Raymarine 240E DSC Radio

[rvcharl]

I keep my boat in the Falmouth area. The boat is fitted with a Raymarine 240E DCS radio.

Making routine ship to shore DCS calls to Falmouth & Brixham coastguards, my transmissions are received at only level 1 by the coastguard. The radio has been back to Raymarine twice now; on the second occasion, they provided me with a new base station for the radio. However, this has not solved the problem. I have asked the coastguard whether it is possible to test a distress DSC transmission but have been asked by them not to do this.

Another vessel that I know is fitted with the same radio has exactly the same problem and I have listened to another vessel in the Channel Islands communicationg by voice with the coastguard and evidently experiencing the same difficulty with his DSC transmission. The coastguard freely admits that they do not, as yet, receive many ship to shore routine DSC transmissions.

I know that the Simrad DSC radio is received level 5 by Falmouth CG when communicating via DSC ship to shore from the same locations as those with which I am experiencing difficulty.

1. Have any other owners of Raymarine 240E DSC radios experienced the same difficulties? (It may be necessary to ask the CG what level the transmission is being received at.)

2. Is there any way that I can reassure myself that a DSC emergency transmission will be 'heard'?

It seems to me that yachtsmen are being encouraged to switch to DSC but that there is little way to ensure that the system is working.

This all only came to light when trying to file a passage plan with the CG. After sevel attempts with DSC calling, a voice call on 16 poduced the response that my DSC transmission was so low that they were unable to respond.

It cannot be productive for us to have to now make a DCS 'radio check'.

 

[Malcb]

Even though you say that another boat with the same radio has experienced similar problems, I would suggest that you find some way of checking your aerial.

You could try an emergency aerial connected to your set or try another set connected to your existing aerial, that should at least point you in the right direction to solving the problem.

This year I was 'kind of cruising in company' with another 3 boats. I was heading across Lyme Bay, while they continued round the inshore option. When I was about 12 miles from them I picked up a transmission from, lets say, Boat 1, trying to contact Boat 2 (who was only a few miles from boat 1. I contacted Boat 1 to say that I had heard his transmission loud and clear. Somehow, boat 2 also picked up my transmission (he had probably also picked up boat's 1 transmission) and because of that investigated his aerial connection.

After sorting that out we all made contact with each other, no problem.

If you have an aerial problem it will always affect the transmit side of the radio.

 

[rvcharl]

Thanks. My voice comms seem to be fine and the local Raymarine Agent has checked over my installation. It seems to me to be either a software problem or, the DSC comms 'burst' is being transmitted before the radio has reached full transmission power.
I can't seem to get Raymarine to check this as an option so am interested to find out if other people are having the same problem.