DSC surprise

[Gunfleet]

I recently bought a Standard Horizon radio with GPS built in. On first using it I had a radio check from the coastguard and thought I'd be cheeky and ask were they receiving my position too. I was quite surprised when the operator replied 'Our equipment isn't set up to receive positions from DSC radios yet.' No criticism of the coastguard - they have to work with what they get, but what is the government playing at?

 

[prv]

I recently bought a Standard Horizon radio with GPS built in. On first using it I had a radio check from the coastguard and thought I'd be cheeky and ask were they receiving my position too. I was quite surprised when the operator replied 'Our equipment isn't set up to receive positions from DSC radios yet.' No criticism of the coastguard - they have to work with what they get, but what is the government playing at?

Since DSC doesn't transmit your position alongside a normal voice call, it's more alarming that the operator thought it was a deficiency in their equipment rather than both of you misunderstanding the system.

They do of course receive positions when they're transmitted as part of a distress call.

Pete

 

[Gunfleet]

Ah - then he was just letting me down gently, I expect. Aren't coastguards tactful?

 

[elton]

Since DSC doesn't transmit your position alongside a normal voice call, it's more alarming that the operator thought it was a deficiency in their equipment rather than both of you misunderstanding the system.

They do of course receive positions when they're transmitted as part of a distress call.

Pete

Yet many still believe an operator's licence is optional

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Since DSC doesn't transmit your position alongside a normal voice call, it's more alarming that the operator thought it was a deficiency in their equipment rather than both of you misunderstanding the system.

They do of course receive positions when they're transmitted as part of a distress call.

Pete

I just want to clarify to the op the radio won't transmit your position in any normal or distress voice call, only a DSC distress call by pressing the big red button.

The last sentance might be a little confusing.

(I believe a normal DSC call won't transmit your location unless you allow it)

 

[Gunfleet]

"I believe a normal DSC call won't transmit your location unless you allow it"

You're right about this set Tom. It seems it has to be requested by another station and allowed by you or, as you say, on the red distress button
<<12.6 POSITION REPLY
The GX1600 and GX1700 can be set up to automatically (default setting) or manually send your position when requested by another vessel. This selec- tion is important if you are concerned about someone polling the position of your vessel that you may not want to. In the manual mode you will see the MMSI or persons name shown on the display allowing you to choose to send your position to the requesting vessel.>>

 

[rogerthebodger]

I recently bought a Standard Horizon radio with GPS built in. On first using it I had a radio check from the coastguard and thought I'd be cheeky and ask were they receiving my position too. I was quite surprised when the operator replied 'Our equipment isn't set up to receive positions from DSC radios yet.' No criticism of the coastguard - they have to work with what they get, but what is the government playing at?

Other than the emergency DSC (BRB) (big Red Button) the are 2 DSC message types related to position.

1) Position request. Some one requests your position. This can be sent automatically of manually sent depending on how you set up your radio.
2) Position send. You can send you position to some one else by their MMSI.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Yet many still believe an operator's licence is optional

Nail, head.

 

[[70521]]

I recently bought a Standard Horizon radio with GPS built in. On first using it I had a radio check from the coastguard and thought I'd be cheeky and ask were they receiving my position too. I was quite surprised when the operator replied 'Our equipment isn't set up to receive positions from DSC radios yet.' No criticism of the coastguard - they have to work with what they get, but what is the government playing at?

It is even more fun when you do a test DSC call on them then sent a position request.

Sadly 95% of DSC functionality is never used.

 

[davidej]

Sadly 95% of DSC functionality is never used.

You are absolutely right about this - and i am one of the worst offenders.

DSC is sooooo non-intuitive. The powers that designed this system should have waited a couple of more years and then they would have been able to give us something more like a mobile telephone

 

[GrahamM376]

Sadly 95% of DSC functionality is never used.

Sadly, I can't remember 95% of the course content. Last time our radio was used for transmit was 2 years ago entering Marina Bay and the only times I've made a DCC call was when testing the radio on installation or when someone else wanted a test..

 

[duncan99210]

The powers that be designed a system that is functional within its limited parameters. However, the equipment manufacturers have not produced better user interfaces which would enable better use of the DSC facilities. Why? Because the phone manufacturers have superseded them in the majority of cases. For example, why bother sorting out an address book of MMSIs and inputting them into your radio when you've already got all your mates contact details on your phone?
And there are physical limitations as well. We don't want radios that are much larger than the non DSC ones they replace, so that limits the size of the screen available, meaning that working through DSC options is always going to be a bit clunky. i understand that there are systems out there that enable you to make DSC calls to AIS targets: perhaps more integration is the way ahead, rather than just using the radio in a standalone method as most of us do at the moment.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Yet many still believe an operator's licence is optional

It is.

 

[[70521]]

You are absolutely right about this - and i am one of the worst offenders.

DSC is sooooo non-intuitive. The powers that designed this system should have waited a couple of more years and then they would have been able to give us something more like a mobile telephone

Just takes a bit of practice. I really like to be able to "ping" (position request) a pal on a passage, lets me know who gets the first round in.

 

[maby]

You are absolutely right about this - and i am one of the worst offenders.

DSC is sooooo non-intuitive. The powers that designed this system should have waited a couple of more years and then they would have been able to give us something more like a mobile telephone

As others have said, the DSC protocols do support mobile telephone type functionality - it's the hardware design that does not exploit it. On our first DSC equipped boat, I selected a radio with a full numeric keypad and could dial up another boat as easily as I could dial a phone number. Such things are now dying out - I'm not sure that it is possible to buy one any more.

Our new boat is coming with a high-end Garmin DSC radio - that includes "voice mail" functionality - it will record short voice messages and deliver them later. It is also integrated with the AIS on the plotter - I will be able to point at an AIS target on the screen and tell the plotter to call up the vessel by DSC.

 

[johnalison]

You are absolutely right about this - and i am one of the worst offenders.

DSC is sooooo non-intuitive. The powers that designed this system should have waited a couple of more years and then they would have been able to give us something more like a mobile telephone

Some of the fault is in the set designers. My ancient Skanti set is short on some modern features but calling is very simple, and answering a call only requires the user to pick up the handset, when acknowledgment and change of channel will happen automatically with no need for the user to press any buttons. I haven't looked at recent models, but in years past this action had to be done by the user and some menu trees were hard to navigate.

 

[lpdsn]

"I believe a normal DSC call won't transmit your location unless you allow it"

You're right about this set Tom. It seems it has to be requested by another station and allowed by you or, as you say, on the red distress button
<<12.6 POSITION REPLY
The GX1600 and GX1700 can be set up to automatically (default setting) or manually send your position when requested by another vessel. This selec- tion is important if you are concerned about someone polling the position of your vessel that you may not want to. In the manual mode you will see the MMSI or persons name shown on the display allowing you to choose to send your position to the requesting vessel.>>

The default set up though of the SH radios is to reply to position requests and I guess most people have left it like that. I carried out a test with another boat owner - just to make sure the DSC & DSE sentences were correctly routed to OpenCPN and were correctly understood when they got there. He was unaware of the feature and once he gave me his MMSI I was simply able to carry out the position requests. It worked the other way round too, but because I'd set it up that way I had to chose to send my position in response to his requests.

Shame the coastguard doesn't have that facility. I guess their radios do so maybe someone should send them a link to OpenCPN.

Of course it has nothing to do with position sent as part DSC maydays. Shame they didn't set up a test option for that. Not exactly difficult to achieve if they'd thought of it when writing the spec. They managed to remember to do it for the AIS SARTS.

Incidentally, OpenCPN works well with DSC Maydays. I recieved one whilst off Campbeltown but the Mayday was from just north of the IoM, so obviously too far away for me to do anything. Position was plotted fine and I heard Belfast Coastguard's side of the conversation. I was really impressed with the range compared to a voice call although I believe it was from a coaster not a small yacht.