DSC Alerts for routine safety info and met

[Anonymous]

I've just had to fit my first DSC set as my Simrad Shipmate failed and there seems to be not a single repairer - BEWARE, folks. Anyway, I fitted the Standard Horizon GX1500 E (bought from Malthouse on the forum, thanks for a good service packed and sent to Ibiza, Martin) which seems like a good piece of kit. My first passages were Ibiza to Mar Menor and Mar Menor to Almerimar (around 24 hours each passage) and EVERY FEW HOURS I had Palma Radio pushing out a DSC alert for their routine safety and met transmission. Night and day and day and night - BRRRINGGGGG! BRRRINGGGGG! incessantly until I could silence the wretched thing by pushing the buttons. That means you have to finish off doing what you were doing first and meanwhile you cannot hear the actual message for the ringing noise /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Besides, you really don't need to listen to all that piffle which is simply a repetition all day long, and certainly don't want it going off like that all the time so I found myself for the first time in my life turning the VHF off altogether. Not good, but I wonder, am I alone?

The DSC alert signal from Palma, on Ch 70, was still triggering my radio out to Cabo de Gata (!!) even though the audio was almost unreadable so half the Western Med was being alerted by Palma every few hours.

Is this how things are all over, now? In the UK and the Channel as well? If so, can anyone point me to instructions on how to disable the DSC function on my set?

 

[Channel Ribs]

Crikey, that does not sound like fun. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I am delighted the set is working out otherwise, the radio is a very workable bit of kit in my humbleness.

I look forward to the views of the forum on this issue....

 

[roly_voya]

There does seem to be an increase in 'routeen' alerts even on VHF, used to be the case that you never seemed to get weather reports now its every three hours + NM's in force etc all on VHF, DSC and navtext. Any way to silence some of the alarms rather than the complete radio or DSC part?

 

[Kawasaki]

Take no notice.
It's Malthouse Marine.
An Upgrade will be offered.
Where this "interferance" doesn,t happen.
"Another £ 150 Sir and the Mark 2 will sort it"
Watch these Swindlers.
In the Old Days they used to have a Parrot, a Wooden Leg and a Patch over one eye. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[steve_cronin]

Re: DSC Alerts for routine safety info and met - Oh Yes!

Olympia Radio in Greece just ever so often also sends out an alarm signal just to preceed a routine weather bullitin. There doesn't seem to be any logic or pattern in it.

We just ENDURE!

Steve cronin

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's a problem peculiar to the radio - it is doing what it is supposed to do. The problem is with over-zealous coast stations announcing via Digital Selective Calling (DSC) to everyone that they are about to give the weather forecast and active navigational warnings. The weather is usually updated twice a day (morning and evening) and the warnings less often but they are repeated regularly round the clock.

The system is not appropriate for yachts - it is fine for ships with adequate bridge crew but the watchkeeper on a yacht might be putting sails up/down, keeping an eye on pilotage or traffic, working on the chart table, or whatever and there is no way this thing can be silenced without pushing a button. Meanwhile, you can't hear the message that the alert is actually alerting you to!!!

The radio manufacturers need to get round the table with the authorities to come up with a spec that is suitable for yachts. There would be no technical difficulty in changing the systems - all that's needed is a firmware change - but they have to stay within the requirements of the relevant standard. Maybe this is an RYA issue but then again the RYA seem normally to be interested only in racing, teaching or headline-grabbing things.

One of these days a fatal incident will occur and it will come to light that yachts are turning off their VHFs to avoid the disturbance. After lives have been lost, and only then, will the authorities decide to do something about it.

 

[gandy]

We've had a DSC set for two years, and only once received one of these. The alert we got underlined how useless the system is.

Series of beeps on the radio over the top of a Channel 16 announcement. Even worse, the Ch 16 announcement linked to the alert simply advised to change to another channel to hear the actual announcement, so didn't automate anything.

Surely a DSC alert should tune the set onto the correct channel? What's the point otherwise?

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Surely a DSC alert should tune the set onto the correct channel? What's the point otherwise?

[/ QUOTE ]Indeed, unless you have a bridge officer waiting to handle the set, it is worse than useless and quite inappropriate for yachts (which is what I am beefing about).

Until you acknowledge the alert, you can't hear ANYTHING /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif If you are occupied with something you simply cannot stop (sails, steering close quarters, etc.) and you can't press the button then you don't hear the nature of the distress signal. Pointless and far worse than non-DSC as most of us prick up our ears at the sound of MAYDAY, PAN, or SECURITE almost as well as if they were our own names.

As for giving you the correct channel, this does work if you are using DSC to other vessels and it is quite a neat facility. It is cheaper than using a mobile phone albeit to the detriment of congestion on the marine VHF band as so many yachts use the DSC instead /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

As you say, it does not work with routine safety and met calls. The technology would make it possible but very often these are sent out of a number of different channels according to geography. Which channel would your set be changed to?

Another problem with switching to the correct channel is that you might need to stay on Ch 16 - suppose you are involved in distress working and your set switches to Ch 10 for the weather forecast.....doesn't bear thinking about particularly as people might be frightened and not thinking as calmly as usual.

It seems to me to be a dog's breakfast. Inappropriate use of the technology. Short term, the coast stations should desist from making any 'all ships' DSC alerts unless the subject is of immediate and important concern to shipping. Severe weather warnings come to mind - I'm not sure that anything else qualifies?

 

[jonjo]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think it's a problem peculiar to the radio - it is doing what it is supposed to do. The problem is with over-zealous coast stations announcing via Digital Selective Calling (DSC) to everyone...

there is no way this thing can be silenced without pushing a button. Meanwhile, you can't hear the message that the alert is actually alerting you to!!!

[/ QUOTE ]
From my perspective these two statements confirm there is a problem with the DSC design spec. In my installation the standard DSC spec decibel level is multiplied by 4 (2 speakers and two handsets). The combined noise is so traumatic I reach for the vhf master switch on the main switch panel rather than fumble with a mobile phone sized cancel button.

I frequently sail with the vhf switched off these days, but this year when the radio is on there have been fewer irritating alerts from the French mid-channel coastguard station.

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
....The combined noise is so traumatic I reach for the vhf master switch on the main switch panel rather than fumble with a mobile phone sized cancel button.....I frequently sail with the vhf switched off these days....

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure that's what a lot of us are doing, and it isn't acceptable. Is there any pressure being put on the authorities to sort out this dangerous mess?

We used to have a poster from Ofcom who left them and, ISTR, is now with ICOM or one of the bigger radio manufacturers. I wonder if he is around and could contribute - he knows the subject as a user, a manufacturer and a regulatory authority.

Otherwise, is there anyone out there who is in a position to take this up with the RYA, maybe an instructor? Or how about PBO, can the editorial staff pick this up.

This is a major threat to the safety of yachts at sea and should be treated as a top priority.

 

[rickp]

[ QUOTE ]
I frequently sail with the vhf switched off these days, but this year when the radio is on there have been fewer irritating alerts from the French mid-channel coastguard station.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, someone drove the message home to Cross Joburg about their incessant use of the DSC Alert and fortunately, they do seem to have stopped this year. Only had one DSC Alert from them.

Had 2 from the UK coastguard the other week about a strong wind warning that had just been issued though...

Rick