Why you shouldn't buy a Lowrance LVR-250 DSC VHF

[mainsail]

I made the awful mistake of replacing my trusty old 26 year old Aquamarine 5600 with a state-of-the-art Lowrance LVR 250 DSC VHF.

The Lowrance (like all too many Lowrance products) has a totally incomprehensible manual. I defy anyone to set up the "3-Channel Watch" facility as per instructions. The sound quality from the speaker is tinny and poor compared with the Aquamarine.

A radio should be something that's clear and intuititive to operate - in an emergency your wife or kids could be required to use it without days of pouring through the user guide before. We all need something that can be used in an emergency by people unfamiliar with the particular marque of radio and who don't have time to "Read the F*****g Manual"

I thought I had a big problem with the Lowrance when I started using it . I could receive OK (albeit tinnily) but no one could make out what I was saying.

It took ages to find out why,. The Lowrance microphone features several buttons and a large grill - but the grill actually is for a loudspeaker in the microphone - and is not what you speak into. The microphone is actually behind a tiny hole in the microphone case which is easy to miss and all too easy to cover ( and muffle) with your hand or finger.

As for DSC - well who needs it? Who bothers with it? ...No one.

As for GPS - well you have to buy some sort of GPS chartplotter and hook this up to your radio to allow the DSC system to broadcast your chart position in an emergency. How useless is that?

As GPS units are everywhere these days - even built into tiny pocket digital cameras - you have to wonder why radio manufacturers aren't compelled by law to include them in all marine VHF radios. Their failure to do is nothing short of a scandal.

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[ostell]

On my radio the hole for the microphone in the handset is clearly marked "Microphone", no need for an instruction manual.

What is simpler in an emergency than to just push the big red button? But then I forgot, you haven't got a GPS to input your position, and no doubt no MMSI number to go with it.

Have you got a GPS receiver (or chart plotter) to connect to the radio?

As you don't seem to have a GPS receiver then perhaps you should have looked for a radio with a built in GPS.

 

[macd]

What is simpler in an emergency than to just push the big red button?

Simple, definitely, but not very effective. All "to just push" does is bring up a menu.

 

[greenalien]

As for DSC - well who needs it? Who bothers with it? ...No one.

Not you, obviously - so you're missing out on the greatest improvement in yachting safety for years. Your loss, just hope I never have to go sailing with you...

 

[noelex]

I have never been a big fan of Lowrance electronics, but to be fair most of your criticisms apply to most dsc radios, including my Icom M603
DSC is a help safety wise, but make sure it's hooked up to the GPS. it is not difficult to do most sets.
One of the nice things is that non sailing guests can be shown how to use it. Push the red button down for 10secs is easy to understand.

 

[greenalien]

Simple, definitely, but not very effective. All "to just push" does is bring up a menu.

Depending on the set, you need to hold the red button down for several seconds, usually between 5 and 10. The set should then automatically switch to channel 70 and breadcast the distress message.
On some sets, a short push of the red button gives you a menu that lets you specify the nature of the emergency, prior to giving a longer push. It's all in the manual...

 

[Retired in Crete]

The set should then automatically switch to channel 70 and breadcast the distress message.

So should those of us who do not have a DSC radio be listening out on channel 70 and not channel 16?

John

 

[greenalien]

So should those of us who do not have a DSC radio be listening out on channel 70 and not channel 16?

Absolutely not! Channel 70 is now reserved for digital data, and must not be used for voice transmission.

Possibly yet another good reason to keep up with the changes to radio procedures that have happened in the last few years...

 

[ostell]

So should those of us who do not have a DSC radio be listening out on channel 70 and not channel 16?

John

The radio is already listening out on channel 70 if you have a DSC set. Otherwise unintelligible to mere mortals

 

[ostell]

Simple, definitely, but not very effective. All "to just push" does is bring up a menu.

From the manual:

"Hold down the DISTRESS key for about 3 seconds, until you see the distress call sent message (DISTRESS CALL SENT!) on the screen. The whole display starts to flash and beep loudly."

Simples.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

... the greatest improvement in yachting safety for years. Your loss, just hope I never have to go sailing with you...

That is debatable. What is definitely a great improvement in yachting safety is the ability to automatically transmit a specific distress signal that includes the GPS location. This is very desirable.

What is much less desirable is the nuisance of incessant 'alarms' that are loud enough to raise the dead, especially around popular sailing areas. Apart from that, the acronym DSC stands for Digital Selective Calling; what is the point of that? For somebody to call me via DSC they would need to know my MMSI number. We would then move to an agreed channel that is still public. How is this an improvement on the old system of calling on 16 and then on to an agreed ship-to-ship channel? Most of the sailing that I do is coastal. If I or one of my friends want to make contact on something that is private we do so over our mobile phones that still have very good reception upto six or seven miles offshore.

My previous boat had a DSC radio; my present one came with an ancient Sailor VHF that is still giving excellent performance. Unless and until DSC is made mandatory for leisure craft I have no intention of changing back to DSC. Now if somebody were to put on the market a set that had the automatic 'distress call' facility but without the nuisance of DSC calls....

 

[macd]

From the manual:

"Hold down the DISTRESS key for about 3 seconds, until you see the distress call sent message (DISTRESS CALL SENT!) on the screen. The whole display starts to flash and beep loudly."

Simples.

Quite so, and of course it varies from set to set. But in my book that doesn't qualify as a "just push". "Just push" is a prelude to waiting vainly for the rescue services to turn up.

 

[ostell]

But if you go sailing regularly with friends then it makes sense to get their MMSI numbers and enter them into the directory on your radio so that you can call them after preselecting the channel. Your caller via DSC has already selected the channel for conversation and when you accept the call your radio will automatically switch to that channel, no need to go via 16, hence no indication to all that you will be talking and no cluttering up 16, OK not completely private

You can also find out where your friends are by interrogating their radio, as they can to your radio, without being aware of the request.

And finally you have that distress function. Yes, there are false alarms but not that often and it does save lives by alerting those around (with DSC) of a problem and the location of the emergency. I believe the location of the emergency can be displayed upon chart plotters but I don't know that for certain.

 

[maby]

I....

As for DSC - well who needs it? Who bothers with it? ...No one.

.....

DSC has certainly saved lives - there was a well documented case not long ago of a middle aged man sailing alone off the south coast who started to feel some chest pains - just had time to press and hold the button before he was knocked flat with a heart attack. The radio took over, alerted the coastguard and passed across accurate positioning information. He was unconscious when the lifeboat got to him - doctors said that he would have been dead without the DSC.

We should be using it for non-emergency calls to other boats too - leaving channel 16 free for genuine emergency traffic.

 

[ostell]

There was also a case of a man who went overboard outside Chichester harbour. The wife did not know how to use the radio apart from press the red button and a cry of "Help!" on 16. A German (I believe) boat went to the rescue as well as the lifeboat. At no time was the casualty's wife able to give a location or nature of the emergency over the radio, despite CG contacting her on 16 after the DSC alert. The MOB was seriously ill after being dragged along on his safety line by the yacht. One of the lifeboat crew had to jump in the water alongside him and cut him free so that he could be picked up.

 

[l'escargot]

The number of posts on here criticising DSC just demonstrates the number of people who haven't done a recent VHF course or who didn't pay attention when they did.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

The number of posts on here criticising DSC just demonstrates the number of people who haven't done a recent VHF course or who didn't pay attention when they did.

It also demonstrates that a substantial number of people are not yet convinced about DSC, perhaps because of the manner in which it has been implemented. While most would agree about the desirability of the automatic distress calling facility, many would question the utility or the necessity of the system for making ship-to-ship contact for non-distress communication.

 

[maby]

It also demonstrates that a substantial number of people are not yet convinced about DSC, perhaps because of the manner in which it has been implemented. While most would agree about the desirability of the automatic distress calling facility, many would question the utility or the necessity of the system for making ship-to-ship contact for non-distress communication.

That's a very short-sighted view. DSC for non-emergency calls makes a great deal of sense - helps to keep the voice channels free and reduces the risk of errors. The problem with DSC for non-emergency traffic is the design of most radios - entering an MMSI number by repeated turns and clicks of a stepped knob is a real pain. We went out of our way to select a radio with a full numeric key-pad - calling another boat or shore station is no more difficult than dialing a phone number.

 

[rob2]

I support the idea and principles of DSC, but do find that in the Solent there are too many alarms from the set. The real problem is that unless I'm sat next to the set, I can't read the small text that tells you what type of message is being received. I know that there are diffent alarm sounds for different types of message, but often I don't hear it clearly enough. I'd consider changing to a set with a command mic in the cockpit, but do these display the necessary information?

Rob.

 

[greenalien]

calling another boat or shore station is no more difficult than dialing a phone number.

Quite right - whereas with the 'old' system, the calling channel (16) is the same as the distress working channel, and is often filled with inane babble, so you are tempted to turn the volume down and thus not maintain a listening watch - and if you want to call someone, you have to endlessly repeat their boat name in the hope they are listening. Furthermore, genuine distress working is easily obscured - although thanks to DSC and mobile phones, this is becoming less of a problem.
DSC alarms are now less frequent than they used to be, but I agree they can still be a nuisance - but better than constant irrelevant chatter!
All big ships, and many yachts, now carry AIS transponders, and an AIS receiver will also display their MMSI number, again much more useful than trying to call an unidentified vessel on a closing course. Some new VHF sets combine the 2 functions, so you don't even have to type in the number.
There's always a learning curve with new technology, but that's no reason to be a technophobe - a good DSC/VHF training course, and carefully reading the manual, preferably highlighting the relevant parts, will pay dividends in the long run.
Tip - many manuals are available online - print out and laminate the parts that describe the essential bits - distress working and making DSC calls - and it'll be much easier to find the relevant info next time you forget exactly which knobs to twiddle!