Digital Selective Calling. Safety at Sea for the 21 st Century

Digital Selective Calling Safety at Sea for the 21 st Century

Search and Rescue VHF-FM Marine-band radios are the safest method to notify the Coast Guard of a maritime distress. The Coast Guard will continuously monitor VHF-FM Channels 16 and 70. The Marine VHF radio is a necessity for your boat. Medical emergencies, adverse weather and mechanical problems are unpredictable.

Old System Shortcomings SOUTH ALABAMA AND FLORIDA Coverage Gaps THEY MAY BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU BUT: Weak, Aging, Obsolete Equipment! 30 Year Old Technology! NO Direction Finding! ONLY 1 Radio Call at a time! NO Digital Selective Calling (GMDSS/SOLAS) NO tracking of USCG Boats/Helos Limited Communications with other Agencies NO Secure Communications

Anatomy of the Best Tour Takes the search out of Search and Rescue

What is Rescue 21? Rescue 21 is an advanced command, control, and communications system that improves the ability of the Coast Guard to assist mariners in distress and save lives as well as heighten Homeland Security measures. Provides the communications infrastructure for all Coast Guard Missions: Search and Rescue Marine Safety Law Enforcement Environmental Protection Homeland Security

What are the Capabilities of Rescue 21? Incorporates direction-finding (triangulation) equipment to improve locating mariners in distress Improves interoperability amongst the federal, state and local agencies Enhances clarity of distress calls Allows simultaneous channel monitoring Upgrades playback and recording feature of distress calls Reduces coverage gaps for coastal communications and along navigable rivers and waterways Portable towers for restoration of communications during emergencies or natural disasters Supports Digital Selective Calling, (DSC) providing Global Positioning System capabilities.

What is DSC? DSC was intended to eliminate the need for persons on a ship's bridge or on shore to continuously guard/monitor radio receivers on voice radio channels, including VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and 2182 khz now used for distress, safety and calling. DSC is a hailing or calling system designed to improve the speed and efficiency of initiating radio communications. Coast Guard units monitor DSC distress calls Coast Guard vessels in radio range of your boat are alerted immediately Alerted Coast Guard vessels know your precise location Increased efficiency means more boaters are helped in less time. It gets through, even in tough conditions. The Coast Guard s response automatically directs your radio to channel 16 for voice communication. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is DSC? DSC is a greatly improved digital method to send a call for assistance. (MAYDAY) DSC is a better way to make routine, non-emergency calls. DSC is an easy way to monitor the position of boating partners when boating together. The digital signal is robust and can break through conditions where a voice signal may be difficult or impossible to understand. DSC calls are 1/3 of a second flash of encoded digital information making it accurate, complete and automatically recorded by the receiving radio. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is DSC? DSC distress alerts consist of a preformatted encoded digital message used to initiate emergency communications with ships and rescue coordination centers. The DSC distress alert contains the following information: Format Specifier - DISTRESS (automatically included) Self Identification 9-digit MMSI (automatically included) Nature of Distress UNDESIGNATED DISTRESS is sent by default unless a choice is selected manually from a list of eight specific dangers, i.e., fire/explosion, flooding, collision, grounding, listing and in danger of capsizing, sinking, disabled and adrift, or abandoning ship. Position LAT/LONG, automatically included if equipment is interfaced with, for example, GPS. The position can be entered manually at time of incident. Otherwise default information, no position information, is sent or the last entered position Time TIME the position was valid. Automatic or manual entry, otherwise default information is transmitted. Subsequent Communications R/T or NBDP, indicates whether radiotelephony or narrowband direct printing will be used for the subsequent distress communications. The default information is radiotelephony. http://www.inmarsat.com/maritimesafety/dsc.htm

Digital Selective Calling Digital Selective Calling identifies the boater s position at the push of a button Boaters must: Register for a Mobile Maritime Service Identity (MMSI) Number. Connect their DSC radio to their GPS receiver.

What is DSC? Anatomy of the Best Tour DSC equipped radios come in these primary classes, A, B, D and SC 101. Icom manufactures radios that cover two of these classes, Class D and SC 101 Our M504 and M604 meets the requirements of Class D. The M304, M422 are SC-101 More information concerning this can be found at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/dsc.htm

What is a DSC Call? DSC Emergency Call Anatomy of the Best Tour With our radios, lifting the plastic cover and pressing the distress button for 5 seconds will send a DSC Emergency Call. Undesignated calls suggest a dire emergency. All DSC radios can send undesignated calls. Designated calls indicate the nature of the distress. Types depend on radio but include: Abandoning ship Capsizing Collision Man Overboard Disabled Explosion Fire Flooding Grounding Listing Piracy Sinking

What is a DSC Call? Anatomy of the Best Tour 2006 DSC Emergency Call Procedure All DSC Calls take place on Channel 70. Depending on the nature of the call and the users response, the called radio will automatically switch to a working channel for follow-up voice conversation. Once you have transmitted a distress alert on CH70, use the same voice procedure as distress alerts without DSC DSC is simply a digital notification Once a DSC distress acknowledgement is received, the radio will auto tune to CH16 for voice communications.

What is a DSC Call? Anatomy of the Best Tour 2006 DSC Individual Call Icom radios can call a individual vessel or coast station using DSC individual call Initiate the call from the menu (and select working channel) After a call is made, the called vessel must respond Able to Comply or Unable to Comply If they respond Able, the called vessels radios will tune automatically to the working channel

What is a DSC Call? Anatomy of the Best Tour 2006 DSC Group Call Some Icom radios can call groups of stations To setup a group call you must select a group number and program this number into the MMSI call list of all radio in the group. Call is initiated through menu similar to individual call

What is a DSC Call? Anatomy of the Best Tour 2006 DSC All Ships and Position Polling DSC also has the capability of calling All Ships and doing Position Requests. All Ships is used to alert vessels in the area to an urgency or safety situation. Avoid using it simply when you do not know the MMSI number of a vessel. Position Request is useful when you want to know the location of a friend s vessel A Geographical Call is meant for all units in a geographical area

Anatomy of the Best Tour What is an MMSI Numbers? Nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity number You re your name, your vessel s name, description and your emergency contact information are all available immediately to the coast guard. Uniquely identifies: Individual vessels Group of vessels Coast Stations Group Coast Stations The MMSI is broadcast digitally in an initial DSC contact and is used in the same way a telephone number is used.

Anatomy of the Best Tour What is an MMSI Numbers? Embedded within each MMSI is a country code or a set of Maritime Identification Digits (MID). The US has been assigned MID 366 (along with 388, 367, 368 and 369). The first digits of the MMSI identify the type of station you re calling. The MMSI of an individual US vessel will start with the country MID. 366XXXXXX The MMSI for a group of vessels have a leading zero. 0366XXXXX The MMSI of Coast Stations have two leading zeros before the MID. 00366XXXX The US Coast Guard uses 9s to indicate their unique identifier. 036699999 will reach all the Coast Guard s vessels (group ship station), and 003669999 would reach all (or any) Coast Guard s land based stations.

Anatomy of the Best Tour What is an MMSI Numbers? Listed below are the MMSI numbers for Rescue 21 deployed Sectors/Groups. These numbers can be used to send a DSC message directly to a Coast Guard Sector/Group. Rescue 21 VHF DSC MMSI Numbers Sector/Group Astoria Baltimore Delaware Bay Hampton Roads Jacksonville Long Island Miami Mobile New Orleans New York North Bend Port Angeles St. Petersburg Seattle Portland MMSI 003669910 003669961 003669905 003669922 003669962 003669931 003669919 003669914 003669908 003669929 003669911 003669904 003669917 003669938 003669937

Anatomy of the Best Tour Where do I get an MMSI number? While the ITU International Telecommunications Union in Geneva, Switzerland, oversees the use and assignment of maritime mobile service identities, in the US the numbers are requested through the FCC (and SeaTow and Boat US for some boats). For boaters staying within US waters and have vessels lengths less than 65 feet: Boat U.S.: www.boatus.com/mmsi Sea Tow http://www.seatow.com/boating_safety/mmsi.asp

Anatomy of the Best Tour Where do I get an MMSI number? Boaters going outside of US waters must register with the FCC: Form 605 - Main Form Station License, 10 years - $205 fee Form 605 - Schedule B for the MMSI - Free Form 605 - Schedule E Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit - $55 fee (Authorizes a specific person to communicate with foreign stations or use certain radio equipment like MF/HF Single Side Band) Form 159 - Remittance Advice form explaining to them why you re sending the FCC money

Anatomy of the Best Tour Where do I get an MMSI number? Where to find the forms: Electronic versions can be found on the FCC s website: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/ulsentry/licmanager/login.jsp?key= Download and print the necessary forms: http://www.fcc.gov/forms/form605/605.html Contact Directly: FCC Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) FCC Fax: 1-866-418-0232 FCC E-mail: fccinfo@fcc.gov Look up your own and others MMSI numbers at: http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/mars/ship_search.sh

Anatomy of the Best Tour Where do I get an MMSI number? Where to find the forms - For Canadian Boaters: In order to obtain an MMSI, Industry Canada requires that the applicant supply specific information depending on the kind of MMSI requested. ship station MMSIs see Annex A & B coast station MMSIs see Annex C ship station group MMSIs; and see Annex D Download and print the necessary forms here: http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smt-gst.nsf/en/sf01032e.html Contact Directly: Industry Canada Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regulatory Branch 300 Slater Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C8 Attention: DOSP E-mail: spectrum_pubs@ic.gc.ca

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? To get the most from DSC, your radio should be connected to a GPS, GPS and Plotter or GPS/Plotter Unit. Your Icom VHF radio is capable of receiving and transmitting your vessels coordinates via the NMEA 0183 sentence.

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? NMEA 0183 is the National Marine Electronics Association interface standard communications protocol that permits different types of electronic equipment to communicate. Each bus (system) may have only one talker but many listeners.

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? Icom radios can use these NMEA 0183 standard sentences: GGA= Essential fix data with 3D location and accuracy (preferred sentence); includes Lat / Long, fix quality, number of satellites, horizontal dilution of position, altitude above sea level, height of geoid (mean sea level), time in seconds since last DGPS update, DGPS ID, and checksum data. GLL= Geographic position; includes Lat / Long position, time of fix, data active or V (void) and checksum data. RMC= NMEA recommended minimum; includes time of fix, active or void, Lat / Long, speed over ground, track angle, date, magnetic variation, and checksum data.

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? $GPGGA,121505,4807.038,N,01131.324,E,1,08,0.9,133.4,M,46.9,M,,*42 121505 is the fix taken at 12:15:05 UTC 4807.038, N is latitude 48d 07.038'N 01131.324,E is longitude 11d 31.324'E 1 is the fix quality. (between 0 and 3) 0= no fix 1= GPS or standard positioning service (SPS) fix 2= DGPS fix (Differential Global Positioning System) 3= PPS (Precise positioning service) fix 08 is the number of Satellites being tracked 0.9 is the horizontal dilution of position (HDOP) 133.4,M is the altitude, in meters, above mean sea level 46.9,M is the height of the geoid (mean sea level) above the WGS84 ellipsoid,, (empty field) is the DGPS station ID number *42 is the checksum field

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? Raymarine E Series Raymarine A Series Raymarine C Series

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS?

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? M604 Pin Connections

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? M504 & M422 Wire Connections

Anatomy of the Best Tour How do I connect my VHF radio to a GPS? M304 Wire Connections

Thank you for your time! Sources used include NMEA Installation Standard for Marine Electronic Equipment Used on Moderate Sized Vessels Rev 1.1 and A Boaters Guide to VHF and GMDSS by Sue Fletcher, Introducing Rescue 21 PPT by Captain Mike Christian Program Manager, MMSI Numbers Demystified By Dan Piltch, Marine Computer Systems, Graphics from http://www.gdc4s.com/, http://www.nps.gov/gis/gps/glossary.htm,