Grab bags?

Re: handheld GPS

406 EPIRBS are definitely the way to go, no argument at all other than cost priorities and in the context of currently sailing in European waters rather than oceans. Plus bear in mind we are 'above average' in the safety stakes with our existing systems, there is a local effect working here! Our 121.5 sets are personal MOB devices, but useful for homing in a liferaft situation.

We do (newly fitted) have DSC VHF which transmits an automatic GPS position with a mayday signal. Do you have DSC in operation in NZ waters yet? I know it is not up and running in the USA yet.

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Re: handheld GPS

No Robin, no Sea Areas are declared here yet and will not be for some time or perhaps an alternative track will be gone down.

Maritime safety radio here has DSC on mf/hf but not VHF, but do not publicise the ssb DSC as most users with ssb DSC capability also have INMARSAT which is much less problematical. Australia is much the same but does publicise (as of this year) their mf/hf DSC capability (but no Sea Area A2 is declared) and encourages pleasure vessels to carry DSC ssb if their service area warrants carrying ssb. Of course most ships have DSC so there is some informal DSC VHF coverage from that. We do carry both DSC VHF and DSC SSB ourselves.

The whole of the coast here (apart from a couple of very small shadowed areas) is covered by VHF maritime safety radio with a contiuous CH16 watch and in the area we mostly operate in, Cook Strait, there are almost always larger vessels in line of sight and a number of port and non government stations that normally also keep a watch on CH16 as well as their own working CH. Here, unlike most countries, 121 MHz EPIRBS are still responded to (however, as the COSPAS/SARSAT support of those is soon to be discontinued, that will change of course) but we have no equivalent of your CG or RNLI. There is a voluntary Coastguard which serves a bit like your RNLI (but not nearly as well resourced) and SAR assets are normally provided by the air force in the air and Coastguard on the water, or in Wellington and Auckland the police vessels, plus 121 MHz DF equipped commercial helicopters are based in the main centres for EPIRB flying down and winch rescue.

When I last spoke to the authoriies here about VHF DSC, probably 2 years ago, they said that they were "awaiting developments and may bypass VHF DSC", which I took to mean, perhaps among other things, the ITU review of the Class D requirements in the standard (and which have now reverted pretty much to the established international, non EU practice). I suspect that they are also waiting to see what develops on the satellite alerting front which even right now with 406/GPS EPIRB's is far more reliable than DSC VHF and does not have the same coverage issues.

I suspect that a very high proportion of pleasure boats (even the very small ones) here carry mounted VHF sets as DSC capability has not been made mandatory for mounted sets, contrary to the ITU recommendation (and I suspect it may not be even if a Sea Area A1 is declared), so that is reflected in their price (usually cheaper than a handheld), and there is no licence required, no fees and no callsign is needed for pleasure vessels (You can get a callsign, and I think you are theoretically still supposed to do a simple course, but if so it is probably ignored by many, especially away from the main centres where access to such is not so easy, and not worried about by the authorities unless someone needs poor practice correcting). Australia is now just become the same too, excepting that small commercial vessels also do not need a licence or callsign for VHF (in NZ they still do).

John

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Re: handheld GPS

Gosh John, and I thought you would say yes or no!

It's very interesting though because it seems that large areas of the world are not very interested in DSC, yet the EU is and has gone for a more rigorous (and pricey) standard. Since the watch on CH16 will ultimately be withdrawn and dedicated headphone watch is already not guaranteed, here we have little choice sooner or later but to comply. Worldwide I believe ships must comply and have DSC on both VHF and MF/HF SSB, yet there is no one to listen to it in the USA or down your way and probably in other areas as well, expense and confusion reigns.

Ah well, ding dong merrily I'm high, 'tis nearly time to see if Santa bought the new Swan..

Regards again, Robin



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Re: handheld GPS

I didn't get my new boat this morning! Hope you have better luck.

Have a nice day, you and all others reading this

John

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