RYA SRC Part 11 — Practice Exam: 50 Questions (Paper A and Paper B)
Coverage: every section of the CEPT/RYA SRC syllabus. Two papers, 25 questions each, mix of multi-choice and short-answer. Time yourself at 45 minutes per paper.
How to use this post: scroll past the questions to take the paper first; don’t peek at the answers. Mark with the worked answers at the end of each paper. Anything you got wrong — re-read the linked syllabus post.
Paper A
Multi-choice (Questions 1–20)
1. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is part of which international convention?
a) MARPOL
b) SOLAS
c) COLREGS
d) STCW
2. Sea Area A1 is defined as the area within radio range of:
a) A coast station with continuous MF DSC alerting capability
b) A coast station with continuous VHF DSC alerting capability
c) An Inmarsat geostationary satellite
d) An HF DSC coast station
3. Which of the following is NOT a channel-categorised use of CH16?
a) Distress
b) Safety
c) Calling
d) Routine intership chat
4. What is CH70 reserved for?
a) Bridge-to-bridge navigation
b) UK marina communications
c) Digital Selective Calling only
d) Public correspondence
5. Approximately how many nautical miles is the VHF radio range between a yacht with a masthead antenna at 16 m and a coast station with an antenna at 100 m? (Use 1.23 × √h.)
a) 5 NM
b) 12 NM
c) 17 NM
d) 35 NM
6. Which of the following channels are restricted to low power only?
a) CH06 and CH08
b) CH15, CH17, CH75 and CH76
c) CH13 and CH16
d) CH70 only
7. What does an MMSI starting with 00 indicate?
a) A ship station
b) A coast station
c) A group call
d) A SAR aircraft
8. Which UK MID range identifies British-flagged vessels?
a) 226–228
b) 232–235
c) 250–253
d) 366–369
9. When sending a designated DSC distress alert, which of the following is NOT a selectable nature of distress?
a) Fire / explosion
b) Flooding
c) Engine failure
d) Piracy
10. What is the correct procedure if you accidentally transmit a DSC distress alert?
a) Turn the radio off immediately
b) Send the DSC cancel function, then make a voice cancellation on CH16, then contact the MRCC
c) Wait 24 hours and hope no-one noticed
d) Send a second distress alert correcting the first
11. The proword for an urgency message is:
a) MAYDAY
b) PAN-PAN
c) SECURITE
d) ROGER
12. Which is the correct way to spell the letter “J” in the NATO phonetic alphabet?
a) Juliet
b) Juliett
c) Julliet
d) Jupiter
13. A coast station has transmitted SEELONCE MAYDAY. What does this mean?
a) Distress traffic has ended; normal working resumes
b) Radio silence imposed; no transmissions except distress traffic
c) Switch to silent operation due to enemy interference
d) Cancel the last MAYDAY
14. Which NAVTEX message types cannot be rejected at the receiver?
a) A, B, D, Z, and serial 00
b) E, F, G, H
c) All message types
d) Only B (meteorological)
15. An EPIRB operates primarily on which frequency?
a) 121.5 MHz
b) 156.800 MHz
c) 406 MHz
d) 2182 kHz
16. A Radar-SART, when activated, appears on a searching vessel’s radar display as:
a) A single bright dot
b) Twelve dots radiating outward along the radial of the SART
c) A flashing crosshair
d) An AIS target with MMSI prefix 970
17. Which body issues a UK Ship Radio Licence?
a) The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
b) The Royal Yachting Association (RYA)
c) Ofcom
d) HM Coastguard
18. Which operator certificate is the minimum qualification to operate VHF DSC equipment on a UK-flagged vessel?
a) Restricted VHF certificate
b) Short Range Certificate (SRC)
c) Long Range Certificate (LRC)
d) General Operator’s Certificate (GOC)
19. If your DSC set has no GNSS feed, how often must manual position be updated?
a) Every hour
b) At least every 4 hours
c) Once per day
d) Only when changing course
20. Which of the following is the correct order of priority of communications (highest first)?
a) Routine, Safety, Urgency, Distress
b) Distress, Urgency, Safety, Routine
c) Distress, Safety, Urgency, Routine
d) Safety, Distress, Urgency, Routine
Short-answer (Questions 21–25)
21. Write out the voice MAYDAY format (call and message portion) for the following: Sailing yacht Northern Star, MMSI 232123456, callsign MJEM4, position 50°15.4’N 004°08.7’W, taking on water after striking a submerged object, four persons on board, immediate assistance required.
22. State who imposes SEELONCE MAYDAY and who lifts it.
23. A small UK-flagged vessel in Sea Area A1 receives a DSC distress alert. State what action the operator should and should NOT take.
24. A handheld VHF held by a person at 2 m above sea level transmits to a SAR helicopter at 300 m altitude. Calculate the approximate VHF range using 1.23 × √h₁ + 1.23 × √h₂.
25. State the difference between a Ship Radio Licence and a Ship Portable Radio Licence, and give the UK MMSI format for each.
Paper A — Answer Key
1. b) SOLAS. GMDSS was introduced by amendment to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) convention in 1988, with full implementation in 1999.
2. b) A coast station with continuous VHF DSC alerting capability. Sea Area A1 is the VHF DSC zone, roughly 20–30 NM from coast. (Part 1.)
3. d) Routine intership chat. CH16 is for distress, safety, and calling only. Routine traffic should move to a working channel. (Part 2 and Part 8.)
4. c) Digital Selective Calling only. CH70 is DSC-only; no voice transmission, ever. (Part 2 and Part 4.)
5. c) 17 NM. 1.23 × √16 + 1.23 × √100 = 1.23 × 4 + 1.23 × 10 = 4.92 + 12.3 = 17.2 NM. (Part 2.)
6. b) CH15, CH17, CH75 and CH76. These are the guard bands adjacent to CH16 and CH70, restricted to 1 W maximum. (Part 8.)
7. b) A coast station. Coast stations have MMSIs in the 00 + MID + 4 digits format. (Part 4.)
8. b) 232–235. UK MIDs are 232, 233, 234, 235. (Part 4.)
9. c) Engine failure. The 10 designated natures of distress are fire/explosion, flooding, collision, grounding, listing/capsizing, sinking, disabled and adrift, abandoning ship, piracy, and MOB. “Engine failure” is an urgency (PAN-PAN), not a distress. (Part 4 and Part 5.)
10. b) Send the DSC cancel function, then make a voice cancellation on CH16, then contact the MRCC. Powering off the set does not cancel the alert. (Part 8.)
11. b) PAN-PAN. MAYDAY is distress, SECURITE is safety, ROGER is a proword meaning “received.” (Part 6.)
12. b) Juliett — with two Ts. A standard exam catch. (Part 6.)
13. b) Radio silence imposed; no transmissions except distress traffic. SEELONCE MAYDAY imposes silence; SEELONCE FEENEE lifts it. (Part 5.)
14. a) A, B, D, Z, and serial 00. Navigation warnings, met warnings, SAR/piracy warnings, “no message” confirmations, and any serial-00 message are mandatory display. (Part 7.)
15. c) 406 MHz. EPIRBs use 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat, with a 121.5 MHz homing beacon as a secondary. (Part 7.)
16. b) Twelve dots radiating outward along the radial of the SART. This is the diagnostic radar-SART signature. AIS-SART is the option in (d), but that’s a different device. (Part 7.)
17. c) Ofcom. Ofcom is the UK spectrum regulator. The MCA runs the EPIRB Registry and maritime safety; the RYA runs the training; HM Coastguard runs the operational shore stations. (Part 9.)
18. b) Short Range Certificate (SRC). The SRC is the minimum licence for VHF DSC operation. The Restricted VHF certificate covered VHF without DSC and is no longer issued. (Part 9.)
19. b) At least every 4 hours. A stale position is still useful but timestamped; a fresh position is what an RCC really wants. (Part 3 and Part 4.)
20. b) Distress, Urgency, Safety, Routine. Memorise the order. (Part 2 and Part 4.)
21. Voice MAYDAY format:
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
THIS IS NORTHERN STAR NORTHERN STAR NORTHERN STAR
MIKE JULIETT ECHO MIKE FOUR
MMSI TWO THREE TWO ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX
MAYDAY NORTHERN STAR
MIKE JULIETT ECHO MIKE FOUR
MY POSITION IS FIVE ZERO DEGREES ONE FIVE DECIMAL FOUR MINUTES NORTH
ZERO ZERO FOUR DEGREES ZERO EIGHT DECIMAL SEVEN MINUTES WEST
TAKING ON WATER AFTER STRIKING A SUBMERGED OBJECT
I REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD
OVERMarker points: MAYDAY proword 3× at start, vessel name 3× in call portion, callsign spelled phonetically, position spoken digit by digit with north/west, nature of distress, assistance required, POB, closing with OVER. (Part 5.)
22. SEELONCE MAYDAY is imposed by the station controlling distress traffic — in Sea Area A1, normally the coast station. SEELONCE FEENEE is also lifted by the controlling station when distress traffic has ended and routine working can resume. (A station NOT controlling distress may impose silence using SEELONCE DISTRESS — rare.) (Part 5.)
23. The operator should: listen on CH16; log the time, position, and nature of distress; stand by ready to assist if called. The operator should NOT: press the set’s “Distress ACK” button — DSC acknowledgement in A1 is the responsibility of the coast station, and a small craft acknowledgement may silence the casualty’s set before the coast station has received it. Voice acknowledgement on CH16 is only appropriate if no coast station has responded after several minutes. (Part 4 and Part 5.)
24. Range ≈ 22.5 NM. 1.23 × √2 + 1.23 × √300 = 1.74 + 21.3 = 23 NM (rounded). The helicopter’s altitude dominates — handheld at sea level contributes very little. (Part 2 and Part 7.)
25. Ship Radio Licence covers all radio equipment fixed to a named vessel (VHF, MF/HF, EPIRB, AIS, radar). Issued by Ofcom, free, lifetime. Provides a callsign and a 9-digit MMSI in the format MID + 6 digits (e.g. 232123456 for a UK vessel). Ship Portable Radio Licence covers radio equipment carried by a person (handheld VHF, PLB) rather than fixed to a vessel. Issued by Ofcom, free. Provides a portable MMSI in the format 8 + MID + 5 digits (e.g. 235812345 for a UK handheld — the “8MID” prefix). (Part 9.)
Paper B
Multi-choice (Questions 1–20)
1. Sea Area A4 is defined as:
a) The area within VHF DSC range of a coast station
b) The area within MF DSC range of a coast station
c) The area within Inmarsat geostationary coverage
d) The polar regions outside geostationary satellite coverage
2. Which body harmonises maritime radio regulations across European countries?
a) IMO
b) CEPT
c) RYA
d) ITU directly
3. Which channels in the following list are intership channels in the UK?
a) CH06, CH08, CH72, CH77
b) CH16, CH70, CH13
c) CH80, M, M2
d) CH15, CH17, CH75, CH76
4. The CEPT/RYA syllabus assumes which class of DSC VHF equipment?
a) Class A
b) Class B
c) Class D
d) Class E
5. Two handheld VHF sets at 2 m and 2 m antenna heights have an approximate range of:
a) 3.5 NM
b) 10 NM
c) 25 NM
d) 50 NM
6. The DSC distress button on a Class D set is typically operated by:
a) Pressing once briefly
b) Pressing and holding for 3–5 seconds (under a hinged flap)
c) Pressing twice in quick succession
d) Pressing while keying the PTT
7. What is transmitted in a 406 MHz EPIRB burst?
a) Vessel name and callsign
b) HEX ID, country, optional GNSS position
c) The owner’s home address
d) Encrypted voice message
8. The standard small-craft VHF antenna gain on a sailboat is typically:
a) 9 dBd
b) 6 dBd
c) 3 dBd
d) 0 dBd
9. A “MAYDAY RELAY” is sent by:
a) The vessel in distress
b) A station other than the casualty, relaying or originating a distress for the casualty
c) The coast station only
d) A SAR aircraft only
10. The proword for a safety message is:
a) MAYDAY
b) PAN-PAN
c) SECURITE
d) WILCO
11. Which of these is NOT a valid use for a radio test transmission?
a) Voice radio check to another vessel on a working channel
b) DSC test call to a coast station MMSI
c) Voice MAYDAY test on CH16
d) Self-test function on the radio set
12. An AIS-SART is identified by an MMSI starting with:
a) 00
b) 111
c) 970
d) 972
13. Which document is required by law to be associated with a UK vessel’s fixed VHF DSC?
a) RYA membership card
b) Ship Radio Licence (Ofcom)
c) Lloyd’s Register entry
d) The vessel’s title deeds
14. What does the proword “OVER” mean?
a) The conversation is finished
b) I have made an error
c) End of my transmission; reply expected
d) Wait, I cannot respond now
15. When making a routine call to another vessel, you should:
a) Always use CH16 for the whole conversation
b) Establish contact on CH16 and immediately move to a working channel
c) Use CH70 for the voice call
d) Use CH15 to avoid interference
16. Which of the following is NOT included in the CEPT list of designated nature of distress options?
a) MOB
b) Listing/capsizing
c) Fuel running low
d) Piracy / armed robbery
17. A vessel hears a distress alert and the coast station does NOT respond after several minutes. The vessel is closest and able to assist. The correct action is:
a) Acknowledge by DSC immediately
b) Acknowledge by voice on CH16 and offer assistance
c) Send a new MAYDAY for itself
d) Switch off CH16 to avoid interference
18. NAVTEX is broadcast on which primary frequency for international (English-language) service?
a) 156.800 MHz
b) 121.5 MHz
c) 518 kHz
d) 2187.5 kHz
19. “Secrecy of correspondence” under ITU regulations applies to:
a) All radio transmissions including distress
b) All routine communications not addressed to you
c) Only encrypted communications
d) Only public correspondence calls
20. When boating in foreign waters, you should be aware that CH80 is:
a) Universally used for marina communications
b) A duplex public correspondence channel in some countries
c) Always restricted to low power
d) Reserved for DSC only
Short-answer (Questions 21–25)
21. A vessel requires urgent medical advice for an injured crew member. Write out the voice call format on CH16, including all standard elements (proword, addressee, identification, request, etc.).
22. State the five GMDSS functions.
23. A 406 MHz EPIRB is accidentally activated on board. State the procedure to follow.
24. State the difference between a Radar-SART and an AIS-SART, including how each appears to the searching unit.
25. State the four priority categories of DSC calls, in order of priority, and give one example use of each.
Paper B — Answer Key
1. d) The polar regions outside geostationary satellite coverage. A4 is the polar regions where geostationary satellites cannot see the surface. (Part 1.)
2. b) CEPT. The IMO sets safety conventions like SOLAS; the ITU sets the global radio regulations; CEPT harmonises across European countries. (Part 1 and Part 9.)
3. a) CH06, CH08, CH72, CH77. These are intership channels. CH16 is distress/safety/calling, CH80/M/M2 are UK marina channels, and CH15/17/75/76 are low-power guard bands. (Part 2.)
4. c) Class D. The CEPT/RYA syllabus is built around Class D DSC VHF. (Part 4.)
5. a) 3.5 NM. 1.23 × √2 + 1.23 × √2 = 1.74 + 1.74 ≈ 3.5 NM. (Part 2.)
6. b) Pressing and holding for 3–5 seconds (under a hinged flap). The flap is there to prevent accidental presses; the press-and-hold avoids momentary mis-pushes. (Part 4.)
7. b) HEX ID, country, optional GNSS position. The 15-character HEX ID is the beacon’s unique identifier and ties to the registration record. (Part 7.)
8. c) 3 dBd. Lower gain = wider vertical pattern, important when the boat heels. Powerboats use 6 dBd or higher. (Part 3.)
9. b) A station other than the casualty, relaying or originating a distress for the casualty. “MAYDAY RELAY” is the proword for a third-party distress call. (Part 5.)
10. c) SECURITE. MAYDAY = distress, PAN-PAN = urgency, SECURITE = safety. WILCO is a proword meaning “will comply.” (Part 6.)
11. c) Voice MAYDAY test on CH16. You never test by transmitting a real MAYDAY — that is a real distress alert. Use a working channel for voice checks, a DSC test function for DSC. (Part 8.)
12. c) 970. AIS-SARTs are identified by MMSI prefix 970 + MID + 4 digits. MMSI starting 972 is a MOB device, 111 is a SAR aircraft, 00 is a coast station. (Part 4 and Part 7.)
13. b) Ship Radio Licence (Ofcom). Free, lifetime, online. Must be associated with the equipment. (Part 9.)
14. c) End of my transmission; reply expected. “OVER” = expecting a reply. “OUT” = not expecting a reply. Never both. (Part 6.)
15. b) Establish contact on CH16 and immediately move to a working channel. CH16 is for calling and distress; conversations belong on working channels. (Part 2 and Part 6.)
16. c) Fuel running low. The 10 designated natures of distress are fire/explosion, flooding, collision, grounding, listing/capsizing, sinking, disabled and adrift, abandoning ship, piracy, and MOB. “Fuel running low” is at most an urgency. (Part 4.)
17. b) Acknowledge by voice on CH16 and offer assistance. In A1 the coast station is the preferred controlling station, but if no response after several minutes and you can help, you may acknowledge by voice on CH16. You do NOT DSC-acknowledge — that may silence the casualty’s set. (Part 4 and Part 5.)
18. c) 518 kHz. NAVTEX international (English) is on 518 kHz; national-language broadcasts are on 490 kHz; tropical service is on 4209.5 kHz. (Part 7.)
19. b) All routine communications not addressed to you. Distress, urgency, safety, and all-stations broadcasts are explicitly NOT covered by secrecy — they are meant to be heard by all. (Part 9.)
20. b) A duplex public correspondence channel in some countries. In the UK CH80 is the marina channel; in some other countries it sits in the duplex public correspondence allocation. The exam expects you to know this distinction. (Part 2.)
21. PAN-PAN format for radio medical advice:
PAN-PAN PAN-PAN PAN-PAN
[Coast station, e.g. SOLENT COASTGUARD] [3×]
THIS IS [vessel name] [3×]
[Your callsign / MMSI]
MY POSITION IS [position]
REQUEST RADIO MEDICAL ADVICE FOR INJURED CREW MEMBER
[Optional: brief description of the medical situation]
OVERMarker points: PAN-PAN proword 3× at start, addressed to a specific coast station rather than All Stations (a Coastguard call), identification with vessel name 3×, callsign/MMSI, position, the specific request phrase “radio medical advice.” (Part 6.)
22. The five GMDSS functions are:
- Distress alerting — raising the alert quickly to RCCs.
- SAR coordination — the ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship comms that organise a search and rescue.
- On-scene communications — talking between casualty, SAR units, and supporting vessels.
- Locating — homing and locating signals (EPIRBs, SARTs, 121.5 MHz homing beacon).
- Maritime Safety Information (MSI) — broadcast of navigation warnings, weather, ice, piracy (NAVTEX in A1).
(Some texts add general (non-safety) communications as a sixth function, sitting alongside GMDSS rather than within it.) (Part 1.)
23. Procedure for accidental EPIRB activation:
- Turn the EPIRB off.
- Immediately contact the MRCC — by VHF (DSC individual call to the Coastguard MMSI or voice on CH16) or by phone — and report the false activation. Identify the EPIRB by its registration details (vessel name, HEX ID if available, contact details).
- The RCC will check against the EPIRB Registry, confirm the cancellation, and stand down any SAR response that has already been initiated.
Do NOT simply turn the beacon off and assume no-one heard. The satellite payload picks up the alert within minutes. (Part 7.)
24. Radar-SART vs AIS-SART:
-
Radar-SART: a passive transponder. Listens on the 9 GHz (X-band) radar frequency. When struck by a marine radar pulse, responds with 12 echoes along the same radial, appearing on the searching vessel’s radar screen as 12 dots radiating outward. As the searching vessel closes within ~1 NM, the dots expand into 12 arcs.
-
AIS-SART: an active transmitter. Broadcasts its position via AIS every minute for at least 96 hours, identified by MMSI prefix 970. Appears on the searching vessel’s AIS display as a position-tagged distress target.
Both serve the same locating function but use different display systems. AIS-SART is more common on small craft because every chartplotter with AIS capability sees it; radar-SART remains the SOLAS standard. (Part 7.)
25. The four DSC call priorities, in order:
- Distress — grave and imminent danger to life, vessel, or aircraft. Example: vessel sinking, vessel on fire, abandoning ship.
- Urgency (PAN-PAN) — very urgent message concerning safety of vessel, aircraft, or person, but not yet distress. Example: lost steering drifting toward danger, urgent radio medical advice request, MOB recovered but injured.
- Safety (SECURITE) — safety of navigation or important meteorological warning. Example: gale warning broadcast, floating obstruction sighted, unlit navigation buoy reported.
- Routine — everything else. Example: calling a marina to ask about berth allocation, intership chat on a working channel, requesting a lock booking.
(Part 4 and Part 6.)
Marking and what to do next
Scoring guidance: each multi-choice question is worth 1 mark; each short-answer 4 marks. Total per paper: 20 + 20 = 40.
- 35–40 / 40: well prepared. Spend the remaining time on the practical procedures from memory (the format calls in Parts 5 and 6).
- 25–34 / 40: solidly on track. Re-read the syllabus posts covering the questions you got wrong; do not look at this paper again until exam day.
- Below 25 / 40: more study needed. Work through Parts 1–9 again, especially the sections matching your weakest paper questions. Sit the paper again in three days.
The actual SRC exam paper is similar in shape but only sat once. Use these papers to find your gaps, fix them, and arrive at the exam with the format calls and procedures in muscle memory.
Good luck.