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DSC2 User Manual - ICS Electronics Ltd

1. Once the call has been transmitted you can then deliver your urgency message using the communications method specified For example if you announced that the communications method was Simplex telephone VHF Channel 16 you should broadcast the details of your urgency over that channel as soon as you have transmitted the DSC urgency call The DSC system will automatically set up the equipment for the communications required or prompt you to do so if your transceivers are manually tuned DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls You should broadcast the details of your call according to the guidelines for urgency calls laid down by the IMO A typical RT urgency message might take the following form PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN ALL SHIPS ALL SHIPS ALL SHIPS THIS IS JALAGOPAL JALAGOPAL JALAGOPAL 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CALF OF MAN LOST ENGINE CONTROL AND DRIFTING NORTH NORTH EAST ANCHORS NOT HOLDING REQUIRE TOW URGENTLY JALOGOPAL CALLSIGN ATRZ OVER PAN PAN This is the term used to identify an urgency message MAYDAY is used exclusively for distress alerts and SECURITE is used for safety calls see the next section for further details on safety calls ALL SHIPS This is the type of the call JALAGOPAL The name of the ship sending the call 15 MILES URGENTLY The nature of the urgency CALLSIGN ATRZ The call sign of the ship making the urgency call OVER Used to signify that the e
2. The Urgency Call format and the Urgency Signal indicate that the calling station has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a mobile station or person N3115 3 2 Differences and Examples For a Distress Call the possible Natures of Distress are clearly defined For Urgency and Safety Calls however we can only rely on the basic definition and illustrate the differences between Urgency and Safety with relevant examples in the table below URGENCY seriously injured crew member engine failure but not yet in trouble cargo shifted but not yet in trouble SAFETY iceberg storm oil rig being towed through shipping lanes failure of an important light buoy new unmarked wreck DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 3 How do you send an Urgency Call Following is a step by step guide to the urgency call procedure which we recommend that you read through several times so that you become familiar with the process Urgency calls are divided into two parts 3 3 1 Announcing the Urgency Call 3 3 2 Error Not a valid link 3 3 1 Announcing the Urgency Call Press either the CALL button at the bottom of the Initial Display Screen or the COMPOSE CALL button on the Main Menu screen The TYPE OF CALL screen should appear EE reuamone INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls You now have the choice of pressing one of four buttons e the ALL SHIPS URGENCY cal
3. 100 101 102 103 100 61 43 30 34 82 71 52 13 14 15 13 15 18 31 124 129 13 16 119 122 124 105 124 135 7 96 7 8 113 see TITLE screen 7 DSC2 User Manual Index system self test use of 96 SYSTEM STATUS screen 93 system status general information 15 85 93 124 128 system status reviewing current status of the system 93 96 T TELECOMMAND 1 SETUP screen 102 TELECOMMAND 2 SETUP screen 103 telecommand information general 43 61 75 78 102 103 TELECOMMAND INFORMATION screen 41 59 telephone calls 84 87 test calls general information 87 139 test calls how to send 80 83 testing the system 139 TITLE screen 113 touch screens general maintenance 8 touch screens use of 8 TYPE OF CALL screen 27 28 39 46 47 57 64 65 74 80 87 117 U urgency call announcing the message 39 42 responding to 50 52 to a geographic area 47 49 EE DSC2 User Manual Index to a group of ships 50 to individual stations 50 transmitting 43 45 alarm sounds 50 via Message Log 53 definition of 38 using the system with manually tuned transceivers 119 122 W WARNING ACKNOWLEDGE screen 34 WARNING RELAY screen 29 91 WARNING RESET TO DEFAULTS screen 104 weekly system tests 139 DSC2 User Manual Index This page intentionally left blank
4. ALL SHIPS CALL P 222328814 Call to ALL SHIPS Category URGENCY Telecommand JZE TELEPHONE MF 2162 6kHz Rx 2182 HkHz No acknowledge required EO Received 22 63 96 12 14 46 MF 2167 5kHz HFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call A highlighted bar at the bottom of the screen will indicate which radio equipment is tuned for your response Press the OK button and the system reverts to the Initial Display Screen which displays the CANCEL RADIO TUNE button at the bottom of the screen ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls The DSC2 will automatically tune the appropriate equipment to the correct channel If your transceiver was in use when the call was received the TUNE RADIO button will be displayed You can then respond to the urgency call according to IMO regulations You would not normally acknowledge an urgency call unless it was an INDIVIDUAL call and the ship making the call had requested acknowledgement INDIVIDUAL CALL F 222320814 Call to MMSI 116668668 Category URGENCY Telecommand JZE TELEPHONE MF 2162 8kH z Rx 2182 8kHz Acknowledge required Ack RQ Received 22 63 96 12 17 54 MF 2167 5kH z HFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call ACKNOWLEDGE If you do need to acknowledge an INDIVIDUAL call use the following procedure Press the ACKNOWLEDGE button at the bottom of a received call screen or a Message Log screen You will then see the COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CA
5. For Distress Operations the Nature of Distress is well defined as is shown in the table below Category Nature of Distress DISTRESS fire or explosion flooding collision grounding listing and in danger of capsizing sinking disabled and adrift undesignated distress abandoning ship man overboard DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 4 Sending a distress alert TRANSCEIVER DSC INTERFACE MODULE felt i WOO q I I TRANSCEIVER One of the main benefits of the ICS DSC2 system is that you can send a distress alert quickly and accurately even if your vessel is sinking rapidly and you do not have time to take any other action The system will automatically transmit details of the emergency ship s identity ship s position if this information is available and your preferred response frequency to all vessels and coast stations within range which are monitoring DSC distress frequencies CONTROL PANEL When sending any call on the DSC2 you always follow the same basic procedure 1 Select type of call required 2 Compose the call 3 Confirm the information 4 Confirm that you want to send the call 5 Send the call 6 Await response What follows is a step by step guide to the distress alert procedure which we recommend that you read through several times so that you become familiar with the process You may also like
6. 7 DSC2 User Manual Index distress alert signal path through the DSC2 system 11 graphic distress alert acknowledgements 14 15 20 25 35 91 117 changing the distress alert message 16 choosing the right frequency for your call 18 IMO guidelines for acknowledgement 31 INMARSAT 117 118 manually cancelling 20 radio telex method 115 116 radiotelephone message 14 relaying general information 15 22 responding to a relayed alert 24 30 responding to an alert 22 35 sending a default message 12 15 via Message Log 90 91 what to do after you have sent the alert 14 15 what to do if no one responds 15 DISTRESS button 16 distress frequencies general information 11 15 133 distress operation general 9 10 91 DISTRESS RELAY screens 28 30 34 distress relays 15 24 27 29 30 33 87 91 distress definition of 10 7 DSC acknowledgement implications of DSC MODULE STATUS screen no faults DSC MODULE STATUS screen showing faults DSC2 Control Panel general maintenance Initial Display Screen Initial Display Screen date and time Initial Display Screen Global Positioning System reading Initial Display Screen hardware buttons Initial Display Screen messages logged Initial Display Screen software buttons DSC2 typical A3 system graphic E entering your position manually EPIRB use of for distress alerts EVENT LOG screen event log use of false alarm how to deal with frequencies
7. DecTLX1 Mo status 34 16 95 16 48 26 Info DSC Self Test Complete 16 Info DSC Self Test Started Page 1 of 2 DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions SYSTEM SELF TEST This button allows you to prompt the system to carry out an automatic self test procedure This option does not have a special screen instead the system reverts to the Initial Display Screen where any faults found will be displayed You can then check the nature of the fault by returning to the Status screens STATUS ALARMS This screen gives you the option of turning off the system s status alarms This will not affect the essential GMDSS alarms Mute status alarms DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 4 Remote Radio Tune Transceivers connected to the DSC system are automatically tuned to the appropriate channel by the system If you want to bypass this procedure you can manually tune transceivers using the REMOTE RADIO TUNE screen HF TELEX FEC VHF DSC WATCH HF DSC WATCH CANCEL VHF TUNE CANCEL HF TUNE The HF RT screen shows following TX amp RX FREQUENCY MF 2162 6kHz HF 4125 8kHz HF 6215 6kHz HF 8291 6kHz HF 12296 6kHz HF 16426 6kHz DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions If a transceiver does not have remote control support the DSC2 will prompt you to retune to the appropriate channel or frequency whenever this is necessary For more information on tuning transceivers manually
8. atmospheric effects on frequencies choosing the right one for your call frequencies for distress and safety calls DSC2 User Manual Index 15 25 31 94 95 8 6 28 32 39 46 50 57 64 69 74 77 78 80 86 87 88 96 109 125 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 3 109 125 15 124 128 141 142 95 7 85 93 10 20 123 126 128 19 18 18 133 7 frequency multi frequency call attempt frequency single call attempt method G GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen geographic area calls general information geographic area calls selecting the area for your call GEOGRAPHIC AREA screen GPS general information valid lost GPS contact no GPS information group calls group of coast stations MMSI number group of ship stations MMSI number H Help HF RT screen HF WATCH RECEIVER SETUP screen MF HF watch receiver I IMO guidelines for acknowledging distress alerts INDIVIDUAL CALL screen DSC2 User Manual Index 18 18 47 49 65 67 49 50 67 68 76 87 48 66 49 67 7 49 67 110 109 125 109 125 50 68 87 136 136 123 97 111 111 31 51 70 74 77 C o individual calls individual calls routine individual safety call individual urgency call INFORMATION screens Cancelling VHF Distress Call Sending call using VHF 1 Sending call using HF I Sending distress acknowledge Sending distress relay INMARSAT use of f
9. 1 To send a Telex message to a land based subscriber via a coast station 2 To receive a Telex message via a coast station 3 To contact a ship which has sent you a distress urgency or safety message asking you to respond using Radio Telex 4 To send a Radio Telex distress urgency or safety message For the purposes of this manual we will concentrate on the last two options However you may also wish to read the appropriate User Manual for your Radio Telex operating system Under GMDSS regulations the DSC2 and transceiver should always be switched on To send or receive a Radio Telex message you will also need to make sure that the computer running the AUTOCOM program is also switched on and operating EE ee DSC2 User Manual Radio Telex amp Inmarsat C The Radio Telex system uses the same network and MF HF transceivers as the DSC system If the Radio Telex system is being used for routine communication the status bar on your DSC Control Panel will indicate this If you send a DSC distress message or the system receives a distress message this will over ride any routine Radio Telex call and the AUTOCOM program will break off from any other activity If Radio Telex has been specified as the response method by an incoming distress message then AUTOCOM will automatically switch to the correct response frequency and set to STANDBY mode so that it can begin exchanging information with the vessel in distress If there is an incom
10. F7 key on the computer keyboard 7 2 Using Inmarsat C for distress messages DSC2 systems can send undesignated distress alerts via Inmarsat C If your system has been configured this way the button INMARSAT DISTRESS appears on the TYPE OF CALL screen EE ee DSC2 User Manual Radio Telex amp Inmarsat C TYPE OF CALL DISTRESS ALERT INDIVIDUAL ALL SHIPS URGENCY ALL SHIPS SAFETY GEOGRAPHIC AREA DISTRESS RELAY TELEPHONE INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL To send a distress alert via INMARSAT C select this option and proceed as described on page 11 SENDING A DISTRESS ALERT DSC TRANSMIT FREQUEN WHF CHANNEL 74 MF 2187 5kHz INMARSAT DISTRESS HF 4247 SkHz HF 6312 6kHz ALL HF MULTI FREQ HF 8414 5kHz USER MULTI FREQ HF 12577 6kHz HF 16864 SkHz DSC2 User Manual Manually Tuned Transceivers 8 USING THE DSC2 SYSTEM WITH MANUALLY TUNED TRANSCEIVERS This Guide has assumed that the DSC2 system you are operating will automatically re tune the relevant transceivers on board your vessel whenever this is required If your transceivers can only be tuned manually you will need to read through this Chapter carefully There are two major implications for any ship with manually tuned transceivers 1 Whenever you want to send or receive a call you need to change the transceiver and frequency yourself 2 A DSC system with manually tuned transceivers will not automatically repeat a distress alert You have to initiat
11. MF Medium frequency frequencies in the range 300 3000 kHz MHz MegaHertz 1 000 000 Hertz MMS Mobile Maritime Service a mobile service between coast stations and ships or between ships survival craft and EPIRB s may also be part of the MMS see also MMSI MMSI Mobile Maritime Service Identity see also MMS a nine digit identifier for each station DSC2 User Manual MRCC NAVTEX NCS Radio Telex RCC safety SART Simplex Telephone SOG telecommand telecommunications telegraphy Glossary Maritime Rescue Co ordination Centre also known as RCC Narrow band direct printing telegraphy system used for transmitting navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information to shipping It is also FEC based Network Co ordination Station allocates channels etc in the INMARSAT system Narrow band direct printing telegraphy system a method of communication Rescue Co ordinating Centre see also MRCC The IMO GMDSS definition of safety is when you have to transmit an important navigational message or meteorological warning Search and Rescue Transponder One way telephone only one person can speak at a time Speed over ground of ship The message component of a DSC call which specifies the type of subsequent communications required Any transmission emission or reception of signals by wire radio optical or other electromagnetic systems Telecommunication method which t
12. Manual Distress Operation To send this DSC acknowledgement press the red DISTRESS button once The display confirms the details of the acknowledgement Information Sending distress acknowledge using HF1i If you do acknowledge a distress alert remember that you must then use whatever means possible to ensure that the message is relayed to the nearest available MRCC This may mean using radio telephone telex or satellite transmission to get your message across We will look at other forms of distress communication in the RadioTelex amp Inmarsat C section Remember that you can only acknowledge a repeated VHF or MF HF distress call 2 6 What if something goes wrong If the system does not respond in the way you expect when dealing with distress alerts you may need to consult the Help chapter C o ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 URGENCY CALLS This section includes 3 1 When would you use an Urgency Call 3 2 Error Not a valid link 3 3 How do you send an Urgency Call 3 3 1 Announcing the Urgency Call 3 3 2 Error Not a valid link 3 4 Sending Individual Group or Geographic Area Urgency Calls 3 4 1 Error Not a valid link 3 4 2 Selecting the geographic area for your call 3 4 3 Individual and group calls 3 5 How to respond to an urgency call 3 6 Accessing urgency functions via other menus 3 7 What if something goes wrong DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 1 When would you use an Urgency Call
13. RELAY button at the bottom of the DISTRESS ALERT screen as shown above or choose the DISTRESS RELAY option from the TYPE OF CALL screen The DISTRESS ALERT screen will appear as soon as the DSC detects a distress alert C o DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation If you have already pressed the OK button you can still access this message screen via the Message Log To get to the TYPE OF CALL screen press the CALL button on the Initial Display Screen To get to the Message Log press the LOG button of 42 COG ABA 122 H6 W 506 B8Bkts 16 55 UTC 22 03 96 GPS INFORMATION VALID MF 2182 8kHz Rx 82182 HkHz HF Watch Rx OK Pressing the SEND RELAY button menu screen on the previous page will take you into the COMPOSE DISTRESS RELAY screen SE DISTRESS RELAY a a MMSI BABRRAAARA DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation This screen gives you the option of changing the type of call e g to all ships or individual the radio equipment and frequency the call will be transmitted on the MMSI of the vessel in distress the nature of the distress the position of the vessel in distress the response method required Tf this information was included in the original distress alert the DSC2 will automatically copy it to this screen When you are satisfied that the message is ready for sending simply press the SEND CALL button or the CANCEL button if you want to cancel th
14. Send Call You now have the option of changing e the radio equipment and frequency the screen will show the default frequency e the response communications required again the screen will show the default method EOS indicates End Of Signal TE ee DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls You may want to select an other radio transceiver and frequency for radio propagation reasons Turn to page 18 for more information on different frequencies If you decide to change the response communications required for example if you wanted to change the position information press the CHANGE button next to the relevant entry which takes you into the TELECOMMAND INFORMATION screen TELECOMMAND INFORMAT SIMPLEX TELEPHONE DUPLEX TELEPHONE NO INFORMATION UNABLE TO COMPLY DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls Press the POSITION button to enter the POSITION screen Key in the new position information or select the NO INFORMATION message OSITIO LATITUDE LONGITUDE 374 EA When you are happy with the position information shown press OK and the new position information will automatically be added to your Safety Call DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 3 2 Transmitting the Safety Call If the default information is correct or you have already made any changes necessary press the SEND CALL button at the bottom of the screen The SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen will now appear Category SA
15. TELEPHONE Once initiated the distress message will repeat at roughly 3 to 4 minute intervals until either e you press the CANCEL DISTRESS button or e a coast radio station acknowledges your call If your system has manually tuned transceivers it will not automatically repeat distress alerts The operator must manually repeat the alert EE DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Between distress call attempts the DSC system will automatically listen on the DSC frequency for an acknowledgement signal A coast station will normally respond to a distress alert by sending a DSC ACKNOWLEDGE signal on the relevant DSC frequency first DISTRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 123456789 Distress MMSI 110A Nature UNDESIGNATED Position S7 41 N 122 H5 W 16 58 UTC Subsequent communication SIMPLEX TELEPHONE Received 22 63 96 11 89 36 VHF Channel 78 VHFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call This procedure will automatically turn off distress call repeats from your system Then it will respond on the radio channel and in the mode you have specified As soon as you receive an acknowledgement from a coast station you should then broadcast details of your situation using Radiotelephony or Radio Telex on the relevant distress frequency Your RT message should take the following form e the distress signal MAYDAY e the words THIS IS or DE spoken as DELTA ECHO in the case of language diffic
16. YA DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 6 Accessing safety functions via other menus Under normal circumstances you view incoming Safety Calls as the system automatically displays them and then press the OK button to show that you have read the message You can also press the ACKNOWLEDGE button if you are acknowledging an individual Safety Call But if you want to review an incoming Safety Call at a later stage you can do so by calling up the Message Log and pressing either the OTHER CALLS button or the ALL CALLS button to view all incoming calls 4 7 What if something goes wrong If you make a mistake whilst choosing a type of call or composing a call you still have the opportunity to cancel that call or change the information it contains at each stage of the procedure If the system does not respond in the way you expect you may need to consult the Help Section DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls 5 ROUTINE CALLS This section includes 5 1 Error Not a valid link 5 1 1 Error Not a valid link 5 1 2 Error Not a valid link 5 2 Error Not a valid link 5 3 Error Not a valid link 5 4 Error Not a valid link 5 5 Error Not a valid link DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls 5 1 Sending a ship to ship call 5 1 1 Individual calls If you know the MMSI of the ship you wish to contact you can send an INDIVIDUAL routine call from the TYPE OF CALL screen Access the menu either by pres
17. alert will be repeated until the alert is acknowledged or the transceiver fails However if the radio equipment is manually tuned make sure that you send a distress alert just before you abandon ship This is vital as manually tuned transceivers will not repeat a DSC distress alert 9 2 The DSC is displaying a system fault Part or most of the system has failed This means that one or more of the units that forms part of the DSC system is faulty You can find out which units are faulty and the nature of the fault by looking at the MODULE STATUS option of the SYSTEM STATUS menu which is listed in the Main Menu You may then choose to activate one of the duplicate modules via the Set up menu 9 3 The control panel screen is blank First try adjusting the brightness and contrast controls on the left hand side of the DSC control panel If this doesn t work then cycle the power to the control panel TE DSC2 User Manual HELP 9 4 The ship has suffered a power loss GMDSS requires the radio equipment used for Distress Alerts to be powered from an independent source of energy for at least one hour 9 5 The ship has lost contact with GPS Normally the time date and position information is displayed in black in the top half of the Initial Display Screen If you lose GPS a highlighted bar will appear showing NO GPS INFORMATION the position display will fade to Gary and a message box will pop up asking you to enter
18. at a right angle with the screen The Control Panel must be installed so that direct sunlight can not reach the screen If this is unavoidable and although the display can be read in direct sunlight a sunshade or similar sun protection should be installed for optimum results EE e DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 6 3 Key to screen features Readout of the vessel s position based on the latest reading from the Global Positioning System GPS navigator if connected to the DSC2 system A GPS provides accurate position information which can help to pinpoint your vessel s location in an emergency These are the currently selected transceivers and transceiver types connected to the DSC2 system on your vessel Current date and time provided by an internal clock When a GPS is connected this internal clock is synchronised with the time and date provided by the GPS UTC is Co ordinated Universal Time and replaces the former Greenwich Mean Time GMT COG Course Over Ground this is the true not magnetic course of the ship shown in degrees when this information is supplied by the GPS system SOG Speed Over Ground this is the real speed of the ship through the water shown in knots when this information is supplied by the GPS system The function keys along the bottom of the screen select a variety of sub menus as follows CALL to set up any kind of transmission LOG to view incoming DSC me
19. conditions see page 18 for more information on frequencies 2 Use any other means possible to send your message for example INMARSAT satellite or an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon EPIRB See Chapter 7 for more information on sending satellite distress alerts Normally the DSC2 will keep repeating a distress alert until either it receives a DSC acknowledgement or you manually cancel the alert This means that even if you have to abandon ship the DSC will keep transmitting the alert for as long as the shipboard conditions permit ES ee DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation IMPORTANT A DSC2 system with manually tuned transceivers will not automatically repeat distress alerts You must manually repeat each alert as if you were sending a new distress alert following the procedures as detailed in Chapter 8 The reason for installing a fully automatic system on board is therefore obvious 2 4 3 Changing the distress alert message When you press the DISTRESS button for the first time the following screen will appear showing the default message which will be sent out if you do not have time to change any of the entries COMPOSE DISTRESS ALERT osition HO POSITION SPECIFIED ubsequent communication SIMPLEX TELEPHONE DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation The screen gives you the option of changing e the frequency and the type of transceiver the message will be transmitted on e details about the natur
20. frequency or without DSC Rarely you might also receive relays directly from other ships DISTRESS RELAY Fron 222326614 Distress MMSI 225686527 Call to MMS1I 233092006 Nature FLOODING Position 27 15 N 826 HS W 16 22 UTC Subsequent communication J3E TELEPHONE Received 31 16 95 13 48 36 MF 2167 5kHz HFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call A distress relay will also contain the MMSI of the station that relayed the message to your ship If you receive a distress relay you will hear the same fast two tone alarm as for a distress alert Again you can indicate to the system that you have read the relay by pressing the OK button This will also turn off the alarm The DSC will automatically tune the correct transceiver to the required response frequency You can then monitor the distress frequency and or acknowledge the alert as described in Step 2 ee DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Indicate that you have received the alert It is important that you do not try to acknowledge the distress alert via DSC as soon as you receive it This is because a DSC distress acknowledgement call will automatically cancel the distress transmission Where possible only coast stations should acknowledge a distress alert and co ordinate search and rescue operations So if you receive a distress alert you must give the coast station time to acknowledge that alert The DSC2 has built in safeguards to prevent yo
21. into the DISTRESS ACKNOWLEDGE EDIT screen This does give you the option to change any of the information but normally you would just repeat the same information back to the caller To send the call you would simply press the SEND CALL button and then the hardware ENTER button You will find more information about distress relays and acknowledgements in the DISTRESS OPERATION chapter C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions OTHER CALLS Pressing this button will enable you to view any non distress or urgency calls received by the system ALL SHIPS CALL ron Ship MMSI 222320814 all to ALL SHIPS ategoru SAFETY elecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 6kHz Ho acknowledge required tEO35 eceived 38718795 15 36 33 MF 2187 5kHz Entry 14 of 14 ALL CALLS Pressing this button will enable you to view all the calls received by the system The Message Log can store up to 100 calls As soon as this limit is exceeded the oldest call is discarded DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 3 System Status By pressing the SYSTEM STATUS button on the Main Menu you can review and modify the current status of the system SYSTEM STATUS MODULE STATUS EVENT LOG SYSTEM SELF TEST This screen gives you a number of options Module Status Event Log System Self Test Status Alarms DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions MODULE STATUS This menu allow
22. out the geographic area you need to think of it as a box Reference Point 10 N 20 W First of all you must specify the co ordinates of the point in the top left hand corner of the box by latitude and longitude A Then specify the north south dimension B which equates to the depth of the box in degrees and the east west dimension C which equates to the width of the box in degrees C o DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls Taking the example above the geographic area would be Lat o N S Size W E Size fa Hj 5 fa q z BH Enter rectangle reference point and Input this information using the GEOGRAPHIC AREA screen keypad then press the OK button to accept the data or the CANCEL button if you made a mistake This will return you to the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen To send the call simply press the SEND CALL button at the bottom of the screen and follow the procedures for sending a call outlined in paragraph 4 3 If a ship equipped with DSC receives a geographic area call the DSC system will display the call If the DSC system is connected to a position information source for example a GPS which is providing valid position information than only the relevant calls are displayed If there is no valid position information even if the ship s position has been entered manually all geographic area calls will be displayed If valid position information is available only the relevant calls will
23. the range of telecommunications information you could include in your DSC call You would use this information to indicate the type of communication required for any responses to your DSC call Each page will indicate which options are currently active The DSC2 is designed to protect the essential equipment required by GMDSS rules This means that you will only see the CHANGE button next to those options which the system will allow you to change In practice you will rarely need to use these screens However if you do change any settings you should then press the SAVE button at the bottom of the screen and the system will then ask you to confirm your changes If you make a mistake or want to revert to the default equipment settings for Telecommand 1 simply press the DEFAULTS button at the bottom of the screen C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 1 4 Telecommand 2 TELECOMMAND 2 SETUP Page 1 of 5 These five pages display the range of telecommunications messages you could include in your DSC call Many of these options are specialised and you will rarely need to use them In fact it is better to keep DSC calls free of clutter so that your message is as clear as possible Again each page will indicate which options are currently active The DSC2 is designed to protect the essential equipment required by GMDSS rules This means that you will only see the CHANGE button next to those options w
24. view it again by pressing the LOG button on the Initial Display Screen and choosing the OTHER CALLS or ALL CALLS option or by pressing the MESSAGE LOG button on the Main Menu Pressing the ACKNOWLEDGE button will take you into the COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGE screen where you have the option of changing the MMSI number the transmit frequency the call category the telecommand information COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGE all to MMSI 2223278814 Frequency all category ROUTINE elecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2533 2kHz Ru 25353 2kHz Acknowledgement ck B4 However normally you would just send the original information back to the caller when acknowledging this type of call EE ee DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls Press the SEND CALL button which will take you into the SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen where you can double check the message you will be sending back to the caller SEND CALL INDIVIDUAL CALL Category ROUTINE Call to MH I 22232606014 Telecommand JSE TELEPHONE No Information Acknowledge requiredtAck RQ DSC frequencies MF 2177 4kH z T 2177 kHz cance To transmit the call press the ENTER hardware button The DSC will automatically retune the appropriate equipment to the right frequency whenever this is necessary If your transceivers are manually tuned the CALL CONFIRMATION screen will indicate which frequency you need to tune to DSC2 U
25. your current position manually If you choose not to do this and simply close down the message box by pressing the NO button the system will continue to remind you at ten minute intervals and will display a highlighted bar showing NO POSITION INFORMATION The system will prompt you for an update of a manually entered position every four hours If you want to update a manual position sooner use the Manual Position screen an option of the Set up sub menu which will enable you to input the necessary information If you do input the position manually a highlighted bar will appear below the information on the Initial Display Screen indicating Operator Entered Position Obviously it is important to keep your position information up to date as this could be vital if you have to send a distress alert This message bar will automatically clear and the position information will be updated as soon as GPS becomes valid again For more information on entering your position or time or date manually see page 109 C o DSC2 User Manual HELP 9 6 You ve sent a false alarm If you have sent a false alarm you need to cancel this distress alert as soon as possible and then inform the nearest coast station To cancel the distress alert message 1 Simply press the CANCEL DISTRESS button GMDSS DSC SYSTEM of 41 C0G 269 A a 506 844kts 11 19 UTC 22 03 96 GPS INFORMATION VALID HF Channel 16 RT M
26. 22 H5 W 506 844kts 11 19 UTC 22 03 96 GPS INFORMATION VALID HF Channel 16 RT MF 2182 8kHz HF Watch Rx OK Rx 2182 kHz HF Watch Rx OK SENDING VHF DISTRESS CALL CANCEL DISTRESS CALL The system will ask you to confirm the distress cancellation for each radio currently transmitting a distress call DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Confirm the CANCEL DISTRESS CALL The system will ask you to confirm or cancel your action by pressing either the YES or NO button and will subsequently inform you about its actions Cancel VHF distress call Cancelling VHF distress call DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 5 Receiving a distress alert When you receive a distress alert your first action should always be to establish the source of the alert This will help you to decide how best to respond You could receive a distress alert directly from the vessel in distress or a relayed distress alert from a coast station or more rarely a distress alert relayed from another vessel What follows is a step by step guide to the distress alert response procedure which we recommend that you read through several times so that you become familiar with the process Oa The DSC2 receives a distress alert When your system receives a distress alert you will hear a fast two tone alarm and the Control Panel will display the following screen DISTRESS ALERT Fron Ship MMSI 222328814 Nature SINKING Position S3
27. 5 27 M 829 47 W 15 47 UTC Subsequent communication J3E TELEPHONE Received 22 63 96 11 22 23 MF 2167 5kHz HFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation The display shows MMSI of the ship in distress nature of distress if details are available position information if details are available what response method should be used for subsequent communication when the call was received and on which frequency how many unread calls are logged Subsequent communication will take place on the frequency associated with the band on which the call is received The transceiver will automatically be tuned to this frequency If the system detected any errors in the call it will display the CHECKSUM ERROR message You would not normally act upon a message with a checksum error unless by listening on the appropriate voice and or Radio Telex frequencies you could determine that you could usefully help Otherwise read the message and then press the OK button to indicate that you have seen the DISTRESS ALERT RECEIVED warning screen This will also cancel the alarms DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Ob The DSC2 receives a relayed distress alert Occasionally a distress alert may be relayed to you It could be that a coast station has identified you as the ship most able to help the ship in distress You may not have received the original alert because it was sent on a non standard
28. 5 1 1 Individual calls 74 5 1 2 Group and geographic area calls 76 EE ee Ix DSC2 User Manual Contents 5 2 Responding to an incoming call 77 5 3 Making a test call 80 5 4 Telephone calls 84 5 5 What if something goes wrong 84 6 OTHER DSC2 MAIN MENU FUNCTIONS 85 6 1 Compose Call 87 6 2 Message Log 88 6 2 1 General points about message screens 88 6 2 2 The different types of Message Log 90 6 3 System Status 93 6 4 Remote Radio Tune 97 6 5 Set up 99 6 5 1 Preferences 99 6 5 2 Directory Editor 105 6 5 3 Manual Position 109 6 5 4 Date and Time 110 6 5 5 HF Watch Receiver Set up 111 6 6 System Information 113 6 7 Configuration 114 Ee e DSC2 User Manual Contents 6 8 What if something goes wrong 114 7 RADIO TELEX amp INMARSAT C 115 7 1 Using Radio Telex for distress messages 115 7 2 Using Inmarsat C for distress messages 117 8 USING THE DSC2 SYSTEM WITH MANUALLY TUNED TRANSCEIVERS 119 8 1 Retuning to send or receive calls 119 8 2 Sending repeated distress alerts 122 9 HELP 123 9 1 The vessel is sinking you need to abandon ship 124 9 2 The DSC is displaying a system fault Part or most of the system has failed 124 9 3 The control panel screen is blank 124 9 4 The ship has suffered a power loss 125 9 5 The ship has lost contact with GPS 125 9 6 You ve sent a false alarm 126 9 7 No one has responded to your distress alert another ship s distress alert 128 Oe XI DSC2 Use
29. C Coast Station MMSI 682320814 DSC freq MF 2187 5kHz Name LYNBY Coast Station MMSI 662191608 DSC freq HF 8414 5kH z Hame OSTENDE Coast Station MMSI 682850488 DSc f You can use this screen to e to search the current entries in the directory e enter a new entry e change or delete an existing entry EE DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 2 1 Searching the directory The title bar of the Directory Editor screen indicates how many pages of entries the directory contains and you can use the NEXT button at the bottom of the screen to cycle through these pages until you find the correct entry 6 5 2 2 Adding a new entry You can add a new entry by pressing the NEW ENTRY button at the bottom of the screen This will take you into the NEW DIRECTORY ENTRY screen NEU DIRECTORY ENTR You can add the new entry by pressing the CHANGE button next to e name e MMSI number e call frequency 7 DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions Entering the name and call frequency will help you identify the MMSI you want more easily However you can leave the call frequency information blank if you prefer as this may change depending on the nature of the call Once you have entered the new information press the SAVE button to save the new entry into the directory or the CANCEL button to cancel the new entry or return to the previous screen 6 5 2 3 Changing or delet
30. F 2182 8kHz HF Watch Rx OK Rx 2182 HkHz HF Watch Rx OK SENDING VHF DISTRESS CALL CANCEL DISTRESS CALL The DSC2 system will ask you to confirm the distress cancellation for the radio s currently transmitting the distress call DSC2 User Manual HELP 2 Confirm the CANCEL DISTRESS CALL action Cancel VHF distress call The system will simply ask you to confirm or cancel your action by pressing either the YES or NO button Cancelling VHF distress call DSC2 User Manual HELP It is very important to inform the nearest Coastguard MRCC Maritime Rescue Co ordination Centre that you have sent a false distress alert as soon as you have pressed the CANCEL DISTRESS button Use any communication means possible If you do not do this you may cause others to put their lives at risk unnecessarily Remember Sending false alerts can cause many problems for rescue services and other vessels Always use the system carefully the last thing you want in an emergency is to be mistaken for a false alarm For information on sending and cancelling distress alerts see Chapter 2 9 7 No one has responded to your distress alert another ship s distress alert If no one has responded to your alert you should immediately e make sure that your radio equipment is working properly check system status and that you are using the right equipment and frequency for your sea area and conditions e use any other means possi
31. F 2182 8kHz Rx Z182 kHz for call response DSC2 User Manual Manually Tuned Transceivers 8 2 Sending repeated distress alerts A DSC2 system with manually tuned transceivers will not automatically repeat distress alerts You must manually repeat each alert as if you were sending a new distress alert following the procedures detailed in Chapter 2 DSC2 User Manual HELP 9 HELP This section aims to provide quick answers to some common questions about the DSC including what to do next if 9 1 The vessel is sinking you need to abandon ship go to page 124 9 2 The DSC is displaying a fault part or most of the system has failed go to page 124 9 3 The control panel screen is blank go to page 124 9 4 The ship has suffered a power loss go to page 125 9 5 The ship has lost contact with GPS go to page 125 9 6 You ve sent a false alarm go to page 126 9 7 No one has responded to your distress alert another ship s distress alert go to page 128 DSC2 User Manual HELP 9 1 The vessel is sinking you need to abandon ship If time allows immediately transmit a distress call using HF MF VHF DSC or INMARSAT Then embark in survival craft with portable VHF transceiver SART Search And Rescue Transponder and if possible an EPIRB Switch on the EPIRB and SART immediately and leave these devices on If you did send a DSC distress alert using the usual procedure before you abandoned your ship the distress
32. FETY Call to ALL SHIPS Telecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 8kHz Rx 2182 8kH z No acknowledge required EOS DSC frequency MF 2187 5kHz Press ENTER button to ser The SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen confirms e category of the call i e safety e type e g all ships e telecommand information e g communications required on which channel whether acknowledge is required position if available etc e transmit frequency If you don t want to send this call or you want to get back to the previous screen COMPOSE ALL SHIPS SAFETY CALL then press the CANCEL button on the screen PE ee DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls If you still want to send this call press the ENTER hardware button Your call will then be transmitted Sending call using VHF1 Once the call has been transmitted you can then deliver your safety message using the communications method specified For example if you announced that the communications method was Simplex telephone VHF Channel 16 you should broadcast the details of your safety over that channel as soon as you have transmitted the DSC Safety Call The DSC system will automatically set up the equipment for the communications required or prompt you to do so if your transceivers are manually tuned DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls You should broadcast the details of your call according to the guidelines for Safety Calls laid down by the IMO A typical RT safety message
33. LL ACKNOWLEDGE screen as shown on the next page PE o ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls elecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 8 kHz Hx 2162 HkHz Acknowledgement ck B4 Once you have made any required changes press the SEND CALL button Press the CANCEL button if you want to cancel the acknowledgement or access the previous screen Pressing the SEND CALL button brings you into the SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen If you still want to send the call press the ENTER button Your call will then be transmitted SEND CALL CONFIRMATION INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Category URGENCY Call to MH I 22232606014 Telecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 8kHz Rx 2182 8kH z Acknowledgement Ack BQ DSC frequency MF 2187 S5kH z Press ENTER button to send DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 6 Accessing urgency functions via other menus Under normal circumstances you view incoming Urgency Calls as the system automatically displays them and then press the OK button to show that you have read the message You can also press the ACKNOWLEDGE button if you are acknowledging an individual Urgency Call But if you want to review an incoming Urgency Call at a later stage you can do so by calling up the Message Log and pressing the DISTRESS CALLS button to view all distress or urgency calls OTHER CALLS to view all other calls including safety calls or ALL CALLS to view all incoming
34. LL SHIPS SAFETY GEOGRAPHIC AREA DISTRESS RELAY TELEPHONE INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 4 1 Sending a Geographic Area Safety Call Press the GEOGRAPHIC AREA button on the TYPE OF CALL screen This takes you to the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL DSC frequency VHF Channel 7A N S Size WE Size HAN BABE i 41 Call category Telecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 16 CHANGE No acknowledge required EOS This screen helps you to compose your call You need to check e the transceiver and the frequency the Safety Call will be transmitted on e the geographic area you want to send the call out to See next paragraph for more information e the call category in this case safety e the response communications required This information is all co dependent so for example if you changed the category to safety by pressing the change button next to the Call Category entry and selecting safety you would find that the telecommand and frequency information would also have changed automatically to the relevant default settings for an Safety Call Te ee DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 4 2 Selecting the geographic area for your call To specify the geographic area for your call press the CHANGE button next to the latitude and longitude information entry on the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen see above To work
35. MODULAR GMDSS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM DSC USER MANUAL ICS Electronics Ltd DSC2 User Manual SHIP s IDENTIFICATION SHIPS NAME Fea eina e a ee Le ine aves CALL SIGN e anise diva E aa escheat eave E R GE MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE IDENTITY MMSI MMSI lt GNDIVIDWAL 2 seccvceovessvecties snaeh eoe at MMSI GROUP ssie enrio oseese eire ri RADIO TELEX SELCALD priae cc ccccccsccccccccecesssssceeeceesessssaseeees ACCOUNTING AUTHORITY oo ccccccessssseceeeeeeeesssseeeeeeees ON BOARD SPARES CARRIED YES NO Delete as appropriate SHORE BASED MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH DSC2 User Manual All rights reserved No part of this document may be reproduced stored in a network system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical for any purpose without the express written permission of ICS Electronics Ltd 1998 ICS Electronics Limited All rights reserved DSC2 User Manual What you need to know before you use this Manual To legally operate the equipment described in this manual you should possess an appropriate GMDSS certificate or you should be under supervision of someone who holds this appropriate certificate The appropriate certificate must be one of the following The First Class Radio Electronic Certificate The Second Class Radio Electronic Certificate The General Operator s Certificate For ships sailing only within the range of VHF coast stations a Restricted Operator s Ce
36. Not a valid link 10 2 1 Ship MMSI number A ship has a nine digit MMSI number which is expressed as MIDXXXXXX where MID is the country code The MID represents only the country assigning the group identity and does not prevent calls to groups of ships containing more than one nationality Example of an individual ship MMSI 232999999 The UK country code is 232 or 233 and the six following numbers in the MMSI identify a particular ship In the previous example of an individual ship MMSI the ship has a UK MID and has 999999 as identifier DSC2 User Manual MMSI Numbers Group of ships MMSI number These have a very similar MMSI number to individual ship MMSI s except that the country code is preceded by a zero and only five numbers are used to identify each group Example of a group of ships MMSI 023288888 10 2 2 Coast station MMSI number These have a very similar MMSI number to group of ships MMSI s except that the country code is preceded by two zeroes and only four numbers are used to identify each group Example of a coast station MMSI 002328888 10 2 3 Group of coast stations MMSI number These have a very similar MMSI number to coast station MMSI s except that the four number identifier will be different Example of a group of coast stations MMSI 002328887 DSC2 User Manual MMSI Numbers 10 2 4 MID CODES by country Norway 257 Norway 258 Poland 261 Portugal 263 Lithuania Russia
37. SC2 User Manual APPENDICES This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual Distress Frequencies 10 1 APPENDIX I DISTRESS FREQUENCIES Within GMDSS guidelines a number of frequencies have been specifically allocated for ships aircraft or survival craft to use for distress communications They should only be used for the distress call and distress traffic and for urgency or safety calls Distress frequencies are often paired each pair consisting of one transmission and one receiving frequency Allocated Frequencies for Distress and Safety Band DSC Radio Telephony distress safety distress safety distress safety MF 2 187 5 2 182 HE 4MHz 4 207 5 4 125 HF6 MHz 6312 6215 HF 8 MHz 8 414 5 8 291 HF 12MHz 12577 12 290 HF 16 MHz 16 804 5 16 420 VHF Channel 70 Channel 16 For more information on how to choose the right frequency for different environmental conditions see page 18 DSC2 User Manual Distress Frequencies This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual MMSI Numbers 10 2 APPENDIX II MMSI NUMBERS Any station involved in the Mobile Maritime Service from ship stations to groups of ships or coast stations has its own identity code These nine digit codes are vital to ensure that important communications get through to the right station Four types of stations have an MMSI number 11 2 1 Error Not a valid link 11 2 2 Error Not a valid link 11 2 3 Error Not a valid link 11 2 4 Error
38. SC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions Each message screen provides a variety of information ALL SHIPS CALL HFrom Ship MMSI H 222320014 HCall to H ALL SHIPS Category SAFETY HTelecommand J3E TELEPHONE H MF 2182 8kHz Ho acknowledge required EO35 Received 30 10 95 15 30 33 MF 2187 5kHz Entry 14 of 14 The nature of the call for example the MMSI of the vessel or coast station sending the message the type of the call e g All Ships the category of call e g distress safety etc the communications methods required e g type of equipment channel or frequency whether an acknowledgement is required Details about the call for example e the time and date the call was received e the channel or frequency on which the call was received e if the call requires a response the screen will indicate that the relevant equipment and frequency are tuned for response or prompt you to retune if you use manually tuned transceivers e whether the call contained any errors the checksum status of the call The total number of entries in that Message Log C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 2 2 The different types of Message Log DISTRESS CALLS This will enable you to view any distress or urgency category messages the system has received DISTRESS ALERT ron Ship MMSI 2223246814 ature LISTING osition 12 S4 MN 814 42 W 12 55 UTC ubsequent communication J3E
39. TELEPHONE eceived 36 16 7995 16 29 46 MF 2187 5kHz Fi tuned for call response Entry 25 of 25 If you are viewing distress calls you may also be given the option of relaying or acknowledging the distress alert To relay the call you would press the SEND RELAY button at the bottom of the screen Remember this option should not be used lightly as it can be very confusing for coast stations to receive the same distress alert both from the original ship and from other ships which have responded to the alert Always allow enough time for a coast station to respond first before relaying a message As an extra precaution the ICS DSC2 system will flash up a warning when you attempt a relay and ask you to confirm that you wish to proceed C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions A distress alert relay should only be sent if a ship in distress cannot transmit it s own alert or you consider that further help is necessary Relay distress alert On rare occasions you may need to acknowledge a distress alert call The system will not give you this option until the call has already met the right conditions which are 1 The system has already received one distress alert the first time you will not get the ACKNOWLEDGE option 2 The system has received a second distress alert within the last five minutes If these conditions are met the system will display the ACKNOWLEDGE button which will take you
40. TO COMPLY DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls Press the POSITION button to enter the POSITION screen Key in the new position information or you select the NO INFORMATION message OSITIO LATITUDE LONGITUDE 374 EA When you are happy with the position information shown press OK and the new position information will automatically be added to your urgency call DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 3 2 Transmitting the Urgency Call If the default information is correct or you have already made any changes necessary press the SEND CALL button at the bottom of the screen The SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen will now appear Category URGENCY Call to ALL SHIPS Telecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 16 No acknowledge required EOS DSC frequency VHF Channel YFA Press ENTER button to ser The SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen confirms e category of the call i e urgency e type e g all ships e telecommand information e g communications required on which channel whether acknowledge is required position if available etc e transmit frequency If you don t want to send this call or you want to get back to the previous screen COMPOSE ALL SHIPS URGENCY CALL then press the CANCEL button on the screen C o ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls If you still want to send this call press the ENTER hardware button Your call will then be transmitted Sending call using VHF1
41. You can then respond to the Safety Call according to IMO regulations You would not normally acknowledge an Safety Call unless it was an INDIVIDUAL call and the ship making the call had requested acknowledgement C o DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls INDIVIDUAL CALL Fron Ship MMSI 123456789 Call to MMSI 116666668 Category SAFETY Telecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 66 Acknowledge required Ack RQ Received 22 63 96 12 31 61 VHF Channel Y VYHF1 tuned for call response 1 Unread call If you do need to acknowledge an INDIVIDUAL Safety Call use the following procedure Press the ACKNOWLEDGE button at the bottom of a received call screen or a Message Log screen You will then see the COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGE screen COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGE all category elecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 46 CHANGE Acknowledgement ck B4 Send Call DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls Once you have made any required changes press the SEND CALL button Press the CANCEL button if you want to cancel the acknowledgement or access the previous screen If you still want to send this call press the ENTER hardware button The call will then be transmitted SEND CALL CONFIRMATION INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Category SAFETY Call to MMS1I 123456789 Telecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 66 Acknowledgement Ack BQ DSC frequency VHF Channel
42. all attempt Five consecutive DSC distress calls on ONE frequency in the MF HF or VHF bands 2 Multi frequency call attempt Up to six consecutive DSC distress calls sent on any of the six frequencies in the MF and HF bands only DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation In MF and HF there is no such thing as The Right Frequency but generally the greater the distance the signal will have to travel the higher the frequency you will need in order to ensure that your message gets through However you should also be aware that radio transmissions can also be affected by the following factors the weather storms particularly electrical storms rain etc the time of year sunspot activity local geography on flat open sea or surrounded by cliffs or mountains time of day In VHF the most important factor is the line of sight As long as it is possible for your antenna to see the other antenna you can be confident to have a base for reliable communications DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 4 5 Manually cancelling the distress alert message Normally your distress alert will be terminated by a coast station acknowledgement However if the only response to your alert is from another ship by RT or Telex or you did sent a false alarm you should manually cancel your distress alert To cancel the distress alert message Press the CANCEL DISTRESS CALL button GMDSS DSC 3 of 41 C0G 269 1
43. alls routine calls check messages set up check and test the system compile a useful directory of frequently contacted stations modify the default settings of the system This User Manual also includes a Help chapter and a brief introduction to using other communication systems connected to the DSC2 system such as Radio Telex and Inmarsat C to summon help in an emergency A separate user manual is available covering detailed operation of the Radio Telex system NBDP for routine communication If you are installing the DSC2 system you should consult the DSC2 Technical Manual EE Oe DSC2 User Manual This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual Contents CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION amp OVERVIEW 1 1 1 Why do we need the DSC2 system 1 1 2 Definitions of the different Sea Areas 1 1 3 Where can the DSC2 system be used 2 1 4 Advantages of the DSC2 system 2 1 5 The DSC2 system overview 3 1 6 The DSC2 Control Panel 5 1 6 1 What are the hardware buttons 5 1 6 2 The Initial Display Screen 6 1 6 3 Key to screen features 7 1 6 4 Are these menu buttons always displayed 8 1 7 Touch Screens and General Maintenance 8 1 7 1 A quick note about touch screens 1 7 2 General maintenance 2 DISTRESS OPERATION 9 2 1 What is a distress alert transmission 10 2 2 What if you transmitted a false alarm 10 DSC2 User Manual Contents 2 3 Nature of Distress 10 2 4 Sending a distress alert 11 2 4 1 How to sen
44. be displayed PE o ee DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 4 3 Individual and group calls INDIVIDUAL or GROUP Safety Calls follow exactly the same procedure as GEOGRAPHIC AREA calls The GROUP option enables you to send a call to all stations with the same group MMSI The INDIVIDUAL option enables you to contact a specific vessel by entering its MMSI You can either enter an MMSI manually or call up one from your MMSI directory DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 5 How to respond to a Safety Call If the DSC2 system has received an Safety Call you will hear a beep beep alarm and the relevant screen will be displayed depending on the type of call ALL SHIPS INDIVIDUAL etc GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL Fron Ship MMSI 232444444 Call to Lat Long N Size W E Size 49 N AZU agt AS Category SAFETY Telecommand J3E TELEPHONE No Tx info Rx 2182 6kHz No acknowledge required EOS Received 61 11 95 12 44 14 MF 2167 5kHz HFi tuned for call response 1 Unread call A highlighted bar at the bottom of the screen will indicate which radio equipment is tuned for your response Press the OK button and the system reverts to the Initial Display Screen which displays the CANCEL RADIO TUNE button at the bottom of the screen The DSC2 will automatically tune the appropriate equipment to the correct channel If your transceiver was in use when the call was received the TUNE RADIO button will be displayed
45. ble to send your message for example INMARSAT or EPIRB If no one has responded to another ship s alert and the distress alert has met the right conditions which are 1 The DSC2 system has already received one distress alert 2 The DSC2 system has received a second distress alert within the last five minutes 3 The call alert was not received on HF You may then need to acknowledge the alert yourself C o DSC2 User Manual HELP Warning You should only use the acknowledge option as a last resort as it will stop a distress alert from being sent to any other vessel or coast station If you do acknowledge a distress alert it is then your responsibility to ensure that the message gets through to an MRCC by whatever means possible We have built safeguards into the DSC2 system so that you will not be given the option to acknowledge a distress alert unless these IMO GMDSS conditions have been met The DSC2 system will also flash up a warning when you attempt to acknowledge and ask you to confirm that you wish to proceed Remember that you can only acknowledge a repeated VHF or MF distress call HF calls can be sent all over the world so you could have the situation where a distress call could be acknowledged and therefore cancelled by a vessel which is thousands of miles away from the distress vessel For more information on acknowledging a distress alert see Chapter 2 DSC2 User Manual APPENDICES 10 APPENDICES D
46. calls 3 7 What if something goes wrong If you make a mistake whilst choosing a type of call or composing a call you still have the opportunity to cancel that call or change the information it contains at each stage of the procedure If the system does not respond in the way you expect you may need to consult the Help Section DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 SAFETY CALLS This section includes 4 1 Error Not a valid link 4 2 Error Not a valid link 4 3 Error Not a valid link 4 3 1 Error Not a valid link 4 3 2 Error Not a valid link 4 4 Error Not a valid link 4 4 1 Error Not a valid link 4 4 2 Error Not a valid link 4 4 3 Error Not a valid link 4 5 Error Not a valid link 4 6 Error Not a valid link 4 7 Error Not a valid link DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 1 When would you use a safety call The Safety Call format or the Safety Signal indicates that the calling station has an important navigational or meteorological warning to transmit 4 2 Differences and Examples For a Distress Call the possible Natures of Distress are clearly defined For Urgency and Safety Calls however we can only rely on the basic definition and illustrate the differences between Urgency and Safety with relevant examples in the table below URGENCY seriously injured crew member engine failure but not yet in trouble cargo shifted but not yet in trouble SAFETY iceberg storm oil rig being towed th
47. d a default distress alert 12 2 4 2 What if no one responds to your distress alert 15 2 4 3 Changing the distress alert message 16 2 4 4 Choosing the right frequency 18 2 4 5 Manually cancelling the distress alert message 20 2 5 Receiving a distress alert 22 2 6 What if something goes wrong 35 3 URGENCY CALLS 37 3 1 When would you use an Urgency Call 38 3 2 Differences and Examples 38 3 3 How do you send an Urgency Call 39 3 3 1 Announcing the Urgency Call 39 3 3 2 Transmitting the Urgency Call 43 3 4 Sending Individual Group or Geographic Area Urgency Calls 46 3 4 1 Sending a Geographic Area Urgency Call 47 3 4 2 Selecting the geographic area for your call 48 3 4 3 Individual and group calls 50 3 5 How to respond to an urgency call 50 DSC2 User Manual Contents 3 6 Accessing urgency functions via other menus 53 3 7 What if something goes wrong 53 4 SAFETY CALLS 55 4 1 When would you use a safety call 56 4 2 Differences and Examples 56 4 3 How do you send a Safety Call 57 4 3 1 Announcing the Safety Call 57 4 3 2 Transmitting the Safety Call 61 4 4 Sending Individual Group or Geographic Area Safety Calls 64 4 4 1 Sending a Geographic Area Safety Call 65 4 4 2 Selecting the geographic area for your call 66 4 4 3 Individual and group calls 68 4 5 How to respond to a Safety Call 69 4 6 Accessing safety functions via other menus 72 4 7 What if something goes wrong 72 5 ROUTINE CALLS 73 5 1 Sending a ship to ship call 74
48. e distress relay or return to the previous screen As a safeguard to prevent unnecessary relays the system will then flash up a relay warning screen A distress alert relay should only be sent if a ship in distress cannot transmit it s own alert or you consider that further help is necessary Relay distress alert DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Pressing YES will take you into the SEND CALL CONFIRMATION DISTRESS RELAY screen SEND CALL CONFIRMATION DISTRESS RELAY Distress MMSI 2352444444 Distress Nature COLLISION Distress position 48 SS N 619 55 U 88 57 UTC Call to MHI 646232404014 FALMOUTH RCC Subsequent communication J3E TELEPHONE Transmit frequency MF 2187 5kHz Press DISTRESS button to ser cancer To send this distress relay press the red DISTRESS button once The next screen simply confirms the details of the relay being send Information Sending distress relay using HF1i DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Send a DSC acknowledge Warning You should only use the acknowledge option as a last resort as it will inhibit a distress alert from being sent to any other vessel or coast station If you do acknowledge a distress alert it is then your responsibility to ensure that the message gets through to an MRCC by whatever means possible Normally acknowledging something means that you are simply confirming that you have received or noticed it In the spec
49. e any repeat calls yourself if you can 8 1 Retuning to send or receive calls For example when sending a distress call you would need to tune the relevant transceiver to the right frequency send the call then retune to the right transceiver and frequency to await a response The DSC2 makes retuning manually a straightforward process by prompting you to retune whenever necessary and then asking you to confirm that you have carried this out See also page 18 for more information on choosing the right transceiver and frequencies EE ee DSC2 User Manual Manually Tuned Transceivers The DSC has no way of detecting whether you have retuned or not so it is very important that you follow any instructions given as carefully as possible When sending a distress alert from the COMPOSE DISTRESS ALERT screen requency 1 7A ature UNDES IGHATED osition S37 41 N 122 R5S W 13 33 UTC ubsequent communication SIMPLEX TELEPHONE Tune VYHFI to DSC frequency then press and hold DISTRESS button for G seconds to send this alert Tune radio VYHF1 to VHF Channel 16 for distress alert response DSC2 User Manual Manually Tuned Transceivers SEND CALL ALL SHIPS CALL Category SAFETY Call to ALL SHIPS Telecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 8kHz Rx 2182 8kH z No acknowledge required EOS DSC frequency MF 2187 5kHz Tune HF1 to DSC frequency details then press ENTER button to send cancer une radio o M
50. e beauty of the DSC2 system is that the Control Panel is very quick to learn and very easy to use especially for sending a distress alert when the last thing you want to do is consult a manual DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 6 The DSC2 Control Panel DSC2 GMDSS DSC Control Panel priGHTNess_F 1 CONTRAST 1 6 1 What are the hardware buttons The Control Panel has four buttons to the left of the display DISTRESS Used to make and send a distress call Used to send any non distress call that has been set up and is currently displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD screen BRIGHTNESS Allows you to adjust the LCD s brightness for different lighting conditions CONTRAST Allows you to adjust the LCD contrast level DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 6 2 The Initial Display Screen When the system is first switched on the screen will not display any menu buttons This is perfectly normal the system is running a self test and configuration process Each panel will then revert to its Initial Display Screen FN 42 122 86 W 18 55 UTC GPS INFORMATION VALID HF Channel 16 MF 2182 6kI HF Watch Rx OK Rx 2182 0 F Watch Rx OK To get the best view of the LCD liquid crystal display you must directly face it so that your eyes are
51. e of the distress e your position e how you want coast stations and other vessels to respond to your distress alert for example by simplex telephone or radio telex If you want to change any of these simply press the CHANGE button next to the relevant entry This will take you to another screen where all the permitted choices are listed For example you might want to choose another frequency DSC TRANSMIT FREQUENCY VHF CHANNEL 74 MF 2187 5kHz INMARSAT DISTRESS HF 4247 SkHz HF 6312 6kHz ALL HF MULTI FREQ HF 8414 5kHz USER MULTI FREQ HF 12577 6kHz HF 16864 SkHz DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 4 4 Choosing the right frequency Within GMDSS a number of frequencies have been specifically allocated to be used by ships aircraft or survival craft for distress communications They should only be used for the distress urgency or safety calls and distress traffic eee distress and safety frequencies Band RT distress safety Telex psy distress safety 2 2187 5 kHz 5 kHz 2 182 0 kHz 2 174 5 kHz 4 125 0 kHz 4 177 5 kHz 6 215 0 kHz 6 268 0 kHz 8 291 0 kHz 8 376 5 kHz 12 290 0 kHz 12 520 0 kHz 16 420 0 kHz 16 695 0 kHz Channel 16 No facility DSC distress calls or relayed distress calls are always repeated to increase the chance of the signal getting through You can either send your call on a single frequency several times or as a single call over several frequencies 1 Single frequency c
52. erface m _ _ Interface DSC2 007 x DSC2 007 xx 2 DSC2 007 xx DSC2 008 00 ch70 Watch Pesia DSC2 001 00 AN Receiver g RU LH DSC2 004 00 a Be Rae Control Panel Remote Alarm o o 004 1 DSC2 005 00 ontrol Panel i D Output Remote Alarm Pushbutton VHF ME HF eS VHF np DSC Modem DSC Modem 4 DSC Modem GPS input input DSC2 002 00 DSC2 003 00 DSC2 002 00 NMEA 183 MF HF DSC2 001 00 Telex Codec DSC2 006 00 DSC DSC DSC Printer g Printer Printer DSC2 012 00 DSC2 012 00 Network Router DSC2 012 00 N AS T NI f a e _ m Telex PC Interface DSC2 010 00 EE DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview A typical complete radio communication system will include a DSC2 configuration a number of transceivers and the necessary computers for MF HF and or Inmarsat C Access to the DCS2 system will be through a Control Panel When you want to send a distress alert or make a call you use the Control Panel to send data which is then encoded for transmission and transmitted Watch receivers scan DSC frequencies for distress safety and urgency messages and other routine calls Any incoming calls in the form of data pass through a decoder and are displayed on the Control Panel Telex messages from the MF HF Telex or Inmarsat C can also be displayed using a suitable approved computer and printed out on the respective printer Th
53. ess the OK button to accept the data or the CANCEL button if you made a mistake This will return you to the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen To send the call simply press the SEND CALL button at the bottom of the screen and follow the procedures for sending a call outlined in paragraph 4 3 If a ship equipped with DSC receives a geographic area call the DSC system will display the call If the DSC system is connected to a position information source for example a GPS which is providing valid position information than only the relevant calls are displayed If there is no valid position information even if the ship s position has been entered manually all geographic area calls will be displayed If valid position information is available only the relevant calls will be displayed Te DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 4 3 Individual and group calls INDIVIDUAL or GROUP urgency calls follow exactly the same procedure as GEOGRAPHIC AREA calls The GROUP option enables you to send a call to all stations with the same group MMSI The INDIVIDUAL option enables you to contact a specific vessel by entering its MMSI You can either enter an MMSI manually or call up one from your MMSI directory 3 5 How to respond to an urgency call If the DSC2 system has received an urgency call you will hear a rapid two tone alarm and the relevant screen will be displayed depending on the type of call ALL SHIPS INDIVIDUAL etc
54. h screen is simply tap the button lightly once with your finger The button will depress it will appear highlighted and the system will respond 1 7 2 General maintenance To clean the DSC2 Control Panel simply wipe with a damp cloth This should be done on a weekly basis The Control Panel is water resistant but immersion is not recommended DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 DISTRESS OPERATION This section includes 2 1 Error Not a valid link 2 2 Error Not a valid link 2 3 Nature of Distress 2 4 Error Not a valid link 2 4 1 How to send a default distress alert 2 4 2 What if no one responds to your distress alert 2 4 3 Changing the distress alert message 2 4 4 Choosing the right frequency 2 4 5 Manually cancelling the distress alert message 2 5 Receiving a distress alert 2 6 What if something goes wrong DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 1 What is a distress alert transmission The transmission of a distress alert indicates that a mobile unit or person is in distress and requires immediate assistance N3112 2 2 What if you transmitted a false alarm If you accidentally transmitted a false alarm you must inform the nearest Maritime Rescue Co ordination Centre MRCC as soon as you have pressed the CANCEL DISTRESS button Use any communication means possible By not informing the nearest MRCC you could cause others to put their lives at risk unnecessarily 2 3 Nature of Distress
55. he HF WATCH RECEIVER SETUP screen allows you to choose which channels the watchkeeping receiver will scan If you change any of the entries you can then either SAVE or CANCEL those changes or revert to DEFAULTS Every ship at sea must in order to comply with GMDSS maintain a continuous watch on following Distress and Safety frequencies 1 Ships fitted with VHF transceiver DSC Channel 70 VHF 2 Ships fitted with MF transceiver DSC frequency 2187 5 kHz 3 Ships fitted with MF HF transceiver DSC frequencies 2187 5 kHz and 8414 5 kHz and at least one of the other HF DSC frequencies 4207 5 6312 12577 or 16804 5 kHz The frequency is chosen according to the ship s position and the time of day 4 Ships fitted with INMARSAT MES should maintain a watch for ship to shore distress alerts DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions If you choose the minimum number of GMDSS required channels as shown in item 3 above you will leave some channels free which can be programmed to scan for calls from national coast radio stations HF WATCH RECEIVER SET MF 2187 5kHz DISTRESS Defaults DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 6 System Information This is a title screen for the system which displays your MMSI and your group s MMSI numbers if appropriate It will also show the DSC2 Control Panel s software version number This screen automatically cancels after a few seconds or you can press the OK button to retur
56. he distress frequency for further communications from the vessel or from the coast station You may be directed by the coast station co ordinating the SAR operations to help the vessel Remember You have a legal obligation to assist any vessel in distress If the distress alert is not acknowledged by a coast station you may then decide to send your own DSC relay or acknowledge message First we will take a closer look at relaying a distress alert Then we will find out how to acknowledge an alert using the DSC2 DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Relay the alert to a coast station or all ships Use this relay option only if and when necessary Fron Ship MMSI 22235240814 Nature SINKING Position 35 27 M 829 47 U 15 47 UTC Subsequent communication JIE TELEPHONE Received 31 16 95 13 12 17 MF 2167 5kHz HFi tuned for call response iu d 11 The relay option should not be used lightly as it can be very confusing for coast stations to receive the same distress alert both from the original ship and from other ships which have responded to the alert To try and avoid the explosion of information that would occur when more than one vessel tries to relay the ICS DSC2 system will flash up a warning when you attempt a relay and ask you to confirm that you do wish to proceed It will also only give you the relay option if it received the call less than five minutes ago To send a relay you can either press the SEND
57. hic area you want to send the call out to See next paragraph for more information e the call category in this case urgency e the response communications required This information is all co dependent so for example if you changed the category to urgency by pressing the change button next to the Call Category entry and selecting urgency you would find that the telecommand and frequency information would also have changed automatically to the relevant default settings for an urgency call Pe o ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 4 2 Selecting the geographic area for your call To specify the geographic area for your call press the CHANGE button next to the latitude and longitude information entry on the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen see above To work out the geographic area you need to think of it as a box Reference Point 10 N 20 W First of all you must specify the co ordinates of the point in the top left hand corner of the box by latitude and longitude A Then specify the north south dimension B which equates to the depth of the box in degrees and the east west dimension C which equates to the width of the box in degrees C o DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls Taking the example above the geographic area would be Lat oo N S Size W E Size fa Hj 5 fa E z 3H Enter North West reference point Input this information using the GEOGRAPHIC AREA screen keypad then pr
58. hich continuous digital selective calling DSC alerting is available A2 An area excluding sea area Al within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one MF coast station in which continuous digital selective calling DSC alerting is available A3 An area excluding sea areas Al and A2 within the coverage of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite in which continuous alerting is available An area outside sea areas Al A2 and A3 DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 3 Where can the DSC2 system be used The DSC2 system can be used in all Sea Areas and when used in conjunction with the right combination of suitable type approved equipment the modular DSC2 system gives full compliance with the above mentioned IMO rules combined with a level of ease of use which has not so far been achieved by comparable equipment 1 4 Advantages of the DSC2 system Under GMDSS rules it is no longer mandatory for individual countries to require the vessels under their flag to carry a full time ship s radio officer but every ship shall carry personnel qualified for distress and safety radiocommunication purposes to the satisfaction of the Administration This qualified personnel normally navigation officers must hold a GMDSS General Operator s Certificate GOC Officers transferring between ships may face severe learning problems as they try to get to grips with new and unfamiliar consoles or equipment each time the
59. hich the system will allow you to change You would not normally need to change any of these settings but if you do make a change you should then press the SAVE button at the bottom of the screen and the system will then ask you to confirm your changes If you make a mistake or want to revert to the default settings for Telecommand 2 simply press the DEFAULTS button at the bottom of the screen C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 1 5 Reset to defaults All preference settings will be reset to defaults Conf irm If you make a mistake when setting up preferences or you simply want to return all of the preferences to the default settings of the system choose the RESET TO DEFAULTS option A screen will appear to warn you that all preference settings will then return to their defaults and ask you to confirm that you want to go ahead DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 2 Directory Editor This is a useful option if you want to build up a directory of MMSI s which you contact on a regular basis When you want to send a call you will then have the directory of MMSI s to pick from by pressing the DIRECTORY button This DIRECTORY button will only appear in the MMSI menu when you compose your call and if the directory contains any entries Pressing the DIRECTORY button in the SETUP menu brings you into the DIRECTORY EDITOR DIRECTORY EDITOR Page 1 Name FALMOUTH RC
60. ial case of distress alerts acknowledge has more serious implications it means that you have accepted the responsibility to undertake all actions necessary as required by the Distress Alert message By sending an ACKNOWLEDGE from your DSC2 Control Panel you will automatically cancel any further transmissions from the vessel in distress of that distress alert IMO GMDSS state that ships should not normally acknowledge a distress alert unless e no Coast Station MRCC appears to have acknowledged the call and e the distress alert continues to be repeated We have built safeguards into the ICS DSC2 system so that you will not be given the option to acknowledge a distress alert until all the following conditions have been met 1 The call has not already been acknowledged 2 The call is a repeat distress alert 3 Less than five minutes have elapsed since the call was received DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation To send a DSC acknowledge press the ACKNOWLEDGE button at the bottom of the DISTRESS ALERT screen which you can view in the Message Log To get to the Message Log press the LOG button on the Initial Display Screen rom Ship MMSI 227320014 ature LISTING ositio 12 64 N 414 42 W 12 55 UTC ubsequent communication J3E TELEPHONE eceived 36 16 95 16 41 48 MF 2187 5kHz HFi tuned for call response Cancel DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Pressing the ACKNOWLEDGE button w
61. ill take you into the COMPOSE DISTRESS ACKNOWLEDGE screen COMPOSE DISTRESS ACKNOWLEDGE This screen gives you the option of changing e the radio equipment and frequency the call will be transmitted on normally the same frequency on which you received the alert the MMSI of the vessel in distress the nature of the distress the position of the vessel in distress the response method required Tf this information was included in the original distress alert the DSC2 will automatically copy it to this screen When you are satisfied that the message is ready for sending simply press the SEND CALL button or the CANCEL button if you want to cancel the distress relay or return to the previous screen C o DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation The system will now flash up a warning when you attempt to acknowledge and ask you to confirm that you wish to proceed Distress alerts should normally be acknowledged by a coast station You are responsible for informing a coast station by any practical means if you acknowledge this distress alert Acknowledge distress alert Pressing YES will take you into the SEND CALL CONFIRMATION DISTRESS RELAY screen Distress MMSI 22232HH14 Distress Nature SINKING Distress position 35 27 N 829 48 W 15 49 UTC Call to ALL SHIPS Subsequent communication J3E TELEPHONE DSC frequency MF 2187 SkHz Press DISTRESS button to ser DSC2 User
62. information on how to make a DSC test call turn to Section 5 pages 80 to 83 C o DSC2 User Manual Testing the System This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual Glossary 10 4 APPENDIX IV GLOSSARY Term Definition BIH Bureau International de Heure the International Time Bureau an organisation which maintains the time system world wide CCIR International Radio Consultative Committee CES Coast Earth Station COG Course over ground of ship distress The IMO GMDSS definition of distress is where immediate assistance is required by the mobile station in distress DSC Digital Selective Calling system used in GMDSS to transmit distress alerts from ships May also be used by coast stations to acknowledge alerts and by other ships to relay distress alerts DTE Data Terminal Equipment part of the GMDSS satellite system usually a personal computer EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon a device which automatically transmits distress alert and position information in the event of an emergency FEC Forward Error Correction GMDSS Global Maritime Distress and Safety System GPS Global Positioning System HF High frequency frequencies in the range 3 30 MHz C o DSC2 User Manual Glossary Hz Hertz the unit for frequency IMO International Maritime Organisation INMARSAT INternational MARitime SATellite kHz Kilo Hertz 1 000 Hertz LCD Liquid crystal display LES Land Earth Station
63. ing an entry You can also alter any directory entry by pressing the CHANGE button next to that entry on the DIRECTORY EDITOR screen see above This will take you into the EDIT DIRECTORY ENTRY screen where you will have the option of changing e the name of the entry e the MMSI number e the call frequency you would normally use to contact that MMSI DIRECTORY NAME Delete DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions For example if you wanted to change the name you would press the CHANGE button and this would take you into the DIRECTORY NAME screen where you could then key in the new name and then press the OK button Once you have made any changes to the name MMSI or call frequency press the SAVE button to save that changed entry into the directory You also have the option of removing any entry by pressing the DELETE ENTRY button or by cancelling any changes or returning to the previous screen by pressing the CANCEL button DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 3 Manual Position LA UDE LONG I TUDE UTC arra meOpeo If the GPS navigator is not working or not connected to the DSC system you may need to input your vessel s position into the system This screen will enable you to input the necessary information In fact the DSC will prompt you to change your position manually if it is over four hours old If you simply press OK when you get this prompt the DSC will continue t
64. ing distress message the computer linked to the Radio Telex modem will display it To respond to this message or to send your own if you want to use FEC communication for a distress alert key F5 and select FEC and then type your message from the computer keyboard OMMUNI CATIONS L Nov 95 17 26 47 gt gt FEC MAYDAY THIS IS 232444444 232444444 232444444 56 21 NORTH 08 34 WEST ON FIRE AND DRIFTING REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTSANCE WIND NORTH WESTERLY FORCE SIX DSC FEC Mode Transmit Idle Rx 12526 6 1Tx 12526 6 NBDP DSC2 User Manual Radio Telex amp Inmarsat C The AUTOCOM install disk includes six call template files for distress distress acknowledgement all ships urgency individual urgency all ships safety and individual safety A typical Radio Telex distress message might look as follows MAYDAY DE 232444444 232444444 232444444 56 21 NORTH 08 34 WEST ON FIRE AND DRIFTING REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE WIND NORTH WESTERLY FORCE SIX At the end of the message key F7 on the computer keyboard to switch off the transmitter It is very important to keep FEC transmissions short during distress working and not to leave an idling FEC transmission running as this could block a vital channel for other distress messages or traffic There is no automatic method for signalling the end of a distress working session so if you want to return to scanning for incoming calls you must do this manually by pressing the ALT
65. l button or e the INDIVIDUAL call button or e the GROUP call button or e the GEOGRAPHIC AREA call button The button you choose to press depends on the nature of the urgency and the type of station that you want to contact Procedures to send INDIVIDUAL GROUP or GEOGRAPHIC AREA calls are very similar to the procedure to send an ALL SHIPS URGENCY call but you should read the comments at the end of this section If you press the ALL SHIPS URGENCY call button the COMPOSE ALL SHIPS URGENCY CALL screen appears SC frequency elecommand SIMPLEX TELEPHONE VHF Channel 16 CHANGE No acknowledge required EOS Send Call You now have the option of changing e the radio equipment and frequency the screen will show the default frequency e the response communications required again the screen will show the default method EOS indicates End Of Signal ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls You may want to select an other radio transceiver and frequency for radio propagation reasons Turn to page 18 for more information on different frequencies If you decide to change the response communications required for example if you wanted to change the position information press the CHANGE button next to the relevant entry which takes you into the TELECOMMAND INFORMATION screen TELECOMMAND INFORMAT SIMPLEX TELEPHONE DUPLEX TELEPHONE NO INFORMATION UNABLE
66. l take you into the SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screen SEND CALL CONFIRMATION DSC TEST CALL Category SAFETY Cc all to MMS1 662326614 FALMOUTH RCC Telecommand TEST CALL Acknowledge required Ack RQ DSC frequencies MF 2187 5kH2 Rx 2187 SkHz Press ENTER button to send This screen will confirm the type of the test call the response method required an acknowledgement is required the equipment and frequency the call will be transmitted on DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls If you still want to send the test call press the ENTER button Again if you don t want to send the call or want to return to the previous screen press the CANCEL button Sending call using HF1i When it receives the test call the coast station will send DSC acknowledgement This is usually the only communication you will have with the station when making this type of call DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls 5 4 Telephone calls The DSC2 does have an option for you to make a telephone call via a coast station However to make a telephone call you need a DSC and coast station service which fully supports semi automatic and automatic calls 5 5 What if something goes wrong If you make a mistake whilst choosing a type of call or composing a call you should still have the opportunity to cancel that call or change that information at each stage of the procedure If the system does not respond in the way you expect y
67. ll prompt you to enter the relevant co ordinates to make the call See page 47 for further details on how to make a geographic call DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls 5 2 Responding to an incoming call Any calls coming into the DSC2 system will be automatically stored in the Message Log and also logged at the bottom of the Initial Display Screen Incoming calls will activate an alarm Routine Calls and Safety Calls have a beep beep ringing alarm Incoming Distress and Urgency Calls have a fast two tone alarm If the system detected any errors during the call it will display a CHECKSUM ERROR message FP 222320614 Call to MMSI 116666668 Category ROUTINE Telecommand JZE TELEPHONE No Information Acknowledge required Ack RQ Received 22 63 96 13 84 69 MF 2177 8kHz 1 Unread call The INDIVIDUAL CALL screen will show the type of call identity of the sender which frequency it was received on how the sender wishes you to respond DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls Only individual routine calls normally give you the option to send a reply via DSC When you receive other routine calls you should simply press the OK button and then contact the vessel on the radio equipment and frequency specified in the call If the sender wants you to acknowledge the call then an ACKNOWLEDGE button will be displayed at the bottom right of the screen If you have already pressed the OK button and the screen has disappeared you can
68. lls e group calls including group urgency safety ship s business or routine calls e geographic area calls including urgency safety ship s business or routine calls e telephone calls e test calls TYPE OF CALL DISTRESS ALERT INDIVIDUAL ALL SHIPS URGENCY ALL SHIPS SAFETY GEOGRAPHIC AREA DISTRESS RELAY TELEPHONE INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL Press the button according the call you wish to make and follow the relevant procedures as detailed in the previous three sections C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 2 Message Log There are two routes into the Message Log You can either press the LOG button on the Initial Display Screen or you can press the MESSAGE LOG button on the Main Menu MESSAGE LOGS DISTRESS CALLS ALL CALLS OTHER CALLS The MESSAGE LOG screen gives you the option of viewing e Distress Calls all distress or urgency calls e Other Calls all calls other than distress or urgency e g safety and routine calls e All Calls all calls including distress and urgency calls 6 2 1 General points about message screens The Message Log will automatically display the most recent message first When you are viewing any Log screen you can also move backwards and forwards through the log queue to view the last first next and previous messages To do this you simply press the relevant button on the right hand side of the screen TE ee D
69. might take the following form SECURITE SECURITE SECURITE ALL SHIPS ALL SHIPS ALL SHIPS THIS IS JALAGOPAL JALAGOPAL JALAGOPAL 130 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPURN POINT NEW UNMARKED WRECK AVOID AREA JALOGOPAL CALLSIGN ATRZ OVER SECURITE This is the term used to identify an safety message MAYDAY is used exclusively for distress alerts and PAN PAN is used for urgency calls ALL SHIPS This is the type of the call JALAGOPAL The name of the ship sending the call 130 MILES AREA The nature of the safety situation CALLSIGN ATRZ The call sign of the ship making the Safety Call OVER Used to signify that the end of the message Once you have delivered your safety message you should listen on that frequency for anyone wanting additional information DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 4 Sending Individual Group or Geographic Area Safety Calls If you want to direct your DSC Safety Call to a specific ship or group of ships say for example a fishing fleet or to ships in a specific geographic area select the INDIVIDUAL GROUP or GEOGRAPHIC AREA options as appropriate on the TYPE OF CALL screen You can access the TYPE OF CALL screen by pressing either the CALL button on the Initial Display Screen or the COMPOSE CALL button on the Main Menu The relevant COMPOSE CALL screen will then appear TYPE OF CALL DISTRESS ALERT INDIVIDUAL ALL SHIPS URGENCY A
70. n Fed 273 Spain 224 Sweden 265 Switzerland 269 Turkey 271 Netherlands UK 232 UK 233 Yugoslavia 279 Belgium Netherlands 261 Poland Netherlands 263 Portugal Netherlands 265 Sweden Denmark Italy 269 Switzerland Ireland 271 Turkey Iceland 273 Russian Fed Luxembourg 275 Latvia Monaco 276 Estonia Madeira 277 Lithuania Malta 279 Yugoslavia Norway 331 Greenland Norway 428 Israel DSC2 User Manual MMSI Numbers This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual Testing the System 10 3 APPENDIX III TESTING THE SYSTEM All ships with DSC equipment should carry out daily weekly and monthly tests 10 3 1 Daily tests e Check that the DSC equipment is operating properly at least once day using the self test procedure without transmitting any signals e Check the Radio Batteries and the status of the Battery Charger GMDSS regulations Chapter IV Regulation 13 Paragraph 6 requires the charger to be an automatic type able to recharge the Radio Batteries within 10 h e Check any printers to make sure they have enough paper 10 3 2 Weekly tests e Check that the DSC equipment is operating properly at least once a week by transmitting a test call when you are within range of a coast station fitted with DSC equipment If you have been out of range of a suitable coast station for more than a week make a test call as soon as you get the opportunity 10 3 3 Test calls For more
71. n to the Main Menu DSC Control Panel Ver 1 5 MMSI 233692068 Group 1 999999999 Group 2 999999999 Group 3 999999999 DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 7 Configuration You cannot access this menu unless you have the correct password This is because it should only be used by an installation engineer or someone qualified to carry out shipboard maintenance 6 8 What if something goes wrong If you make a mistake you should still have the opportunity to cancel that call or change that information at each stage of the procedure If the system does not respond in the way you expect you may need to consult Chapter 9 Help DSC2 User Manual Radio Telex amp Inmarsat C 7 Radio Telex amp Inmarsat C This section will look at two other forms of distress communications which can be connected to the DSC2 and give an introductory guide to procedures 7 1 Error Not a valid link 7 2 Error Not a valid link 7 1 Using Radio Telex for distress messages The ICS DSC2 can send or receive Radio Telex messages using the GMDSS Telex Codec Coder Decoder the GMDSS Telex PC Interface and an approved IBM compatible PC running AUTOCOM software The computer is connected to the Telex PC Interface The GMDSS Telex Codec is connected to the DSC network and can therefore share the system s equipment for example transceivers and respond to any DSC calls requiring Telex communications You would normally use Radio Telex
72. nd of the message Once you have alerted someone who can help you stand by on the relevant channel and await further instructions DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 4 Sending Individual Group or Geographic Area Urgency Calls If you want to direct your DSC Urgency Call to a specific ship or group of ships say for example a fishing fleet or to ships in a specific geographic area select the INDIVIDUAL GROUP or GEOGRAPHIC AREA options as appropriate on the TYPE OF CALL screen You can access the TYPE OF CALL screen by pressing either the CALL button on the Initial Display Screen or the COMPOSE CALL button on the Main Menu The relevant COMPOSE CALL screen will then appear TYPE OF CALL DISTRESS ALERT INDIVIDUAL ALL SHIPS URGENCY ALL SHIPS SAFETY GEOGRAPHIC AREA DISTRESS RELAY TELEPHONE INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL ee DSC2 User Manual Urgency Calls 3 4 1 Sending a Geographic Area Urgency Call Press the GEOGRAPHIC AREA button on the TYPE OF CALL screen This takes you to the COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL DSC frequency MF 2187 5kHz N S Size WE Size BAN BABE i 41 Call category Telecommand JSE TELEPHONE MF 2182 8 kHz Rx 2162 8kHz No acknowledge required EOS This screen helps you to compose your call You need to check e the transceiver and the frequency the urgency call will be transmitted on e the geograp
73. o remind you at ten minute intervals Normally the position will automatically be updated by the GPS receiver connected to your system If GPS is valid the position date and time information on the Initial Display Screen will be shown in black type with the indication GPS INFORMATION VALID If you lose GPS the Initial Display Screen will indicate NO GPS INFORMATION C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions If the position information is not updated for four hours or more the position display will fade to Gary and NO POSITION INFORMATION will be displayed If you do input the position manually it will be displayed in black with the indication Operator Entered Position and will remain valid for another four hours Obviously it is important to keep your position information up to date as this could be vital if you have to send a distress alert 6 5 4 Date and Time The system Date and Time is automatically updated by the GPS receiver if one is connected to your system However this screen enables you to set the system s clock and calendar manually if you have to The manual setting will automatically be updated when the GPS data become valid again DATE amp TIME DD MM YY ay E Some GPS systems do not output DATE information In that case you will need to use this menu to set the system date EE o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 5 HF Watch Receiver Set up T
74. or distress alerts L LOG shortcut button M main menu general making a test call manual position manually cancelling a distress alert manually entering your position manually tuned transceivers use of MENU screen DSC2 User Manual Index 50 52 68 71 74 75 87 74 75 68 71 50 52 21 127 44 62 83 35 30 1 15 35 111 115 118 124 128 7 8 28 32 78 88 7 39 46 57 64 74 78 80 85 88 93 99 113 124 80 83 87 139 109 110 125 20 109 125 119 122 39 57 78 80 86 93 7 MENU shortcut button Message Log screens general information Message Log use of MESSAGE LOG screens distress all ships MID codes listed by country MID codes listed by MID codes MID numbers use of in MMSI numbers MMSI numbers how to understand code MMSI screen module status reviewing MUTE STATUS ALARMS screen N NEW DIRECTORY ENTRY screen P POSITION screen position entering manually R radio telex distress messages typical form RADIO TELEX PC screen radio telex general information radio telex use of for sending distress messages radiotelephone distress message typical form DSC2 User Manual Index 7 86 88 99 88 92 88 92 32 90 89 92 137 137 135 136 135 75 7 94 95 96 106 42 60 109 42 60 109 125 116 116 115 117 115 117 14 25 26 7 DSC2 User Manual Index radiotelephone distress messages 14 15 25 radiotelephone
75. ou may need to consult the Help Section DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 OTHER DSC2 MAIN MENU FUNCTIONS This section includes a step by step guide to the following Main Menu selections and their sub menus 6 1 Error Not a valid link 6 2 Error Not a valid link 6 2 1 General points about message screens 6 2 2 The different types of Message Log 6 3 System Status and its sub menu which includes Module Status Event Log System Self Test Status Alarms 6 4 Error Not a valid link 6 5 Set up 6 5 1 Preferences 6 5 2 Error Not a valid link 6 5 3 Manual Position 6 5 4 Date amp Time 6 5 5 Error Not a valid link 6 6 System information 6 7 Configuration 6 8 What if something goes wrong C o DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions The main Menu You can access the DSC2 main Menu by pressing the MENU button on the Initial Display Screen COMPOSE CALL MESSAGE LOG SYSTEM INFORMATION CONF IGURAT ION DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 1 Compose Call Pressing the CALL shortcut button on the Initial Display Screen or the COMPOSE CALL button on the main Menu brings you in the TYPE OF CALL screen This menu enables you to make any type of call available on the system including distress alerts all ships urgency calls all ships safety calls distress relay calls individual calls including individual urgency safety ship s business or routine ca
76. r Manual Contents 10 APPENDICES 131 10 1 APPENDIX I DISTRESS FREQUENCIES 133 10 2 APPENDIX II MMSI NUMBERS 135 10 2 1 Ship MMSI number 135 Group of ships MMSI number 136 10 2 2 Coast station MMSI number 136 10 2 3 Group of coast stations MMSI number 136 10 2 4 MID CODES by country 137 10 2 5 MID CODES by number 137 10 3 APPENDIX M TESTING THE SYSTEM 139 10 3 1 Daily tests 139 10 3 2 Weekly tests 139 10 3 3 Test calls 139 10 4 APPENDIX IV GLOSSARY 141 10 5 APPENDIX V BIBLIOGRAPHY 145 11 INDEX 147 DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 INTRODUCTION amp OVERVIEW 1 1 Why do we need the DSC2 system By February Ist 1999 the International Maritime Organisation IMO requires that all commercial ships over 300 grt carry distress alert equipment meeting the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System GMDSS standards Ships commissioned after February 1995 and all existing passenger ships should already comply with these rules The rules make it compulsory for these ships to carry a combination of VHF amp MF HF DSC Digital Selective Calling MF HF NBDP Narrow Band Direct Printing and or Inmarsat Satellite equipment for transmitting and relaying distress alerts The combination of equipment to be fitted is depending on the Sea Area a ship is going to be in 1 2 Definitions of the different Sea Areas Sea area Description An area within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast station in w
77. ransmits receives or reproduces documentary matter such as written or printed matter or fixed images C o ee DSC2 User Manual Glossary telephony Telecommunication method set up for the transmission of speech or other sounds transceiver communications device that can transmit and receive signals transmissive an LCD screen which also appears to be backlit which helps the contrast urgency The IMO GMDSS definition of urgency is where the station making the call has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a unit or person UTC Universal Co ordinated Time the standard time system used for maritime communications VHF Very High Frequency 30 300 MHz Watch receiver Device that scans particular frequencies for distress alerts and other calls DSC2 User Manual Bibliography 10 5 APPENDIX V BIBLIOGRAPHY The following reference books or their international equivalents provide further details about GMDSS that you may find very helpful e Handbook for Marine Radio Communication by GD Lees and WG Williamson Lloyd s of London Press ISBN 1 85044 472 2 e Admiralty List of Radio Signals Volume 5 1995 96 Published by the Hydrographer of the Navy Taunton Somerset e GMDSS Handbook Published by the International Maritime Organisation London DSC2 User Manual Bibliography This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual Index 11 INDEX A accessing safety functions via other menus 72 acce
78. rough shipping lanes failure of an important light buoy new unmarked wreck DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls 4 3 How do you send a Safety Call What follows is a step by step guide to the safety call procedure which we recommend that you read through several times so that you become familiar with the process Safety calls are divided into two parts 4 3 1 Error Not a valid link 4 3 2 Error Not a valid link 4 3 1 Announcing the Safety Call Press either the CALL button at the bottom of the Initial Display Screen or the COMPOSE CALL button on the Main Menu screen The TYPE OF CALL screen should appear Poistess aur iorvsnun ALL SHIPS URGENCY TEST CALL DSC2 User Manual Safety Calls You now have the choice of pressing one of four buttons e the ALL SHIPS SAFETY call button or e the INDIVIDUAL call button or e the GROUP call button or e the GEOGRAPHIC AREA call button The button you choose to press depends on the nature of the urgency and the type of station that you want to contact Procedures to send INDIVIDUAL GROUP or GEOGRAPHIC AREA calls are very similar to the procedure to send an ALL SHIPS SAFETY call but you should read the comments at the end of this section If you press the ALL SHIPS Safety Call button the COMPOSE ALL SHIPS SAFETY CALL screen appears SC frequency elecommand J3E TELEPHONE MF 2182 8kHz Rx 2182 kHz No acknowledge required EOS
79. rtificate is sufficient However we have designed this User Manual so that it can be used quickly and easily by anyone who needs to operate the system in an emergency The ITU Radio Regulations Mob 87 3890 A and further determine the categories of certificates and their conditions for issue A copy of these regulations can be found in the GMDSS Handbook Annex 9 7 EMERGENCY PROCEDURE If you need to send or respond to a distress call quickly turn immediately to Chapter 2 Distress Operation DSC2 User Manual This page intentionally left blank DSC2 User Manual About this Manual This User Manual has been designed to help you understand the DSC2 system as quickly as possible We recommend that you read this User Manual through first and then sit down and operate the DSC2 system This is the best way to learn About sending a false alarm As long as you never touch the DISTRESS or ENTER buttons you will not send any calls or distress alerts The DSC2 system is a series of compatible modules which together allow to transmit receive and relay distress alerts and other messages when connected to approved radio equipment This User Manual assumes that the appropriate system combination for your vessel has already been installed This User Manual will take you step by step through the procedures you will need to operate the DSC2 system You will learn how to e send and respond to distress calls urgency calls safety c
80. s you to review which DSC modules are currently connected to your system and to find out which are currently active and which are faulty There are four pages of information covering e Control Panels e VHF systems e HF systems e Other equipment on the system DecVHF1i Registered DecVUWRX1 Fitted DscVTRX1 Registered As you are reviewing each control module the system will always give you the option to cancel and return to the main DSC menu by pressing the CANCEL button or to move to the next item by pressing the NEXT gt gt button If the system has detected any faulty modules it will highlight these in the DSC MODULE STATUS menu as shown on the next page If you do find a faulty module you may want to switch to a duplicate We will cover this procedure in more detail later in this section when we take a closer look at the Set up and Preferences menus entries C o ee DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions DecVHF1 Registered DscVWRX1 Fitted OK DecVTRX1 Registered FAULT EVENT LOG Any system malfunctions are automatically recorded by the system and logged here This screen will also tell you the time and date that a module was switched on and also the last time the system tested itself 36 16 95 16 42 56 Alarm NAVTEX alert received 387108795 16 42 42 Info DscTLXi1 Restored 36 16 95 16 42 29 Alarm Inmarsat Enhanced Group Call 36 18 95 16 41 47 4 Fault
81. safety message typical form 63 radiotelephone urgency message typical form 45 receiving a distress alert 22 35 remote transceiver tune use of 97 98 reset to defaults 104 responding to a distress alert 22 35 responding to a safety call 69 71 responding to an urgency call 50 52 routine call responding to 77 79 routine calls general information 73 84 S safety call announcing the message 57 60 responding to 69 71 to a geographic area 65 67 to a group of ships 68 to all ships 58 60 to individual stations 68 transmitting 61 63 alarm sounds 69 definition of 56 satellite use of for sending distress DSC alerts 117 118 sea areas use of DSC in 12 SELECT HF RADIO screen 101 7 SELECT VHF RADIO screen selecting MF HF transceivers selecting telecommand information selecting VHF transceivers SEND CALL CONFIRMATION screens All Ships Safety All Ships Urgency Distress Relay Distress Acknowledgement DSC Test Call Individual Call Acknowledgement Safety Individual Call Acknowledgement Urgency SEND DISTRESS ALERT screen sending a radiotelephone distress message sending repeated distress alerts DSC2 sending repeated distress alerts with manually tuned transceivers set up menus general information ship station MMSI number speed over ground SOG reading status alarms option to turn off STATUS shortcut button system information SYSTEM INFORMATION screen DSC2 User Manual Index
82. ser Manual Routine Calls 5 3 Making a test call All GMDSS equipment should be tested regularly For more information on when to test each type of equipment see Appendix IV You can use the DSC2 to make a test call the system will only allow you to send a test call to a coast station and on MF or HF To make a test call on the DSC2 use the following procedure Press the CALL button on the Initial Display Screen or choose COMPOSE CALL from the Main Menu This will take you into the TYPE OF CALL screen DISTRESS ALERT INDIVIDUAL ALL SHIPS URGENCY ALL SHIPS SAFETY GEOGRAPHIC AREA DISTRESS RELAY TELEPHONE INMARSAT DISTRESS TEST CALL Press the TEST CALL button which will take you into the COMPOSE DSC TEST CALL screen as shown on the next page C o DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls MPOSE DSC TEST CALL Call to MMS 1 AAAAAHAAA DSC frequencies 2187 5 2187 SkHz This menu will display e the MMSI number you want to send a test call to usually the nearest coast station in range e equipment and frequency you want to transmit the test call on you will be limited to HF frequencies only When you have made the necessary amendments press the SEND CALL button if you want to go ahead with the test call If you don t want to send the test call or want to return to the previous screen press CANCEL DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls Pressing the SEND CALL button wil
83. sing the CALL button on the Initial Display Screen or selecting COMPOSE CALL from the Main Menu brings you into the COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL screen COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL elecommand J3E TELEPHONE No Information Acknowledge required Ack RQ Pressing the CHANGE button next to the MMSI field brings you into the MMSI menu as shown on the next page This menu allows you to key in the correct MMSI or press the DIRECTORY button to access the MMSI directory The ICS DSC2 system has the capacity to store up to 20 MMSI numbers in its directory The next section has more details on how to set up or modify directory entries ee DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls a s a s aTs aTs Ta Check that the details of the call are correct transmit frequency call category and telecommand information Telecommand JZE TELEPHONE No Information Acknowledge required Ack RQ Press SEND CALL to send the call or CANCEL to cancel the call Press the ENTER button to transmit the call Broadcast your message normally using Radio Telephony ES ee DSC2 User Manual Routine Calls 5 1 2 Group and geographic area calls GROUP or GEOGRAPHIC AREA calls follow exactly the same procedure The GROUP option enables you to send a GROUP SELCALL which is a call to all vessels with the same group MMSI The GEOGRAPHIC AREA option enables you to contact all the vessels within a defined geographic area The system wi
84. ssages which are held in the Message Log We will deal with messages in more detail in Section 6 STATUS to check the status of the system and to view the system event log The system will create a new event log entry whenever it detects a problem You can also start self test procedures from this menu We will deal with these procedures in more detail in Chapter 7 MENU to access all the facilities available on the system We will deal with Main Menu options in more detail in Chapter 7 A Oe DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 6 4 Are these menu buttons always displayed When transmitting a distress call or one of the Control Panels has tuned the VHF or MF HF transceivers to the requested frequency the CALL LOG and STATUS buttons will be replaced by CANCEL DISTRESS and CANCEL TUNE buttons respectively When a distress alert is being sent and a RADIO TUNE has taken place i e either the system or the operator has re tuned the appropriate transceivers to the required frequency then the CANCEL DISTRESS button takes precedence We will explain all this in greater detail in Chapter 2 Distress Operation 1 7 Touch Screens and General Maintenance 1 7 1 A quick note about touch screens Do not be intimidated by touch screen technology You might worry that you could press too lightly or too hard or press two buttons by mistake All you have to do when using a touc
85. ssing urgency functions via other menus 53 ALL SHIPS CALL screen urgency 50 ALL SHIPS SAFETY CALL 58 61 ALL SHIPS URGENCY CALL 40 43 AUTOCOM software 115 117 C CALL shortcut button 7 8 28 39 46 57 64 74 80 87 CANCEL DISTRESS button 8 10 13 126 128 CANCEL TUNE button 8 callsign 14 25 45 63 CANCEL DISTRESS CALL 20 21 127 cancelling the distress alert 13 20 changing the distress alert message 12 16 CHECKSUM ERROR message 23 77 choosing the right frequency 18 coast station MMSI 135 136 COMPOSE ALL SHIPS SAFETY CALL screen 58 COMPOSE ALL SHIPS URGENCY CALL screen 40 COMPOSE DISTRESS ACKNOWLEDGE screen 33 COMPOSE DISTRESS ALERT screen 12 120 TE ee COMPOSE DISTRESS RELAY screen COMPOSE DSC TEST CALL screen COMPOSE GEOGRAPHIC AREA CALL screen COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL ACKNOWLEDGE screen COMPOSE INDIVIDUAL CALL screen composing a call configuration course over ground COG D daily tests date and time DATE AND TIME screen DIRECTORY EDITOR screen DIRECTORY NAME screen Directory adding an new entry changing or deleting an entry general information searching the directory distress alarms sound of sending a distress alert receiving a distress alert receiving a relay DISTRESS ALERT screens DSC2 User Manual Index 28 80 47 49 65 67 51 70 78 74 53 72 84 4 6 85 114 7 141 139 21 109 110 110 105 107 106 107 74 105 106 12 22 24 22 27 32
86. to practice composing distress alerts Always use the DISTRESS ALERT option in the CALL menu to practice composing distress alerts EE o DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation 2 4 1 How to send a default distress alert 1 Lift the DISTRESS button cover Press and release the DISTRESS button This will activate the system s default distress message which will be displayed You can now change the message if you want to and have the time to do it See Changing the distress alert message for details You should now also hear a fast two tone distress alarm and see the COMPOSE DISTRESS ALERT screen requency 1 7A ature UNDES IGHATED osition S37 41 N 122 R3 W 16 56 UTC ubsequent communication SIMPLEX TELEPHONE 5 seconds to send this alert DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Press the DISTRESS button again and this time hold it down for five seconds This step will start a system countdown which will be displayed on the screen If you release the button before the countdown is complete the system will then give you the option of aborting or continuing the call It is difficult to send a false distress alert with the DSC2 but if you do follow the Cancelling the distress alert procedure detailed later in this section DISTRESS ALERT COUNTDOWN DSC frequency VHF Channel 7H Nature UNDES GNATED Position S7 41 N 122 H4 W 16 57 UTC Subsequent communication SIMPLEX
87. turn to Chapter 8 For more information on choosing the best radio equipment and frequency to send your call see page 18 DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 Set up Choosing this Main Menu button will take you into the Set up directory which includes the following options 6 5 1 Preferences 6 5 2 Error Not a valid link 6 5 3 Manual Position 6 5 4 Date amp Time 6 5 5 MF HF Watch Rx 6 5 1 Preferences This screen will enable you to change all the minor defaults of the system It divides into five further options 6 5 1 1 Select VHF 6 5 1 2 Select MF HF 6 5 1 3 Telecommand 1 6 5 1 4 Telecommand 2 6 5 1 5 Reset to defaults DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 1 1 Select VHF SELECT VHF RADIO This screen enables you to select or de select the VHF transceivers connected to the system and then save your changes For example if one transceiver was not working you could select your duplicate transceiver using this menu DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 1 2 Select MF HF SELECT HF RADIO HF1i Status OK SELECTED This screen enables you to select or de select the MF HF transceivers connected to the system and then save your changes Again if one transceiver was not working you could select your duplicate transceiver using this menu DSC2 User Manual Other Main Menu Functions 6 5 1 3 Telecommand 1 TELECOMMAND 1 SETUP Page 1 of 43 These four pages display
88. u to acknowledge a distress alert until the call has met the necessary conditions While you are waiting for a coast station to respond you should Prepare for receiving the subsequent distress communication from the stricken vessel by tuning your RT receiver to the distress frequency in the band on which the distress alert message was received normally the DSC system will automatically do this as soon as it receives a distress alert or will prompt you to re tune manually if necessary Signal that you have received the distress alert by transmitting an RT or Telex acknowledgement as specified by the alert message An RT distress acknowledgement message must follow IMO regulations A typical RT distress alert response should contain e the distress signal MAYDAY e the callsign or other identification of the station sending the distress message spoken three times e the words THIS IS or DE spoken as DELTA ECHO in the case of language difficulties e the callsign or other identification of the station responding to the distress alert spoken three times e the word RECEIVED or RRR spoken as ROMEO ROMEO ROMEO in the case of language difficulties e the distress signal MAYDAY again to end the call Pe DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation For example MAYDAY FIREFOX FIREFOX FIREFOX THIS IS JAGUAR JAGUAR JAGUAR RECEIVED MAYDAY Once you have signalled that you have received the distress alert you should then monitor t
89. ulties e the nine digit identity and the callsign or other identification of the ship spoken three times e the ship s position if not included in the distress alert message e the nature of distress and type of assistance wanted e any other information which might help the rescue ES ee DSC2 User Manual Distress Operation Once you have alerted someone who can help you stand by on the relevant rescue co ordination channel and await further instructions GMDSS has been set up to ensure that it is the shore authorities who co ordinate search and rescue SAR operations In principle only the shore authorities should be responding to a distress alert They will then use a distress relay to direct other vessels to your assistance co ordinating this on the nominated radiotelephone RT or NBDP Telex distress frequencies Ships responding to distress calls should not send a DSC distress acknowledgement as this automatically cancels the distress alert This should be left to a coast station Only when one is convinced that the distress calling ship can not be heard by a coast station it might be necessary to acknowledge and or relay the distress 2 4 2 What if no one responds to your distress alert If no one has responded to your alert you should immediately 1 Make sure that your DSC2 system is working properly by checking system status and that you are using the right equipment and frequency for your sea area and
90. y transfer This is why ease of use has been stressed in the design of the DSC2 No need for retraining if already trained on other DSC systems Reduced possibility of sending false alerts Continuous on line fault monitoring and detection Network based enabling system control from any Control Panel Modular system makes it easier to upgrade and maintain Easy to use graphical user interface reduces the chance of operator error Automatic switching to distress frequency or to response frequency when distress call is sent or received Automatic scanning for Radio Telex messages e Easy transfer of Radio Telex messages by unskilled operators e Operator prompting if an incorrect operation is attempted ee ST DSC2 User Manual Introduction amp Overview 1 5 The DSC2 system overview The DSC2 system relies on a combination of modules each with their own different functions connected by a network The system installed on your vessel may vary in detail from the typical diagram shown below PRIMARY INSTALLATION DUPLICATION INSTALLATION VHF 1 MF HF VHF 2 SATCOM C Control Panel Transceiver Transceiver Transceiver GPS Alarm Interface Interface 2 a __ Int

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