Module 1 - Licensing & SRC Exam
Ship Radio Versus Ship Portable
What you will learn
Choose between the named-vessel and portable licensing models and recognise the territorial, identity and equipment limits of each.
A Ship Radio Licence follows the named vessel and can cover its declared fixed and handheld equipment worldwide. A Ship Portable Radio Licence follows specified portable equipment but is limited to UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man territorial seas.
The Ship Radio Licence authorises equipment on the named UK-flagged vessel wherever that vessel sails, subject to the licence and local requirements. Declared handhelds may be used under that vessel's licence, but a DSC handheld carrying the ship MMSI must not be casually moved to another boat.
A Ship Portable Radio Licence is not tied to one named vessel. It can authorise specified portable equipment used aboard different vessels, but its UK licence authority stops at the limit of UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man territorial seas. The equipment is used aboard a vessel or tender, except that emergency use may occur anywhere.
Portable identities differ from ship identities. A portable licence can carry a T reference and an MMSI assigned for the handheld equipment; it does not assign a ship call sign. A portable MMSI identifies the apparatus and licensing arrangement, not whichever vessel it happens to be aboard.
Choose the licence before choosing the identity
A delivery skipper owns a DSC handheld and expects to use it on several yachts, including an overseas delivery.
1. Define where it will be used
A UK Ship Portable Radio Licence does not authorise ordinary use beyond its territorial limit.
2. Define what the identity represents
Do not program or transmit another yacht's ship MMSI from portable equipment unless that exact arrangement is lawfully authorised.
3. Check flag-state and local authority
For another vessel or country, verify the ship's licence, the portable equipment authority and the applicable administration's rules before the passage.
Sense check: The fact that a handheld can be carried between boats does not mean its licence and MMSI can be used everywhere.
Common mistake or limitation
- Assuming 'portable' means authorised on land or in any country's waters.
- Moving a vessel-MMSI DSC handheld between boats and creating a misleading distress identity.
- Treating the T reference or portable MMSI as a ship call sign.
Recap
- Ship Radio Licence: named vessel, declared equipment and ship identity.
- Ship Portable Radio Licence: specified portable equipment, not one named vessel.
- The portable licence has a territorial limit and does not assign a ship call sign.
- The transmitted identity must truthfully match the authorised station or equipment.
Optional quick check
Section 5 of 9
A UK Ship Portable Radio Licence holder plans ordinary DSC use outside UK territorial seas. What is the correct planning assumption?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 31 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
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