General Operators Certificate (GOC) Dublin

Who this course is for: The professional seafarer on transoceanic and other long passages. This qualification gives them the authority to operate marine radio equipment on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) vessels in coastal and offshore waters.

Length of course: This course is held over 10 days (78 hours).

Objective: To gain the skills and knowledge to confidently and correctly operate Inmarsat C/Fleet  satellite and VHF/HF/MF radio equipment,including Digital Selective Callings (DSC), EPIRB, SART, and NAVTEX.

Assessment: There are three written exams and two oral exams. Successful candidates will receive a General Operators Certificate issued by the Irish Department of Transport and recognised worldwide.

Prerequisites: Candidates must be over 18 years of age and have an adequate level of English to understand the course content and exam questions.

Format of the course: Prior to the course, candidates are encouraged to access our online tutor.

A comprehensive course manual will be given in-class and each student will have hands-on practice with our classroom GMDSS simulator, as well as plenty of practical experience with EPIRBs, SARTs, and NAVTEX.

Syllabus:

• Principles of the Maritime Mobile Service
• Principles of the Maritime Mobile Satellite Service
• Ship station including receivers, VHF radio installation, MF/HF,
• antennas, power supplies, survival craft radio equipment
• Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
• Inmarsat and Iridium systems
• GMDSS system and subsystems
• Inmarsat usage in GMDSS
• NAVTEX
• EPIRBs
• Search and Rescue Radar Transponder (SART) and AIS-SART
• Distress, urgency and safety communications in GMDSS
• Distress, urgency and safety in communications using radiotelephony
• Search and Rescue operation (SAR)
• Obligatory procedures and practices
• General communications procedures