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Independent study · no certification. Details

Compass Revision is independent and is not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by Sail Canada, Transport Canada, ISED, CanBoat, CHS, or the Canadian Coast Guard. It does not award certification, a PCOC, or an ROC(M).

Compass Canada study companion

ROC(M) Study Companion

Direct answer

Independent Canadian VHF and DSC preparation for ROC(M) knowledge and spoken-call practice, with certificate and examiner boundaries kept explicit. Independent knowledge and call-procedure practice. Compass is not ISED or CanBoat, does not administer the ROC(M) examination, and cannot issue a certificate. A current authorized examiner remains required.

Price
$19.99 once
Course size
9 modules
Access
Lifetime access
Format
Independent online study companion
Preview the free module

Product tour

Try the revision loop here

This working, course-specific sample uses the same three primary steps and feedback timing as the revision app: learn the idea, use Practise for immediate help, then Test at the end.

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Learn · teaching first

Separate the Person, the Boat, and the Radio Station

From Certificate and Regulatory Boundaries

What you will learn

Distinguish an ROC-M operator certificate from a PCOC, a ship-station licence, a pleasure craft licence or registration, and an MMSI.

Explanation

ROC-M belongs to the radio operator. Other documents may belong to the boat, the radio station or the person driving. Similar maritime labels do not make them interchangeable.

The Restricted Operator Certificate – Maritime (ROC-M) is the Canadian radio operator certificate mainly intended for pleasure boaters. It is evidence about a person's radio-operating qualification. It is not a licence for the hull, proof of boat-driving competency or a record created by the radio set.

A Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) or another accepted proof of competency concerns operating a recreational motorized boat. A pleasure craft licence or vessel registration identifies the boat under a different regime. Neither one replaces the appropriate radio operator certificate for a person who operates maritime radio apparatus.

Ask what the document belongs to

A skipper says, ‘The boat has a licence number and I have my PCOC, so the VHF paperwork is covered.’

Sense check: If the answer names only the boat or the person driving it, it has not yet established who is qualified to operate the radio.

Common mistake

Calling an ROC-M a boating licence or a PCOC

Recap

  • ROC-M is a person-level radio operator certificate.
  • PCOC and vessel documents answer different questions.
  • Station licensing and operator certification must be checked separately.
More ways to revise

Flashcards, audio and interactive tools remain optional support inside the module; they do not replace the Learn → Practise → Test route.

Course route

Learn the knowledge, then take it afloat with an instructor

1Free

Certificate and Regulatory Boundaries

Who needs an ROC-M, certificate authority, examiner scope, station licensing context, and ROC-M versus ROC-MC.

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2Full access

Radio Equipment and Channels

Fixed and handheld VHF systems, receiver controls, power, range, simplex and duplex operation, Canadian channel banks, watchkeeping, and safe readiness checks.

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3Full access

Call Signs, Licences, and MMSI

Voice and digital station identity, domestic licence exemption, ISED call signs, ship-station MMSI and personal MI choice, record accuracy, and ownership or equipment changes.

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4Full access

Phonetic Alphabet and Procedure Words

International spelling, figures, time and position, procedure words, error recovery, microphone discipline, and closed-loop reception.

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5Full access

Routine Radio Traffic

Priority-aware routine voice calls, current station routes, reply states, confirmed working-channel handover, concise messages, focused repairs, bounded radio checks, and restored watch.

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6Full access

Distress and Mayday

Serious and imminent danger, early MCTS contact, VHF DSC-to-voice distress, rescue-useful position, Mayday call and message, distress support, false-alert cancellation, and bounded rehearsal.

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7Full access

Urgency and Safety Communications

Risk-led priority selection, PAN PAN and radiomedical urgency, SÉCURITÉ hazard reporting, DSC receiving duties, escalation, updates, cancellation, and non-transmitting rehearsal.

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8Full access

DSC and GMDSS

Digital alert versus voice, MMSI and position readiness, the complete Channel 70 to Channel 16 distress chain, receiving limits, approved tests, false-alert recovery, Canadian service areas, and the wider GMDSS system.

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9Full access

Spoken Call Practice

Adaptive caller-and-receiver rehearsal across phonetics, routine contact, Mayday, Pan Pan, SÉCURITÉ, focused repair, and observable evidence.

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What the companion includes

Clear knowledge and practical boundaries

  • Original lessons and explanations
  • At least 18 explained questions and 12 flashcards per module
  • Three 40-question mixed knowledge assessments
  • Canada terminology, jurisdiction, and primary-source context
  • Practical-awareness prompts clearly separated from assessed knowledge

Not included

  • Sail Canada certification or an official examination
  • A Pleasure Craft Operator Card or ROC(M) certificate
  • Instructor-observed practical assessment
  • Copied textbook, chart, manual, or examination content
  • A guarantee of school, examiner, or charter-operator acceptance

Editorial record

Primary-source review

Original content is reviewed against published Sail Canada standards and current Canadian government sources. Provincial and local requirements must be checked separately.