DSC radio

[ QUOTE ]
it would also of course be illegal

[/ QUOTE ]No it wouldn't. There is no requirement to even monitor ch16 although all vessels are encouraged to do so. There is no requirement to even switch on a ship's VHF and even if there was who is to know if it is switched on or even if it is switched on if the volume is turned right down. Adolph Liar is good at passing laws which cannot be enforced so people just ignore them like the mobile phone laws - the numebr of folk I see with a phone stuck to their ear while driving indicates to me the law is not enforcable and it is only a few poor unfortunates that get caught by the plod.
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
 
O.K. Jon, is there any way to turn off or mute the alarms so one does not hear them apart from turning off the radio?

I am sure there must be a "fix" somewhere - "cut this wire and fit a switch" or the like. From the polls it appears some 33% of boaters do not have DSC and are not interested in fitting a DSC set UNLESS the alarms can be turned off ie never to be heard, not just remotely cancelled but totally silent as is the existing VHF apart from vox reception.

It seems a shame to turn a set on only to transmit but what else can one do to get some peace and quiet. (maybe don't buy on in the first place!)
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
 
I don't think you can!

This was raised many eons ago on PBO. I seem to remember I sat in front of my 7200 to test the theory. It was a good while back and I am certain that I could not.

I do not have the set in front of me so I can be exact, but it is to do with switching over to the inland waterways system mentioned earlier. You require a new number to switch the set over from what I recall. I do not have this number and knowing you only have one shot at it chose to cancel at that point.

There is an option to switch off DSC on the 7200 menu, but this requires I think the set to be on the inland function. I guess it means you can have both on, but not none!

All I know for certain, it can not just be turned off. Hope that helps.
 
Does anyone have a DSC connected to a plotter, the other way round.

If an alarm came in and started a flashing beacon on your plotter showing immediately where the casualty was that would be a boon. You would know in seconds how far away you were. Any decent plotter could immediately set up a temporary course and distance with ETA for the skipper, if too far, skipper could cancel and continue with the original course.

Why is this not done?
 
[ QUOTE ]
No it wouldn't. There is no requirement to even monitor ch16 although all vessels are encouraged to do so. There is no requirement to even switch on a ship's VHF and even if there was who is to know if it is switched on or even if it is switched on if the volume is turned right down.

[/ QUOTE ]

in fact there is an international legal requirement for ships to have ch16 and dsc monitored with written proof this is done to be available for inspection, and the sets have to comply with stringent standards which include the dsc alarm . ch 16 is probably required by yachts in some local areas under local byelaws.
and of course every radio operator should be qualified, part of which is having the knowledge of the radio regs ........
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
If your DSC radio has NMEA OUT connector and your plotter has a NMEA IN connector, then it will likely plot the Mayday calling vessels position (assuming, of course, that the Mayday calling vessel also has a GPS connected to their radio or has manually entered their position if not). I cannot speak as this being so with all such radios in that configuration, but certainly a number do.

Displays in a similar manner to if you do a Position Request with that same radio/plotter configuration - in case anyone wishes to see that there is a video of showing how a Position Request with a plotter attached displays on the Icom USA site http://www.icomamerica.com/marine/video/.

I have not seen (or seen documented) a Mayday calling vessel's position displayed on a plotter from an Icom radio having NMEA OUT but would be interested to know for sure that they do - maybe Jon B could advise?

John
 
At the risk of sounding like a Smarta--e. The set I have does have this type of function when connected to compatible plotters.

Martin /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
They could fit a "funny" button or provide retrofit instructions.

I bought some equipment recently, complained to the manufacturer about a certain function dictated by the EU and was promptly given the fix to override the EU function along with the spare part if I had to return the unit under waranty. They could not do the modification but they could tell me how to do it myself. So I am sure could the radio manufacturers if they wished.


[/ QUOTE ]

Be ointerested to know what this bit of kit was.
Is a bit of kit which is used with a "safety of life" radio service?
I am thinking maybe not.

We and others have raised this issuses with various parties at various meetings.

I have a major concern if people are turnig their radio's off.
The MCA have the same concern.

Regards
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have not seen (or seen documented) a Mayday calling vessel's position displayed on a plotter from an Icom radio having NMEA OUT but would be interested to know for sure that they do - maybe Jon B could advise?

John

[/ QUOTE ]

We and Standard have the only radio's at this time that allow this to happen.
The only plotter/GPS that I know support this and have DSC software in them are Garmin and Standard.

This function allows you to see incoming distress calls and also if you ask for a position requests of another vessle when they reply this is also shown on the plotter.

On the Garmin kit you get the option to store as a way point of show on screen.
Both give you bearing to steer and distance.

We had this on show at London Boat Show 2 years ago.

I have not tried it with the Standard kit as yet but will in the near future.

We use this system with a M601 and a Garmin 188c on the Patrol boat.
It is a great tool.

Regards
 
I was aware of the Standard Horizon's but unsure if Icoms did but assumed so for the sets I am familiar with eg 502A, 602 which do have NMEA OUT. But is not stated so in the manuals for those sets (but may be in manuals for for the EU versions).

My own radio is a 502 which does not have NMEA OUT like the later 502A does /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

Have specified 602's for a number of new vessels connected to plotters but, as to be expected, never been a Mayday while I was on board during sea trials so did not know for sure that the position would plot. Now I know, so many thanks Jon.

John
 
Jon,

Must admit that the position request is one of the most usefull functions we have used this season. As such manually inputting the position into the plotter has become a small pain but one that we live with.

However whilst I understand why the radio needs to have the ability to send this information to the plotter or other device (radar) surely in the dase of NMEA it's using a standard message format for a waypoint and most units can recieve/display that?
 
According to the Navman manual you can, I downloaded it yesterday from their website. There is a selectable option for the DSC function to be on or off. There is a separate selectable option to turn ATIS on or off (and if on I think it needs a number) and if ATIS is turned on then the DSC goes off automatically as the two cannot work together. There is yet another option in the 7100 menu (didn't see it on the 7200 manual) to have a 'high' or 'low' setting for the DSC 'Ring' alert as well as to turn beeps on or off.

See section 4.6 on page 24 of the 7100 manual

http://www.navman.com/assets/marine/English7100%20VHF_Screen.pdf

I don't have a Navman DSC so cannot say if practice matches manuals, maybe you can check yours again when you get a chance?

Robin
 
Duncan

You would think so would you not!
The Standard and the Garmin have specific DSC screens in the plotters.
This allows you to store MMSI's the same way as you do on the radio.
I am guessing it allows specific icons to be used as well.

Regards
 
Some radios just output the NMEA sentences DSC and DSE and for those radios the plotter has to recognise those specific sentences - haven't done a check but I suspect many do not (maybe all except the ones Jon mentions). Others output nav sentences that include waypoint info eg BWC.

However, some (most?) plotters eg the Navman's which I have not used, and Northstar ones that I have used, accept one or more of the normal NMEA navigation sentences with waypoint lat/long and name eg BWC - they should all, one would expect, plot a position request response (and I assume a Mayday also) with a radio that outputs such a sentence.

Haven't had a check, but I believe some of the Standard Horizon radios, for example (at least the international ones that is - EU ones may differ) just output DSC and DSE sentences, but other SH ones do a nav sentence with the waypoint info eg BWC. I don't know what sentences the Icoms output.

John
 
Yes - current ships licence recently renewed. It may be that I haven't filled in the DSC bit correctly as I didn't spend a lot of time on it. Must check that out.

Is there a public central list to look up things like that then?
 
I wouldn't get too concerned about radio sets being switched off - I suspect leisure VHF users have always divided into those who keep theirs on and those who see them as occasional equipment at best. It's unlikely that any changes made will get through to those people.

What has exacerbated the situation for the rest though, is the DSC system with loud, frequent alerts which demand acknowledgement but are very, very rarely relevant to the user.

I've spent a fair bit of time in my working life dealing with monitoring, flagging and "alarm" system and there's a lot of evidence to suggest that it only takes a few false alarms for them to become first a nuisance, then something to try to ignore, then something to actively disable. The proportion of irrelevant-to-real alarms for an average leisure user of DSC is so high that the urge to disable the alarm is very likely.
 
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