Reply With QuoteNo need to read mate, just talk to the rescue units with their feet on the groundOriginally Posted by scottar
Do some reading mate.
No need to read mate, just talk to the rescue units with their feet on the ground
Garry
Retired Honda Master Tech
From the VHF radio operators handbook - the one you need to read to get your ROCOP. Not to mention from having my own "feet on the ground" as a commercial mariner
DSC Alert Formats
The International DSC system provides for the following types of alerts:
>> distress alerts – implicitly addressed to All Stations
>> distress alert acknowledgement – normally transmitted by coast stations or limited coast stations only. May be used by ship stations under specific circumstances.
>> distress alert relay – normally transmitted by coast stations or limited coast stations only. May be used by ship stations under specific circumstances. >> All stations – used to alert all stations that a distress, urgency or safety alert is about to follow.
>> Selective or single station – used to alert an individual station that an urgency, safety or routine alert is to follow.
The only call that needs a stations MMSI number is the selective one.
From what I have read DSC is a national register via the MMSI number. I may be wrong but the DSC distress signalling works similar to that if someone activates their EPIRB. The registered MMSI details are identified as well as the distressed vessel’s GPS location.
As for ‘Must Be Logged In’ - so you believe that rescue unit only monitor those that are logged in - Mmm
This is how I roughly see the workings is the DSC System - I may be wrong and if so someone will educate me
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Sort of but not quite like an Epirb. With the Epirb there is a central monitoring point via the satellite system that has access to all the numbers and can check the identity and then initiate contact knowing who it is they are looking for - no one else knows you are in trouble until the RCC in your local region passes the information on.
With DSC, everyone in range with DSC radios will know that a vessel with the MMSI of xyz123 is in an emergency situation at a particular position (assuming you have everything programmed and hooked up as required) - they just won't know who you are or what is wrong until you tell them - some sets do have the ability to add the type of distress to the call but it's limited to a fixed message. Some radios (GMDSS class A) do have the facility to return an acknowledgement digitally once the operator presses the relevant button and also to relay your message to either other mobile or coast stations. Typically though the DSC emergency call is simply used as a precursor to then placing a verbal mayday - essentially it gets everyone's attention so that they are listening.
Some countries have invested heavily in DSC monitoring. Australia isn't one of them - predominantly due to the size of our coastline and the existing volunteer based rescue network (and the fact there are not enough votes for the expenditure like most things government IMO ) basically leaving it to the VMR's and Coastguard's to decide whether they update their equipment to include DSC or not. Where the DSC could be of some use in an emergency is when you are out of normal shore based VHF monitored areas. Every GMDSS vessel at sea is monitoring DSC 24/7 and may well be able to attend well before anyone can respond to your Epirb being set off. The catch here in Aus is that most rec boats will probably pay two tenths of sweet F all attention - partially due to lack of knowledge and partially due to prank / erroneous DSC messages.
So, if any VMR/Coastguard received the distress call, they presumably could contact AMSA to get the vessel details? And that could get the ball rolling even if a EPIRB signal hasnt been set off.
The VMR would presumably also try to initiate contact with the sender...
Even with the non-comprehensive monitoring, seems to me that it is one extra way of drawing attention to yourself when the brown stuff has hit the wind oscillating device.
That cant be a bad thing, surely?
And who knows, maybe the recent review of VMR/Coastguard may have identified this as something that needs to be ramped up...
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
Don't see why they couldn't. AMSA do have a 24 hour Maritime Search and Rescue number on their website. I can't see it being a bad thing either apart from if people start relying on it at the moment as it is certainly not fully understood in rec circles (and probably a lot of professional users too) and not everyone has it. With proper set up and education though the system is useful.
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