Garmin dsc, position not coming up on screen

Robg71

Robg71

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Hi all,
If i recieve a distress dsc, i am of the understanding that my garmin plotter will fix that location on screen.
I have the vhf200i, and a pair of 6000 series mfd.
The displays are talking to the vhf set, as its listed, and are passing my grid ref back to the vhf, but no info seems to be coming the other way.
Have i missed something in the set up. Or done something wrong, or have i misread that they will plot a location from a recieved distress call.

Am away from the boat for another week, so just getting ideas to try.
Regards
Rob
 
Your GPS seems to be correctly wired to RECEIVE NMEA position data from your gps, BUT it looks like the extra connection needed to SEND DSC positions from your DSC VHF to your chart plotter is absent. There are separate wires on your VHF for NMEA data IN and data OUT, or if the cabling has been done correctly, perhaps the NMEA settings in either or both the plotter and VHF are not set in their system setup menus.
 
Your 200i and plotters will undoubtedly be connected via nmea2000 which means you can't have failed to get two way communication if the connectors are joined and not damaged. I think there might be a setting on either the plotter or VHF to get it to display the position on screen once received. I'll have a peek in my manuals (similar setup) to see if I can spot the menu setting.
 
Cheers Keith
I downloaded the manual for the plotter, to see if i could find anything there. I should update the firmware too, as its about two versions out. I found the vhf listed in the plotter, so its definitely 'seeing it'

A nuisance is i need to get access to a windows machine to update the firmware. Mac osx wont extract the files....
 
I can't see anything in the manuals about turning the feature on or off, but it does say make sure your firmware is up to date. I can lend you an SD card with the firmware if you like (as I'm sure Matt could too). Looks like the plotter should show a small red/yellow flag symbol when it receives a distress call which includes position data. You could always try a position request to me or Matt sometime as that for sure will put a flag up on screen. A very cool feature when you first try it!
 
Yes, i read the same ref firmware. But i read what was in the updates, and from when they were new should still have worked.
Did someone say about dodgy cables from Garmin on another thread....

That sounds like a good idea to try Keith.
I should actually get a copy of your mmsi numbers etc to go in the set as well. You never know when they are handy.
So far i have had nothing come up on screen ref any dsc calls, i even had my pen and paper out jotting grid references down after a couple of mayday calls came through. Good practice for me, although i was miles away and could not have helped. But would be nice if the mfd prompted me and said.. Oi.... Their two miles away... Etc etc..

I am still learning about all this equipment, every days a school day :)
 
I had what seemed to be a couple of dodgy T's on the rib which caused intermittent loss of GPS data. I swapped them with some spares and it's been fine ever since. I've since used the same T's on the big boat and they seem to be behaving!?
 
Ill have a check on my connections etc.
i dont think it can be much.
One thing i have not found, was a firmware update for the vhf set. The mfd updates distinctly says, not for vhf.
Ill check in to that too...
 
The vhf can only be updated by Garmin themselves or a dealer with the correct 'black box' (no one on Jersey has it). The update only has some very minor change which wouldn't affect out day to day use IIRC.
 
Robg71 said:
Hi all,
If i recieve a distress dsc, i am of the understanding that my garmin plotter will fix that location on screen.
I have the vhf200i, and a pair of 6000 series mfd.
The displays are talking to the vhf set, as its listed, and are passing my grid ref back to the vhf, but no info seems to be coming the other way.
Have i missed something in the set up. Or done something wrong, or have i misread that they will plot a location from a recieved distress call.

Am away from the boat for another week, so just getting ideas to try.
Regards
Rob
Click to expand...

Did you connect as shown on this????


http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/3064_InstallationInstructions.pdf
 
Think I mentioned last time you were here, I have the same problem. So I doubt it's a bad connection or anything. If we remember Keith and I can have a bash with position requests next time we're both aboard
 
Good idea. I've used position request on the rib with good results and that was with a Garmin 5008 and Vhf200 on the rib and a Standard Horizon VHF and old Garmin 3006 on the other boat. Both plotters showed the positions fine, so unless recent software updates have changed things I can't see why it won't still work.
 
I doubt it has anything to do with firmware updates. Most likely a combination of cabling and/or settings on both the DSC set and/or the plotter (eg com1/com2 port assignments, NMEA 2000 v NMEA 0183 v Garmin protocols, baud rate, etc)

Ps. It's a pity DSC is such a 1980s technology - prehistoric. Digital VHF should have happened years ago.
 
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