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Radio - It's criminal! WATERBORNE enforcement officers from the Radiocommunications Agency (RA) have recently been involved in raids on boats operated by, sailing AGENCY
schools in order to check their VHF radio licences. In one such case, because there was some confusion over who was the actual holder of the £22 licence, the yacht's owner, skipper, the company secretary and the directors of the school were charged under Part I, Section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, found guilty of a criminal offence, and ended up with criminal records.
A spokesman for the RA tells us that their general approach is less extreme; they merely issue a warning if they think it's a genuine mistake, writes Tony Ellis.
In the circumstances, all VHF radio users should make sure that their licence is up-to-date; if you plan to charter a yacht, or join a boat run by a sailing school, you should also ask the proprietor whether the radio is licensed. Utimately though, the only way to check the validity of any licence (which can't be transferred, and should be clearly displayed) is to contact the RA direct. |
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