly become a radio operator at the end of the course.

With the course there is approximately 3-4 hours of pre-course reading that is available in a PDF, for you to download. If you do not get this give us a call and we will email this to you.

The Exam. This 1 hour session needs to legally take place at an RYA Recognised Training School and prepares you to take a short written SRC/VHF Exam.

You can sit this exam at our training facility at the end of the course, or if you do not want tot sit the exam then you can do this at any other Registered RYA Centre that is SRC acreditated that may be closer to you if sitting the exam at a later date.

There is an exam fee of £60 which is paid directly to the RYA. Students must be 16 yrs old on the day of the exam to be able to sit the operators exam.

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Our Chief Instructor says this about the RYA SRC / VHF Course:

This is the perfect course for anyone going afloat.

Being able to call for assistance on the vessel is a vital tool for anyone onboard, weather you are the skipper, first mate or even a crewmember.

Being able to operate the radio helps everyone. From calling for assistance, general communications between vessels and of course giving the marina the all important call to ask for a berth for the night.

The certificate is yours for life if you pass the exam at the end. You have a skill that could save lives in the future.

We really recommend this course for anyone who is operating a vessel as crew or skipper due to the need to be licenced.

Booking a charter holiday abroard it is now more commonplace for the holiday company to ask for some one on the boat to be qualified to operate the VHF radio.

The course will give you some amazing knowledge. Anyone can use a radio in an emergency. It is perfect for younger people who are under 16 to do as well so they know what to do when things go wrong.

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A table with a nautical chart, Admiralty tide tables, navigation tools, and a radio setup, likely used for maritime navigation and planning.

Booking details

No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.

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    Customer reviews

    Exciting Channle islands exploration!! This will be my third time with Commodore, no regrets. 😁 Such a great trip exploring the Channle islands and northern France. We got to see lovely towns in Guernsey and Jersey as well as a fab market in Cherbourg. The sailing was so great! Over 350 miles covered and well over doubled my night hours. Big shoutout and thank you to our amazing skipper Ed who always had to the best recommendation and was so flexible to what we wanted to do as a group. He was an amazing support through out the trip, gave great MOB training and help in passage planning. Boat was great as always. Amazing experience and can’t wait to go on similar trips with the company.

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    29th August 2025

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    Ana Sofia Almagro Avatar Ana Sofia Almagro
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