Sinking Boat = big problem

[clownfishsydney]

I thought it was obvious I was referring to US coastal waters—you know, where this particular case occurred—and the distress communications system of the world’s finest Coast Guard.

Here, whether you push the DSC button on your VHF radio or not, the US Coast Guard has your position as soon as you make your transmission. Cell phone is the less preferred means of communication.

Fully aware of where you were talking about and the system is exactly the same in Australia as USA. A DSC CHF radio does not transmit position when you transmit on VHF 16 or any other channel you use to talk over. The only channel that transmits DSC is 70 and it only does it when you push the emergency button or you request the location of a vessel or send your location to another vessel or use DSC to call a vessel. The location is only sent in an emergency and if you send your location or someone asks for your location (in the last two situations you need to know their MMSI or they need to know yours). In any case, sending location only works if your have an MMSI programmed in (which in Australia and most countries you do not have to have) and the VHF is connected to a GPS.

The only way the coast guard could find your location via VHF 16 is to use a radio direction finder. We have these on our boats to find someone who doesn't know where they are. Not that accurate really, but will get you near them.

 

[Scraps]

Yes, DSC works the same way there as here, but you do not have the same VHF system as over here, either in terms of coverage area or DF capability at your antenna sites or position displays of radio call locations in your command centers.

The point of my post was to tell people that if they need the US Coast Guard to rescue them within 20 NM of shore, VHF is a faster and more reliable way to communicate their location and nature of distress than a PLB or a cell phone.

Remember, this was a case about a guy with a sinking kayak. Depending on the water temp and his exposure protection, he may not have time to wait for his PLB to prompt the rescue coordination center to make enough call outs to decide a distress situation truly exists, and his cell phone position won't be immediately accessible. A VHF call is the best way to get the result he needs.