DSC Button What's That Little Red Button Doing
On Your New DSC Radio??

Did you know, according to recent surveys, that less than 10% of the boating public has properly installed their DSC radio? So let's ask, "Will your radio actually send out an emergency signal? Will it enable the life-saving actions of the US Coast Guard should someone push that, ‘pretty little red button‘?? Does anyone know how to operate or install that thing??? The answers are all YES! But you have several things to do before you actually get help with that pretty little RED BUTTON.

As good a system as the DSC system is, as good as your radio itself might be, it can not deliver any more information by itself than what it has been programmed to give- particularly, the name of the skipper, the name of the activated vessel on which the DSC radio is located, and most important of all, your current GPS location!! How do we give a DSC Radio the stuff a rescuer will need to find us?

In the case of an actual emergency, without that VITAL information, it's important for us as boaters to realize the USCG could get NO information about us, our boat and where we are. Recently, the US Coast Guard announced a Safety Alert in September 2011 what should be logically obvious- they WON'T BEGIN looking for you because YOU aren't telling them anything if you simnply buy and install a DSC radio without an MMSI number registered AND a connection to your boat's GPS. What shows up at the CG Station(s) if nothing is done? Simply a blank DSC signal, in the event of it´s activation- NO INFORMATION can be sent by the DSC system about you, the then stranded boater- WHO TO LOOK FOR, WHAT YOUR BOAT IS, WHERE YOU ARE, IF YOU ARE ON A RADIO. The sea is a big place and no information is no help at all.

How can you tell if your radio is a DSC radio? First off, see the pretty little red button? It's shown above. If you see it, it's very likely a DSC radio. If you haven't checked further yet, NOW is a really good time to do so. What's next?

Each boat owner needs to do these things to enable their DSC radio work properly, to save lives (maybe their own!), and property in an emergency. The following is highly recommended to make your shipboard radios compliant and effective for Digital Selective Calling (DSC):

  1. Get your MMSI Number from either of these three places. A link to the BoatUS. A link to US Power Squadron. A link to Seatow MMSI Registration site. Any of these sites have a printable form to send to FCC for MMSI issuance. Note that the FCC-issued Boat Radio License for your radios is separate from MMSI registration.

  2. Download/install this number into your boat´s radio. Here's info from the US Coast Guard. Also see the video below. You will also find handy placards which may help persons unfamiliar with the radios to operate them. See the specific instructions at your radio manufacturer's website. If you buy a used radio or trade yours in, make sure the new owner obtains an MMSI number and replaces your number in the radio. MMSI numbers cannot easily be erased once programmed.

  3. GPS to DSCConnect your boat's fixed location radio to the on board GPS. Obtain parts at your Marine Dealer. Most DSC radios have the connections called "NEMA In", and NEMA Out". Please the following information of a general nature from the USCG...

    Interconnection to a GPS Receiver**:

    All DSC-equipped radios, and most GPS receivers, have an NMEA 0183 two-wire data protocol That NMEA protocol allows any model of GPS to be successfully interconnected to any model of radio, regardless of manufacture. Although NMEA has no standard for the type of cable or connector used, many, if not most, DSC and GPS receiver manufacturers specify ribbon cable with no connectors. These wires are simply connected between the radio and the GPS by twisting the wires (some people solder) and tape (some people use waterproof heat shrink tubing) or use a Barrier strip with appropriate weatherproofing. Note also that NMEA 0183 and IEC 61162-1 data interfaces are identical.

    **The US Coast Guard urges, in the strongest terms possible, that you take the time needed to interconnect your GPS and DSC-equipped radio. Doing so may save your life in a distress situation! Before interconnecting your radio & GPS consult the owner's manuals.

  4. GPS to DSC Learn to operate your radio. See the video below and visit your Manufacturer's Web Site for further information.
  5. In the event you sell either the boat or the radio, be sure to encourage MMSI registration to the next owner when transferring owners. MMSI numbers cannot be removed easily. Updating it at the time of sale is the best, easiest and the recommended way to keep current information in the boat's radio.

*USCG has announced in a recent Safety Alert that they may discountinue a SAR operation (i.e., looking for you) if no contact can be established with your vessel due to missing data delivered by a DSC radio. See this Alert dated 9/1/2011.
How to Use Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Radios", presented by USCG Auxiliary on YouTube.
Posted by: Charlie Baggett, FSO-CM, Flotilla 38, District 7 USCG Auxiliary
WEBPAGE LAST MODIFIED Wed, 10-Apr-2013 16:40
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