JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Reducing fake calls by checking?
Mayday - MOB - Number of Persons Aboard
- Thread starter laika
- Start date
Gary Fox
N/A
Negative, it could be a very bad thing if it is done *instead* of, for example, doing up a lifejacket or launching a liferaft.
laika
Well-known member
Confirming that the vessel making the DSC call is the one which is now making the voice call is quite a big one in making sure there is one rather than several incidents with boats of the same name (per AntarcticPilot's post). It also ties in with AIS tracking and other distress beacons which may go off. I've not played with safetrax but in CG66 days we uploaded pictures to help with visual identification.
Vessel names are *not* unique. You may think "what are the chances of *two* 'Saucy Sue's being in distress in the same area at the same time?", but where lives are at risk that's a small chance which is best avoided.
Gary Fox
N/A
Not our problem, who cares, we are on fire/sinking etc.
Gwylan
Well-known member
Details are all in the file related to the MMSI, SSR and Call sign information, aren't they?
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Vessel's names aren't unique. The only "uniqueness" is if the vessel is registered on Part 1, when it will be a unique name on that register. But Part 3 registration or even not beign registered means that vessels names need not be unique.
DJE
Well-known member
MMSI is also the unique identifier of AIS transmissions.
Gary Fox
N/A
I'm fairly sure that a CG call-centre operative needs to search the various individual databases for such info, which may of course be OOD anyway.
But *how does it help your rescuers*, whom you have given your boat's name, position, nature of distress, souls on board, and any brief extra info such as, '12m blue lugger, launching liferaft now, PLB set off' or whatever?
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
"Sorry, the lifeboat won't be with you for an hour as it went off to find another boat supposedly sinking. Unfortunately we had no home contact details so couldn't confirm it was a fake until the lifeboat got there and found no sign. Good luck. Over."
NormanS
Well-known member
What should we do? When we're away on our boat, we have no shore contact.
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
That would be ideal! No answer = call likely to be genuine. If there WAS an answer, it would indicate the call wasn't genuine! However, in an ideal scenario, the number would be that of someone to whom you confide your plans, and who would have a good idea of where you might be.
Obviously, most of us don't bother with that kind of precaution unless we're heading off on longer or more adventurous trips than usual.
capnsensible
Well-known member
This stuff is debated and promulgated as a result of the world radio conference held every three or for years. Several of those ago, it was requested and decided that your mmsi if issued plus your radio call sign would be of great use to rescue services in identifying the vessel and organising the rescue. That's what they want, so hey, why not! ?
They know what to do. So personally I'm happy with that.
In my opinion (!) for mob, stating, for example, you have a man overboard with X number remaining onboard is simple, easy and unambiguous. Much debated amongst my students, but always agreed.
World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC)
capnsensible
Well-known member
But I bet you got a pen or pencil. ?
lustyd
Well-known member
I like to remember that I'm calling a human, so when things on board are so bad that I'm calling a mayday they will take charge and get what they need from me. Obviously I have the laminated cards next to the main VHF and the MMSI label where needed, but realistically if you listen to a real mayday the CG takes charge pretty quickly and calms everything down with a few slow and deliberate questions anyway. I suspect if you said 5 persons on board in your initial dialog they'd ask you to break it down anyway. I've heard loads of mayday calls over the years and been consistently impressed with the coastguard's handling of the emergency. The important bits initially is "im in trouble" and "this is where I am". They'll do the rest even if you completely fail at everything else. Obviously the standard structure helps a lot, but I wouldn't get too hung up on details
Gary Fox
N/A
Fake calls happen, of course.
So do fantastically contrived, Alice in Wonderland scenarios, imaginatively concocted to score points in an internet discussion
It's all educational for me anyway, I've done a few Pan-pans but never a distress, the 7 P's have saved my bacon once or twice, thanks for the info from the experts here.
capnsensible
Well-known member
Something I reckon is worth remembering is that very large numbers of people sail in waters where the language spoken ashore is not English. Maritime comms is, fortunately for posters here, English. But as that's international, I reckon it's clear why conventions have been adopted. It's there to help, not hinder.
Listening to various Europeans calling Spanish marinas for a berth highlights the problem, let alone when engaged in an emergency situation.
Listening to various Europeans calling Spanish marinas for a berth highlights the problem, let alone when engaged in an emergency situation.
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Indeed. Sorry, didn't mean to make a meal of this - I was responding to a suggestion that we all know the full official up-to-date Mayday call by heart and confessing that I don't.
capnsensible
Well-known member
Yeah, it's a bit long, but that prompt card by the radio is worth its weight in rocnas. ?
Uricanejack
Well-known member
I can clearly remember the call sign of the first vessel I was on.
GPIG
buggered if I can remember the one I was on last week and certainly not an MSSI.
must be an age thing.
A card by the radio is a good idea perhaps I should make one.
I always thought I would be able to wing it through a Mayday pretty well, until I had to make a real call “A relay”
for person in water actually,
turns out when you have about a dozen or more things . You are trying to do all at once, it’s not so easy.
I ended up asking someone else, who had never done it before, to talk on the radio and answer questions.
Fortunately, He just happened to be there.
GPIG
buggered if I can remember the one I was on last week and certainly not an MSSI.
must be an age thing.
A card by the radio is a good idea perhaps I should make one.
I always thought I would be able to wing it through a Mayday pretty well, until I had to make a real call “A relay”
for person in water actually,
turns out when you have about a dozen or more things . You are trying to do all at once, it’s not so easy.
I ended up asking someone else, who had never done it before, to talk on the radio and answer questions.
Fortunately, He just happened to be there.
Last edited:
Uricanejack
Well-known member
Maybe.
having spent many hours on wild goose chases .
The more info you send, the quicker and more directly help will come to you.
Do you have to stick exactly to the prescribed international format?
I hope not. I certainly wouldn’t remember it in extremis.
who ,what , where, Are all critical to figure the appropriate response.
when there is a shortage of information, the response is a search rather than a direct response.
