Importance of DSC

jumpinjack · 10 January 2014, 09:32

A safety flyer issued today by the MAIB highlights the importance of utilising the DSC function, and its usefulness on VHF radios.
Worth a wee read.

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources...ieve_Flyer.pdf

chris.moody · 10 January 2014, 09:44

Treated myself to a DSC handheld last November. I am hoping that I will never get to use the red button, but if ever I do need it it will be the best £220 I have ever spent.

Dirk Diggler · 10 January 2014, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris.moody

Treated myself to a DSC handheld last November. I am hoping that I will never get to use the red button, but if ever I do need it it will be the best £220 I have ever spent.

I reckon this guy wishes he'd treated himself. It's a long read, but quite interesting...... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/ma...=fb-share&_r=0

Trimix · 10 January 2014, 10:04

Good artical.

But I can see why some people would fail to use it.

It seems straight forward, but programing the radio is not always easy, getting the MMSI number was not easy. And above all I can well see how people in a difficult situation would want to resort to old fashion methods that they are familliar with.

I was furstrated in getting my MMSI number, Im still reading the instruction book that came with my radio and of course, apart from the VHF course I did, I havent practiced using the RED button.

Oh, and connecting the Radio to the Plotter was not that easy.

I have seen a thread about some DSC red buttons requireing different methods of operation - which is daft. I should be: Open flap, press, hold for x seconds, shout Mayday, abandon ship.

However, its still a good idea to have one. Id just like to spend an hour with someone with the same radio as mine to show me how it all works

thomas · 10 January 2014, 11:19

If you have the nonce to install a radio then connecting the NMEA wire really shouldn't challenge you, if it does then should you be installing it?

I've bought a 4 second hand DSC radios when I've bought boats and only one of them was wired up, GPS outputting correctly and had an MMSI number, the others were all wired into the GPS but none had MMSI numbers and two of them hadn't set the GPS to output the NMEA.

The reason many haven't programmed their MMSI is because they have not done their VHF course, I know more boaters who've not got a licence than have one and it's common to see small RIBs with VHF's use a mobile phone to call up the lock at the marina.

As I understood it, regardless of radio, if you press and hold the red button it will transmit your distress signal, just not what the distress is.

willk · 10 January 2014, 11:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trimix

I should be: Open flap, press, hold for x seconds, shout Mayday, abandon ship.

Odd, I'd be hoping to stay in the ship...

Pikey Dave · 10 January 2014, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Odd, I'd be hoping to stay in the ship...

You should never leave the ship, the ship should always leave you. Unless it's on fire

PeterM · 10 January 2014, 15:16

Amazes me that still despite lots of bad outcomes the lack of LJ in comericial single handed fishing is common.

chris.moody · 10 January 2014, 16:00

I was taught step up into the liferaft not down (e.g. Don't abandon ship until the last possible moment and it's going under). The exception is fire, and if ANY vessel I am in catches fire the liferaft is going straight over the side and I don't care if the owner is upset that I have deployed their liferaft prematurely.

jokaboat · 10 January 2014, 16:38

Like here?

chris.moody · 10 January 2014, 16:52

It really surprised me how difficult it is to climb into a liferaft unaided when fully clothed in wet weather gear. They are also very claustrophobic, I would not fancy spending long in one. Better than staying with the boat above though.

jyasaki · 10 January 2014, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas

As I understood it, regardless of radio, if you press and hold the red button it will transmit your distress signal, just not what the distress is.

Depends on the unit, and how you activate it.

On my SH VHF, there's a menu you can select (after hitting the distress button, but prior to transmitting, I think), that will transmit a terse message about what the problem is. Pre-canned messages are undesignated, fire, flooding, collision, grounding, capsizing, sinking, adrift, abandoning, piracy, and MOB (yeah; had to look those up.)

jky

lakelandterrier · 10 January 2014, 23:43

I think if I ever needed to activate the red button on a DSC handheld I wouldn't be worrying to much about toggling through menus to find the correct code!

jyasaki · 12 January 2014, 05:16

My thought as well, which is probably why I had to look it up :-)

jky

xs 400 · 12 January 2014, 09:33

thank you for sharing this invaluable DSC information.

As a result, this season I have decided to purchase a fixed DSC radio to go with a small chart plotter.(currently have hand held non DSC)

any suggestions to combinations of fixed DSC radio and small 5 inch chart plotter that go together well ie easy to wire?

willk · 12 January 2014, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by xs 400

...any suggestions to combinations of fixed DSC radio and small 5 inch chart plotter that go together well ie easy to wire?

You have the option of NOT wiring them together. Standard Horizon (and possibly others) make DSC VHFs with a GPS onboard - so it is totally standalone. The option to wire it is still there, but it functions without any external input.

Hightower · 12 January 2014, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris.moody

Treated myself to a DSC handheld last November. I am hoping that I will never get to use the red button, but if ever I do need it it will be the best £220 I have ever spent.

Does the handheld have a built in GPS to be able to send co-ordinates?

willk · 12 January 2014, 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

Does the handheld have a built in GPS to be able to send co-ordinates?

Surely they all do H.? I'm sure they all do....

PeterM · 12 January 2014, 13:31

I'm tempted by the sh with the built in gps.....no need to wire anything to be able to have it know it's location.

Redundancy built in in case of a problem with plotter or its wiring or aerial.

Chris Caton · 12 January 2014, 13:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by xs 400

thank you for sharing this invaluable DSC information.

As a result, this season I have decided to purchase a fixed DSC radio to go with a small chart plotter.(currently have hand held non DSC)

any suggestions to combinations of fixed DSC radio and small 5 inch chart plotter that go together well ie easy to wire?

similar to you, I'm looking at the Icom M323 & Garmin 50s, easy enough to connect and not too big, although I can also see the sense in buying a vhf with gps built in, like the SH GX1700E. still not made my mind up yet, may just stick to a handheld vhf this season and use my Garmin 276c for charts, DM was kind enough to send me a chart for it a couple of months back