Is your DSC radio set up correctly?

Please tick the relevant box

  • I have no DSC radio

    Votes: 13 11.4%
  • I have DSC, but don't know if it is right or not

    Votes: 10 8.8%
  • I have DSC with the right MMSI & CG have my details

    Votes: 61 53.5%
  • I have fully programmed all the bells & whistles in my DSC

    Votes: 30 26.3%

  • Total voters
    114

ProDave

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I should add, My set is programmed now with the mmsi. But it wasn't when I got it. The radio came with the boat, and a ships licence came with the boat so it had an mmsi, but the previous owner had never bothered to program the mmsi into the set.

Once I got the ships licence transfered to my name and knew the mmsi would not change, I programmed it into the set.
 

ProDave

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Perhaps, yet another poll is needed:

Is your DSC VHF linked to a GPS, or do you have to manually enter your position if you wish to send a DSC distress call.

(mine is not linked as my ancient handheld GPS pre dates such facilities, but I'm not about to replace it because it does just fine at telling me where I am.)
 

tinkicker0

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My new DSC radio is finally talking to my my GPS (thanks to forumites on here).
It has the correct mmsi and Ofcom have the correct ownership details. My RYA short range radio operators certificate is aboard as well as the licence.

All I have to do now is the difficult bit - press the transmit button and talk to somebody with dry mouth and much umming and arrghing.
 

elton

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If you'd said 'I have DSC with the right MMSI & CG have my details,, and I have an NMEA positional data source connected" I'd have checked the fourth option instead for the third. But I'll know what "bells and whistles" means for next time.
 

Clyde_Wanderer

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I inadvertantly tested mine just after programing in my mmsi, and to add to the confusion the cg could not hear me replying to their call due to my position, luckily another member of this forum heard both sides and relayed to the cg that it was a false alarm.
It did confirm that the cg got the digital message even when I was out of (or hidden from) voice transmission range, and that other vessels responded to the subsequent calls.
Even got Buddy Watch programed in.
C_W
 

rbcoomer

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I fitted a DSC Radio as the boat had nothing. I linked in a GPS receiver, obtained MMSI & registered details with coastguard when I got the boat and before it went anywhere! Although I couldn't afford to do my SRC last summer, it was still worth fitting and registering. Although I've never transmitted, in the event of an emergency anyone can operate so it could still be a lifesaver. SWMBO is a qualified radio HAM anyway and having worked as a Police comms operator would have been more than qualified.

I'm doing my SRC this coming week so radio will get some use this year. :)
 

Norman_E

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I guess that I have all the bells & whistles I need, because I programmed in the MMSI number and connected in the GPS, but CG do not have my details because the boat is way out of VHF range of the UK.
 
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I hate to admit that we forgot to enter our MMSI number in our new set which caused us and the coastguard a lot of hassle.

We were mid channel and heard Solent coastguard calling us as part of a search and rescue operation instigated by our son who thought we were overdue returning from France. We were out of range of the VHF so tried to send a DSC but the set would not respond because we had not enterred our mmsi. An interesting question here - would a DSC message have got through where the voice call failed???

We eventually got through to Exmouth lifeboat on our SSB who relayed the message to Solen - Why don't Solent monitor SSB???
 

jerrytug

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Out of interest,who does "monitor SSB"? If Solent don`t,sounds as though you imply that somebody else does,I didn`t know that,could you please post the details cheers Jerry
 

johnalison

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The DSC call certainly triggers a response, either routine or urgency, at a greater range than speech. It is quite common for the alarm to be set off by a distant Continental station when no audible voice follows, and I have had a similar situation when calling other yachts.
 

prv

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Out of interest,who does "monitor SSB"? If Solent don`t,sounds as though you imply that somebody else does,I didn`t know that,could you please post the details cheers Jerry

I would expect Falmouth to, since they're the folks who deal with long-range missions (albeit more often by sat-phone it seems).

I was assuming the reception and relay by the Exmouth lifeboat was more or less by chance (they happened to be listening) rather than a specific call or routine monitoring?

Pete
 
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Oh I wish

Perhaps, yet another poll is needed:

Is your DSC VHF linked to a GPS, or do you have to manually enter your position if you wish to send a DSC distress call.

(mine is not linked as my ancient handheld GPS pre dates such facilities, but I'm not about to replace it because it does just fine at telling me where I am.)

Ours is not linked because the latest twist in our Navman saga is that the Navman DSC radio cannot, it seems, accept NMEA sentences from a new (and so far, excellent) Standard Horizon plotter. We've replaced the ghastly Navman log/depth, and the suspect Navman plotter, thinking that at least the radio seemed ok - but no, the dratted Navman only gets a GPS position via their proprietary 'Navbus' protocol even though the rubbish documentation says it accepts NMEA. So if we want the benefits of DSC, we have to buy a whole new radio. Still, it's only money.
 
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