mmsi

[mark]

anyone au fait with all the features of mmsi?? (apart from the big red button??)

bought a new radio before we went away and stuck my number in and though nomore about it, but whilst out in the fog it chirped into life 'position request from 1234567890" or something so pressed ok...

next thing... chirps again with a call request from a boat somewhere out in the mirk

don't know for sure but I'm guessing it was a naval or maybe fisheries coastguard vessel (they sound very 'proper' just wanted to know where I was heading (course/speed etc??)

they didn't sound impressed when I said "pub cos I can't see a sodding thing out here"

didn't know you could do such things with dsc. was thinking about re-doing the vhf course to see if it covers it all, my certificate was done almost int he day of valves!

[davem2005]

I would join you on that course Mark. Did my radio course in 97 and dsc and mmsi did not exist.

Still not sure how that bit works Mark.

As I understand it you can send em the equivalent of a text message back with that data.

Time for a google session

Cheers
Dave.

[davem2005]

Nice site here for basic details as to what its all about and an outline of how it works.

http://www.searoom.com/dsc_info.html

I would guess the message you got was an all "ships request". All ships over a certain size have to have dsc. I would bet we use class c devices which have only basic functions and difficult to enter messages in.

The radio course has changed and it seemsyou can do a half day upgrade course to cover dsc.

The certificate now required is a GMDSS short range certificate , although I am not too sure if this is a legal requirement.

Still looking to find the prefix for the coastguard etc . Seems its like a phone number and you can tell who its from. Wont be long before NESA members are texting one another catch results ...hang on we already do that via a mobile phone.

Cheers
Dave

[mark]

god forbid but I've just started to read the manual! It appears I bought a class D with command mike keyboard and sure enough I can send texts to any other mmsi number, among other things... and if I know someones mmsi I can automatically get their position

so now all I need is norman's mmsi number and I can follow him! might get some fish that way!

the bairn asked me a great question about dsc when we were out - told em you need a licence to operate a vhf radio, but he asked me if you still need a licence just to push the red button - so if went over the side or was laid out for some reason would it be illegal for someone else to push the alert button??

I've been wondering about the whole interface myself. the radio has an input from the gps which is fair enough, so if someone somewhere sends out a distress call, how does that position get plotted onto the gps - do I manually have to stick it in?? not sure if theres a feed back out of the set or does that get picked up seperately by the plotter??

[mark]

just found the coastguard mmsi numbers:

http://www.coastalradio.org.uk/mmsi.htm

[mark]

just bringing this back to the top as I just found out, if like me you did your vhf exam years ago, and now have a dsc radio, your certificate is invalid apparently, and you need the MDSS Short Range Certificate instead, unless I just misread the regs

anyone recommend anywhere in this neck of the woods that might do the upgrade course??

normally It wouldn't bother me, but I imagine that things like this will get tightened up on in the future as boaters start to get more attention from the Government Monkeys when they start crawling round the boat yards looking for red diesel and the like

[braine]

I did my course at the Northumberland Yacht club at Blyth on a Saturday. Good instructor and Laptop simulation programmes. Even had a buffet lunch thrown in to boot!

[davem2005]

What did they charge brian?

Cheers
Dave

[TOMMY NEPTUNE]

I have just received my VHF/DSC licence after completing the days course with "Deep Vee" who I think you may be familiar with Mark, as they are based at Royal Quays, they charge £102 and hold the course at Newbiggin yacht club. First class instruction and a really informative and enjoyable day.

[mark]

I have just received my VHF/DSC licence after completing the days course with "Deep Vee" who I think you may be familiar with Mark, as they are based at Royal Quays, they charge £102 and hold the course at Newbiggin yacht club. First class instruction and a really informative and enjoyable day.

how much of the course covered dsc versus routine VHF procedures??

[TOMMY NEPTUNE]

I would say to be honest Mark, the course is about 75% DSC based, the VHF knowledge crosses both sets, ie: the phonetic alphabet the mayday, pan pan etc. it certainly gave me the confidence to use my set rather than keep pressing the clear button to quieten all the strange telephone ringing noises.

[davem2005]

For that money you must have taken the whole course again. I came across this

GMDSS Update Courses - (VHF-SRC) (SSB-LRC)

Which is cheeper as its just an upgrade rather than the whole course.

Surely the RQ's should offer this if its officially available.

I know I found somewhere in stockton that did it last ime I looked.

Cheers
Dave