MacGregorSailors.com

http://www.unitedmarine.net/blog/?p=1205&gclid=

Sounds good on paper...

~Rich

Same here, but there's a curious line in that writeup.

"The new system also supports Digital Selective Calling (DSC), which allows those in distress with DSC-equipped radios to transmit their exact position and vital vessel information to the Coast Guard and other DSC-equipped vessels at the push of a button. Mariners must first submit a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) to enable DSC; be sure to read the manual provided with your VHF. Once the MMSI is on file, all you have to do in an emergency is flip a switch and your position and a complete description of your vessel are transmitted to your nearest Coast Guard resource."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have to have either a separate GPS unit of some sort connected to your VHF, or a VHF with built-in GPS capability? I've had DSC fixed-mount radios on other boats, and registered the MMSI through Boat US, but AFAIK, there's no way for the USCG to know where you are unless you have GPS connected, which I never did.

Or are GPS equipped VHF radios now the norm, and I'm way behind the curve (as usual)?

Tkanzler,

You are correct, you need to connect your radio to your chart-plotter/GPS unless you have imbedded GPS in your radio. I just got a new GX2150 VHF with AIS receiver but need to network it with my GPS to make this work.

Obelix

Thanks for that. I'm usually behind the times on electronics (including home electronics, but I'm a vacuum tube kind of guy, so . . . ), and only get caught up when I need to buy something. Haven't bought a VHF in a good 8 years maybe.

The point of the article is that the CG is now using VHF radio direction finding and is able to triangulate the location of the boat in distress. Those equipped with DCS will benefit fro greater accuracy, but the triangulation method will get an air search in the ballpark.

~Rich

Along the same lines this link is very informative. Every boater should go through this presentation.
http://www.boatus.com/foundation/dsc/player.html

Is there a place on the forum where we can post our MMSI? Would be nice to have an address book of nearby boaters in my radio.

There's a current rebate on the popular Standard Horizon HX-851 6-watt waterproof handheld which includes an integrated GPS and DSC. If you don't go more than a few miles offshore, It's a good all purpose radio and can go with you into your ditch-bag and dinghy if you have to abandon ship. I recommend it as a first radio, then in the future if you start offshore cruising you can add a built-in 25 watt VHF with DSC and a 3db antenna on your mast, and keep the HX-851 in your ditchbag or as a loaner radio if you're operating with a boater that doesn't have a VHF. I know it's not legal to use from shore, but we carry a handheld VHF whenever someone goes ashore if there are still people on the boat.

I wouldn't go out on the water without DSC. It's a great system, and in fact, the digitally coded signal requires less energy to transmit than a voice call on Ch 16. Hence, for a given transmit power, DSC has a longer transmission range than voice.

I use a Standard Horizon GX1600 radio. It doesn't have a built-in GPS. But I wired a serial data cable from my Garmin GPS276c to the radio, and it works fine. I also have the Standard Horizon floating handheld radio with GPS and DSC, for use in MOB situation, the ditch bag or in case the main VHF radio fails. I have separate MMSIs for both.

I believe that all 25W VHF radios that are made now have DSC capability, either by internal or external GPS. The external units will alarm a few minutes after power-up if they don't receive a position signal from a GPS. This is in an effort to get boaters to use the DSC function on their radios. I read that most of the DSC Mayday calls that USCG receives do not have any position data attached because a GPS is not wired up to the radio correctly, or not at all.

When I bought my the seller included a cobra radio that I installed with the antenna on the mast. I bought a standard horizon handheld radio because I firmly believe in redundancy as a safety measure. My fixed radio is connected to my chart plotter and mmsi programmed.
As far as using a handheld to communicate with those ashore, I believe that is ok because they are still your crew and your responsibility. Would be akin to hailing a buddy and he is still in the marina but on his boat.

I keep both. The mounted vhf is dsc, but 99.99% of the time its on, it's for weather updates and simply scanning, because the gps doesn't interfere with it making it hard to hear. The handheld is for hailing other boats / harbours ect. But if the gps is on you have to hold it away from gps (the holder is mounted right next to the chartplotter) I'd hate to be constantly going to the cabin from the helm to contact someone. My mounted vhf also has a speaker and switch in the cockpit to hear it if I need, except my main sheet got wrapped around the speaker and now it's hanging by it's wire one more thing.

As far as using a handheld to communicate with those ashore

In the US, you cannot transmit on the marine bands while on shore without a station license. Serious stuff, high fines.

As far as using a handheld to communicate with those ashore

"In the US, you cannot transmit on the marine bands while on shore without a station license. Serious stuff, high fines.

Same in Canada too. Even a quick radio check of a hand-held must not be done until after you're on the boat.

So, in the mentioned scenario above- that would be legal if it were a one-way conversation only, receive only by the shore party, even if the transmission from the boat were exclusively directed at the (receiving only) party on shore? Hmm. Now I should have paid closer attention in class.

Does being on a floating dock count as being ashore or at sea?

Easy to add GPS position data to any DSC fixed radio with something like the Garmin 19x

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Garmin-010010100 ... 1665wt_924

Spector wrote:Easy to add GPS position data to any DSC fixed radio with something like the Garmin 19x

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Garmin-010010100 ... 1665wt_924

As usual, be careful buying anything on fleabay. This partiular seller has 19x in the title, but product description is 17x. The 17x is a discontinued model. The current model 19x can be had cheaper here.

~Rich