I now never turn on my VHF radio...

[mrming]

1. Not everyone has such technology


2. But - only for DSC messages? My experience is most CG calls are not DSC messages - they are lat / lon read by the caller or related by CG following a call / 999 etc.

Or, a professional who listens to location data every day struggled to understand the content and the person reading the numbers was not speaking slowly and clearly enough for the communication method? Most people I have heard make a distress call have been asked to repeat the location because it’s thrown out so quickly.

Given it was me on the phone with the CG, describing my location, to assist with locating a nearby kayaker, and I repeated myself slowly several times, I’d say it was the quality of the phone call. He soon looked me up on AIS and that solved the problem. See my earlier post about installing improved radio equipment this winter following this experience.

 

[wonkywinch]

I've heard a mariner tearing a strip from the announcer on the Lulworth ranges channel for not speaking slowly nor being more specific (in position) about one of their targets in the water.

 

[boomerangben]

I can hear Solent cg whilst at Weymouth when they are doing a call for Brighton.
If I know the general location well before they rattle of the lat and long I might have a chance at writing it down. My helm area doesn't have room for pen and paper to be always ready.
I appreciate that some names are generic such as mew stone for Devon and Cornwall but most headlands have different names, especially on the south coast.

How much white plastic have you about you that a pencil or chronograph can scribble on?

 

[Boathook]

How much white plastic have you about you that a pencil or chronograph can scribble on?

Not always in the position to write down as tending sails missing pots, etc. I'm not writting on the gel coat as it is old and difficult to remove pencil and chinagraph.

 

[Boathook]

Why are people writing down the Lat and Long? Can't you just look at it on the Chartplotter?

NMEA DSC and DSE sentences have been fired out of VHF radios for 20+ years. Even free Charplotters like OpenCPN will show you the exact reported location, type of urgency etc. Quite a few will even allow you to initiate a call with an AIS target by clicking on it.

And if you aren't by the chartplotter ?
Also my radio isn't connected to the chartplotter. I might be able to get the icom to talk to Ray marine but it's low on my list of things to do and until now hadn't thought about it

Most of the time the cg reads out the lat and long for emergencies and a simple location at the start would allow me the few seconds as to whether I'm in a position to assist.

 

[Bilgediver]

It makes sense except that clearly communicating a long string of numbers over an unclear radio conversation or phone call can be difficult. A system like “what three words” would be much more likely to be communicated and understood clearly.

The emergency servicescin Scotland seem to accept 3 words as well as Lat/Long and are equipped to deal with it ashore and afloat.

 

[Stemar]

Why are people writing down the Lat and Long? Can't you just look at it on the Chartplotter?

NMEA DSC and DSE sentences have been fired out of VHF radios for 20+ years. Even free Charplotters like OpenCPN will show you the exact reported location, type of urgency etc. Quite a few will even allow you to initiate a call with an AIS target by clicking on it.

Can I set this up on Navionics on a tablet?

Incidentally, All or nearly all the Mayday or Pan Pan calls I've heard recently relayed by Solent CG have given a location - eg Swanage Bay or half a mile S of Langston Harbour.

 

[Sandy]

... because I'm sick of the all too frequent ear-piercing DSC alarms that go off - and require me to go below to cancel them!

It doesn't help being Solent-based of course!

I'm sailing in the Solent this week. I've heard two DSC calls both from Solent CG informing us of PAN PANS. Really no big deal.

Lovely to see PS Waverly on her tour of the south coast.

 

[Never Grumble]

Incidentally, All or nearly all the Mayday or Pan Pan calls I've heard recently relayed by Solent CG have given a location - eg Swanage Bay or half a mile S of Langston Harbour.

I heard same this weekend just past lat and long followed by a distance from a known location. Must admit that helped enormously to decide whether we were in the vicinity.

 

[capnsensible]

Why are people writing down the Lat and Long? Can't you just look at it on the Chartplotter?

NMEA DSC and DSE sentences have been fired out of VHF radios for 20+ years. Even free Charplotters like OpenCPN will show you the exact reported location, type of urgency etc. Quite a few will even allow you to initiate a call with an AIS target by clicking on it.

What if you don't have a chartplotter?

 

[Stemar]

I'm sailing in the Solent this week. I've heard two DSC calls both from Solent CG informing us of PAN PANS. Really no big deal.

Lovely to see PS Waverly on her tour of the south coast.

I agree. The only alarms that annoy me, even a little bit, are when Jobourg announces their traffic and weather updates.

Even in the Solent, it's just possible that I'd be the only vessel able to get to someone who needs help in time. I'd hate to hear about it the next day; "Survivors mentioned a catamaran half a mile away that ignored their mayday call..."

 

[capnsensible]

I think these sort of issues have only become apparent since some people allow the electronic tail wag the human dog....

 

[wonkywinch]

Lovely to see PS Waverly on her tour of the south coast.

Passed us on Tuesday. Thought our friends on the Beneteau First looked close

 

[PaulRainbow]

Passed us on Tuesday. Thought our friends on the Beneteau First looked close

View attachment 183469

She's heading our way and will actually be in the marina where i keep my boat next weekend, unfortunately, we're away that weekend.