Do you have your VHF hooked to your GPS?

Do you have your VHF hooked to your GPS?

  • No, I don't have the DSC capable radio or a GPS yet?

    Votes: 37 24.2%

  • Yes I do.

    Votes: 85 55.6%

  • No, I have the proper equipment but have not connected it yet.

    Votes: 31 20.3%
  • Total voters
    153
skolbe said:
When we raft with some friends and don't want everyone in the marina to know where we are DSC is great. While large raft ups are nice - DSC is discreet.
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Well kind of. It calls on 70 then moves you to a working channel so anyone on that channel will hear you.
 
I swapped my old Raymarine 210 out for an ICOM for this very purpose. If something happens to me while underway anyone on the boat can press the distress button and get help on the way. This action is always part of the safety brief I give when new folks are riding with us.
 
I do have my VHF connected to the GPS for location and then the VHF connected to the plotter for placing a location request from other vessels on the plotter. I also have a handheld with a GPS and MMSI number. When the kids take the dingy I can do a possiton request and find out where they are.

Also, last summer while the boat was under the control of delivery captain the DSC went off. A position of boat in distress was put on my Plotter along with the message 'boat sinking'. it was 23 miles away and the Coast Guard messaged someone closer to help. but it they were closer at least you would know were to go and what the problem was. its a great feature and all boats should get them hooked up.
 
Is DCS the same as NDRS?

This kind of sucks! 2017?? I hope they do Prince William Sound first. Look at #3........

Alaska FAQs



1. What benefits will Rescue 21 bring to Alaska?
  • Enhances clarity of distress calls
  • Supports Digital Selective Calling for registered users.
  • Allows simultaneous channel monitoring
  • Upgrades playback and recording feature of distress calls
  • Reduces coverage gaps for coastal communications
  • Automates transmission of Marine Information Broadcasts
  • Enhanced clear and protected communications with Coast Guard assets
2. Why does the Coast Guard need to modernize the National Distress and Response System (NDRS)?
When completed, this vital major systems acquisition will provide leading-edge VHF-FM and UHF communications replacing the legacy National Distress and Response System that has been in use since the 1970s. By replacing outdated legacy technology with a fully integrated system, Rescue 21 Alaska will provide the Coast Guard with an upgraded tool with which to better protect the state’s 33,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways.

3. I’ve noticed that Rescue 21 won’t have the same direction finding capability as the lower 48. Why is this?
The suite of Rescue 21 technologies being deployed in Alaska are heavily influenced by supportability, weather, environment, habitability, terrain, power and bandwidth issues unique to the state. Terrain and weather present issues that, with current technology, are extremely hard to solve. Rescue 21 will continue to research equipment that may successfully address these issues, which may be implemented in the future.


4. Where and when will the system be deployed in Alaska?
The Coast Guard identified over 50 critical sites in Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Kenai Peninsula, the Aleutian Chain and Nome, at which expanded VHF-FM and UHF communications coverage will be installed. All work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2017.


5. Will boaters need to buy any new equipment?
No. Existing VHF marine band radios will be compatible with Rescue 21.


6. Will Rescue 21 be capable of responding to cell phone distress calls?
No. Rescue 21 is a VHF radio-based system and does not replace cellular or mobile phone systems. The Coast Guard would like to remind all mariners not to rely upon cell phone coverage on the water. Always keep a VHF radio aboard your vessel, and remember to test it often.
Cell phones are point-to-point transmissions that can only be received by a single party. Rescue 21 provides broadcast signals that can be received by other vessels / aircraft within range of the broadcast, thereby increasing probability of rescue.


7. Does the Coast Guard intend to replace Channel 16 communications with Digital Selective Calling?
The Coast Guard has no plans to replace Channel 16 as the primary method of distress notification. The Coast Guard will monitor Channel 70 (Digital Selective Calling channel) in areas with Rescue 21. If properly registered with a Mobile Maritime Service Identity (MMSI) number and interfaced with the vessel's GPS or LORAN, a DSC radio signal transmits vital vessel information, position, and the nature of distress (if entered) at the push of a button. It is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED that all mariners correctly install and register their DSC capable VHF radios as soon as possible. For more information on DSC and its benefits, see www.uscg.mil/rescu21/benefits.asp.


8. What are the potential environmental impacts of deploying the system?
The Rescue 21 system is subject to all provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as various other federal environmental regulations. The overall environmental impacts are expected to be minimal. The Coast Guard is committed to minimizing the impact of Rescue 21 deployment on migrating birds, wetlands, historic and cultural resources, and other ecologically fragile natural resources.
 
I have been hoping for a clarification here, I believe someone posted a few months back that if you set up DSC and MMSI and wished to got to a foreign ports, you then were also required to have a radio operator license for entry, (which is not required for US waters). What class of license, I have no idea? :huh:

I am not sure and this is why I started this post with, "I have been hoping for a clarification here."


 
Nehalennia said:
Well kind of. It calls on 70 then moves you to a working channel so anyone on that channel will hear you.
Click to expand...

99% of the people in my area monitor 16. Very few scan their radios.
 
I only have a hand held VHF. I have a garmin 440s though, so the next boat will be DSC (I wouldn't buy anything less than a 28 for the next)
 
Pseudomind said:
I have been hoping for a clarification here, I believe someone posted a few months back that if you set up DSC and MMSI and wished to got to a foreign ports, you then were also required to have a radio operator license for entry, (which is not required for US waters). What class of license, I have no idea? :huh:

I am not sure and this is why I started this post with, "I have been hoping for a clarification here."
Click to expand...
http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

The FAQs will answer your question.
 
Woody said:
http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

The FAQs will answer your question.
Click to expand...


So according to this (providing I read it correctly) if one is going to the Bahama's they are required to have an International MMSI and a FCC VHF Radio license so that their MMSC is listed in the Coast Guards International data listing.

I am not familiar, but could a country deny one access for not having the FCC VHF license and a corresponding correct MMSC code?


I am not against having an MMSC , but there are a good few here who visit the Bahamas and other International locations, and it would be nice to know the correct type to have or any fallout which may occur from not being correct.

It is typically not an easy task to have an MMSC number reset, with both my New Horizons 850 and the Raymarine 230 VHF , both have to be returned to the manufacture to have a MMSC number reset or changed.:huh:

:thumbsup:
 
skolbe said:
99% of the people in my area monitor 16. Very few scan their radios.
Click to expand...

Yeah, everyone that has a VHF is required to monitor 16. But if I want to use DSC to call you I would enter the menu, press individual call, then select you on my list of people's MMSI's I've entered in the radio, then select a working channel (ie 69) then press enter. The radio will then call your radio on 70 and when you reply switch to 69 so we can talk. When we're done I would return to 16.
 
Nehalennia said:
Yeah, everyone that has a VHF is required to monitor 16. But if I want to use DSC to call you I would enter the menu, press individual call, then select you on my list of people's MMSI's I've entered in the radio, then select a working channel (ie 69) then press enter. The radio will then call your radio on 70 and when you reply switch to 69 so we can talk. When we're done I would return to 16.
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Todd, I thought my radios auto switched to the station you called me on automatically? (for anyone reading this, Todd and I have the same radio)...
 
Go Aweigh2452 said:
Todd, I thought my radios auto switched to the station you called me on automatically? (for anyone reading this, Todd and I have the same radio)...
Click to expand...

Only if you acknowledge the call do you get switched.
 
Go Aweigh2452 said:
Todd, I thought my radios auto switched to the station you called me on automatically? (for anyone reading this, Todd and I have the same radio)...
Click to expand...

skolbe said:
Only if you acknowledge the call do you get switched.
Click to expand...
Yep
Once the call is acknowledged the call automatically switches to the working channel you've pre-selected.
 
2000SEARAY280SS said:
I swapped my old Raymarine 210 out for an ICOM for this very purpose. If something happens to me while underway anyone on the boat can press the distress button and get help on the way. This action is always part of the safety brief I give when new folks are riding with us.
Click to expand...


Does anyone know - Is the distress call (initiated with the distress button on the VHF) monitored by more then the Coast Guard? Would local sheriff's on a lake/river also be monitoring? I am probably 60 miles from a CG station in NY, so they would not even get my distress call from my understanding. Do any local emergency services (police/fire) monitor for a distress call from the DSC system? I routinely go from one county to another, so I am not even always within the same sherriff departments coverage area - I wonder if the coverage changes from county to county. I suppose a sherriff out in his patrol boat would be monitoring due to having a newer VHF radio, but what if they are not out in the boat? Would the sherriff dispatch center on land be monitoring for this distress call?

I have everything connected correctly, have an MMSI number setup and my GPS coordinates scroll across my VHF screen, but I worry about counting on this as a dependable safety option without understanding which emergency responders are listening or monitoring. Are there any coverage maps out there which show the areas that are covered and show what areas are not covered?

Regards, Pete.
 
Todd - I have the Northstar NS100 that came with the boat and it is DSC capable. Reading the manual, it seems very easy to setup and use... I plan to get my MMSI and connect the unit to my yet-to-be-purchased GPS before I head into the San Juan Islands and beyond next year..I will do it mainly for safety reasons, but like the idea of seeing other boats on my GPS.
 
Clam Bake said:
Does anyone know - Is the distress call (initiated with the distress button on the VHF) monitored by more then the Coast Guard? Would local sheriff's on a lake/river also be monitoring? I am probably 60 miles from a CG station in NY, so they would not even get my distress call from my understanding. Do any local emergency services (police/fire) monitor for a distress call from the DSC system? I routinely go from one county to another, so I am not even always within the same sherriff departments coverage area - I wonder if the coverage changes from county to county. I suppose a sherriff out in his patrol boat would be monitoring due to having a newer VHF radio, but what if they are not out in the boat? Would the sherriff dispatch center on land be monitoring for this distress call?

I have everything connected correctly, have an MMSI number setup and my GPS coordinates scroll across my VHF screen, but I worry about counting on this as a dependable safety option without understanding which emergency responders are listening or monitoring. Are there any coverage maps out there which show the areas that are covered and show what areas are not covered?

Regards, Pete.
Click to expand...
Yes any other DSC radio will see your alert. I'm not sure if your local sherriff has it or not, but I would imagine they monitor a VHF don't they?

Dennis P said:
Todd - I have the Northstar NS100 that came with the boat and it is DSC capable. Reading the manual, it seems very easy to setup and use... I plan to get my MMSI and connect the unit to my yet-to-be-purchased GPS before I head into the San Juan Islands and beyond next year..I will do it mainly for safety reasons, but like the idea of seeing other boats on my GPS.
Click to expand...
Yes it's pretty straight forward. Have you see the link for obtaining your MMSI?

Get it sooner than later for the safety reasons for sure. Also you'll only be able to see the other boats if you have their MMSI #s.
 
Todd - Nothing planned for this fall, but that could change...Looking forward to the Jan 2010 boat show to check out some GPS setup first... I did notice on this BoatUS website that the registration does not include international, as I do plan to go up to Canadain waters in the future.

Should I register at a different site to get international listing as well?

"If you are voluntarily licensed but will be cruising in U.S. waters only, you may use the BoatU.S. assigned MMSI number, however, keep in mind that should you decide to cruise in international waters in future, the MMSI data would not be included in the International Search & Rescue Database."
 
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