New guy Hello and ? on DSC usage

[CarolinaJim]

Hello all,
My name is Jim, I live in Hahira, GA, married for 18yrs, 1 daughter. I started fishing the gulf about a year ago, mainly Keaton Beach and Suwannee.
I fished the 1st annual Taylor County Trout tourney (6th place), I was the guy with the old sea squirt (31 years old both boat and motor). I was searching the web for tourneys to fish in 2013 and found this site. Some good reading posts.

I read the posts on the recent sinkings, I fish mainly by myself and think about safety quite a bit. A few months back I installed a VHF with class D DSC hooked it up to my HB 998 and wanted to test it out. I asked everyone I saw with a VHF on their boat if they had DSC and the most common response was "what is DSC". How many of you have your DSC VHF hooked up to GPS?

Hope to meet some of you when I start fishing NFGFC tournaments.

Regards,
Jim

[Dubble Trubble]

I have it and it works great. You also need to register your DSC number in your radio at the link below.

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/


Just remember, the emergency signal will only go as far as a VHF signal, so it is not a replacement for an offshore EPIRB.

I do not use the "buddy" location properties built in to it, so I can not tell you about how that works.

It gives me peace of mind that if I am out with my lady, and I for some reason am disabled, all she has to do is flip the cover and press the red button to give location and request help. But it is only good for VHF distances and inshore and close offshore fishing.

Dubble

[CarolinaJim]

Yep, I have it registered and got my MMSI and programed it in. My boat is only 15.5' so unless I make some really crazy decision I hope I'm covered.

Thanks

[DEMON]

Mine is hooked up to GPS and MMSI number registered. I almost always fish within sight of land but it still gives me peace of mind that if something happens to me, crew or guests only have to push button on the radio in an emergency and the GPS coordinates will go out to CG. I frequently remind my young son who is my only fishing partner most of the time, how to use the red button on the radio.

It would be nice to use the DSC locating capabilites to interact with friends but like you've found, not many guys hook theirs up or know how to use it.

[Dubble Trubble]

One thing I would like to see implemented is some kind of automatic locator system for other boaters close by with DSC. I know I have seen somewhere a system that uses it to display an icon on the screen of the GPS of the location a boat in trouble, but I also know my GPS is not capable of that.

Maybe newer ones will have that feature. Sometimes, a boat close by can mean the difference beteween life and death.

Dubble

[Jumptrout51]

I have it and it works great. You also need to register your DSC number in your radio at the link below.

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

It gives me peace of mind that if I am out with my lady, and I for some reason am disabled, all she has to do is flip the cover and press the red button to give location and request help.

Dubble

Does the Coast Guard deliver Viagra?

[reelbad]

I have it and it works great. You also need to register your DSC number in your radio at the link below.

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

It gives me peace of mind that if I am out with my lady, and I for some reason am disabled, all she has to do is flip the cover and press the red button to give location and request help.

Dubble

Does the Coast Guard deliver Viagra?

,Only JT thinks like this.

[Dubble Trubble]

I have it and it works great. You also need to register your DSC number in your radio at the link below.

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

It gives me peace of mind that if I am out with my lady, and I for some reason am disabled, all she has to do is flip the cover and press the red button to give location and request help.

Dubble

Does the Coast Guard deliver Viagra?

,Only JT thinks like this.

That is because he is the only one that needs it....

Dubble

[zload]

I think there is a two way wiring connection (TX/RX) required in order for the GPS to show the location of a different transmitter. My VHF is only wired to receive the coordinates from my GPS and then transmit them. You may want to check your specific manuals but my Uniden DSC distress button requires a multistep process to actually transmit the emergency message, wouldn't want someone to just press the button thinking that is all that is required and it never get sent...

[zload]

Newer radios may be a single button push but mine isn't.

[Dubble Trubble]

Mine is a Standard Horizon. You just lift the little door, press the red button until you hear a tone, then it is all automated from there. Automatically switches to channel 16 and awaits the CG call to confirm.

Dubble

[Rhettley]

My older VHF has a button but I have no idea how to hook it up to a handheld GPS or if it's possible with the Garmin handheld. I gave it a little thought and found a group buy deal on The Hull Truth for a personal locator beacon. Arctex I believe. It floats and I can take it on any boat, vehicle, hike, hunt or wherever I go. I guess the downside is if I forget to put it on the boat.

[lonesouth]

Mine is hooked up. Stabndard Horizon GX1500 to a Garmin 541 with a 8' shakespear FG antenna.. Not sure if it will plot other boats or not, haven't known anyone else on the water to try it out. 17' bowrider, mostly for scalloping and cruising.

[CarolinaJim]

DT, that system is AIS. If not hooked up to FF/GPS capable of plotting the position the Coordinates just show on the radio display.

Zload, what model radio do you have? Typically even on older dsc radios it is single button push for undeclared type of emergency. If you want to add a description to the broadcast such as fire, sinking, or medical then it takes a couple more button pushes. It is not required by USGS to add the emergency type. Yes, typically the radio will have 3 wires NMEA in, NMEA out, and common ground. To get plot on FF/GPS your FF/GPS needs to be connect to the NMEA out of the radio and have the programming to read the DSC and DSE NMEA sentences. If not hooked up to FF/GPS capable of plotting the position the Coordinates just show on the radio display.

Rhettley, PLB is better than nothing that's for sure. Combined with you VHF is pretty good coverage.

Well at least this crowds knows what DSC and what it is used for.

[SHOWBOAT]

looks like plenty of feedback on radios. As for tournaments, you should strongly consider the NFGFC monthly tournaments. A great way to expedite the learning curve, meet some friends and maybe win some cash in reasonable sized tournaments.

Go to http://www.nfgfc.org/ for details