Long Range radio - HF radio

A LROCP (Long Range Radio operators Certificate of Proficiency) is required to operate an HF long range radio in Australia.    It's an advanced level radio certification, usually for profesional seafarers, blue water or offshore yachtmen or volunteer marine rescue crew members. The licence was formerly known as a MROCP (Marine radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency).

Courses are usually available with with marine training providers or at local marine rescue bases.  The LROCP in my area costs around A$190 or so in 2023 ($60 for manual)  The course also covers and expands on the SROCP content  (short range radios, VHF etc)

HF radios

These are long range transceivers. For serious blue water voyaging or offshore use beyond VHF ranges.

They bounce radio waves off the ionosphere, so the signals can go far beyond the horizon and around the earth. A knowlege of the channels frequency capabilities is required under different atmospheric condiditions. Different frequency channels are used to optimise the signal clarity/ range to operate in etc.

Marine HF radio monitoring by shore stations in Australia has recently switched from States/Terittory jurisdiction to  AMSA a federal body. AMSA HF Radiotelephone monitoring (Dec 2021). This  interesting story in the lead-up to the changes Australia floats plan to phase out HF radio monitoring by 2022  (Oct 2019).  It seems that HF radiotelephony is rarely used for distress calls far at sea nowdays, due to the advancement of GPS EPIRB's and similar technology taking over this role (including HF DSC units)  But AMSA still monitors HF for distress calls and many other services such as BOM weather information and warnings etc are still broadcast to mariners who are well beyond VHF range.

HF marine radios arent cheap, they cost several thousand dollars (eg $2,500 - >$6,000 depending on capability functions and brand)