VHF Course

[stan_deezy]

Originally Posted by Jon Brooks

Also some of the so called experts in the boating press write some real twoddle!
So that don't help either.

These were some of the reason we here set about offering DSC talks to clubs.
There has been a good take up but by no means huge.

Regards

Sounds like you should write an article for Ribnet Jon?

I'd be delighted to get proper information on what sounds like a very good system.

Cheers

[wavelength]

Also some of the so called experts in the boating press write some real twoddle

and not just the press
there was a deal of mis selling of radio courses -in particular one school where I sat in on part of their day skipper course one night as an observer. The lecturer at the end of the session tried to sell their radio course by telling the assembled that they could all throw their old vhf radios away cos from 1st jan nobody would hear a distress call on ch16, they would not be able to contact the coastguard except by dsc cos no-one was listening - and they all needed to come on his course (at what I thought was an exorbitant price) . A meaningful discussion ensued!

[DJL]

Originally Posted by Jon Brooks

It's interesting that no UK coastguard station, that I know of, is using DSC to alert for routine calls.

Portland and Solent do, although not all the time. I think they may only do it for delayed MSI broadcasts, but I wouldn't swear to that.

[Jon Brooks]

Wave

I have heard some rather disturbing stuff come out of other SRS Assessors mouths too!
Very very worrying!

Stan

Nice idea but might go on a bit!
My talk last about an hour!

Would be happy to come and chat to a gathering or Ribnetters at anytime.

Regards

[donutsina911]

did my course with Stormforce in southampton...highly recommended - used proper kit and had just the right amount of real world / techie balance

[wavelength]

at the end of the day DSC is an addition to your vhf that you use or do not use as circumstances dictate. I have never used it in "anger" as it were, except between the school boats on individual calls and we try to do this on L2 courses so folk see it used for real. I have test called our MRSC and they have on occasion actually radioed me by voice to ask if we could assist them in a test of their DSC equipment, as they know us and had heard our voice comms between the boats on ch16 before we went to a working channel. But normally voice traffic is fine. Last month I had to alert the CG to a situation using "mayday relay" for a job involving a commercially used rib being pounded by the waves on the lee shore of a sandbank out in the bay. We were in rough shallow seas and I never considered sending an urgency call by DSC first but used the voice "mayday relay" to cut thru routine traffic on ch16. It all worked very well and we had our requested ILB out in no time at all whilst we stood by to assist in the deeper water. It was much easier than scrolling thru the menu to find urgency, and then confirming the call in a situation where breaking waves were sending spray flying into my eyes which are not that good for reading without specs anyway these days (old git ! ) Which is why I have emergency reading glasses in with the flare pack so that I can read the screen if I forget m'specs

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by wavelength

....at the end of the day DSC is an addition to your vhf that you use or do not use as circumstances dictate...... but used the voice "mayday relay" to cut thru routine traffic on ch16. ....It was much easier than scrolling thru the menu to find urgency, and then confirming the call in a situation where breaking waves were sending spray flying into my eyes ....

Yeh, I agree. I'd love to say DSC used in anger was wholly wonderful but pressing little buttons on a mobile rib is difficult and it is complex and easily forgotten partly because one connot practise it properly and partly because it's use is so infrequent. Kinda like programming the video player.......

[codprawn]

That is the whole point - in REAL situations it's just not practical!!!

Talking to a fisherman the other day who DID have to use his radio in an emergency - as he said when there are flames licking along the deck the last thing you want to do is scroll through a list of text - only his words were rather more colourfull than that!!!

[codprawn]

DSC has the potential for so much more - IF they could get their act together then it would be so easy - in a REAL distress you would just hit the red button and get the hell out of there!!!

As soon as the DSC alert is raised the coastguard should have all your details popping up on the screen in front of them.

Know I know they will react to an alert without a voice backup but from what people say they will be pretty much in the dark as to what or who they are dealing with!!!

[Jon Brooks]

Originally Posted by codprawn

DSC has the potential for so much more - IF they could

Know I know they will react to an alert without a voice backup but from what people say they will be pretty much in the dark as to what or who they are dealing with!!!

To say the are in the dark is not strictly true.
Whislt it is not automatic that the info pops up at the moment, thay can find it PDQ.

Buy time you have given your voice mayday to follow they can have it to hand.

DSC is like digital telly.
They can't do away with the voice mayday back up until "most" people have a DSC radio on board.
As you don't even have to carry a radio on a lesiure boat it may be sometime off!!

Regards

[IanE]

......people even have MMSI's . I registered recently here in Ireland and got 250000491 which implies another 490 Irish vessels registered including all commercial and pleasure craft