Operation Manual

102
User Manual
Position Request, a great feature for anyone wanting to know the location of another vessel
- for example you buddy that is catching fish, or finding the location of a person you are
cruising with, are performed by an external device, the DSC VHF radio. The chart plotter
interfaced with a DSC VHF radio prompts the user to see the GPS position of the vessel
in distress and also allows for easy navigation to the vessel.
The Distress Call and the Position Request icons that are displaying on the screen,
are shown in the following table:
Position Request icon
Distress Call icon
P
D
Fig. 5.10 - Distress Call and Position Request icons
Note
The label can be the MMSI or the corresponding vessel's name. If in the DSC Directory the MMSI has been
associated to its relative vessel name, the vessel's name is shown in the label instead of the MMSI.
5.10.1 DISTRESS CALL AND POSITION REQUEST
During a distress situation, a vessel that is equipped with a DSC VHF radio and
connected to a GPS, has the capability to transmit a DSC Distress Call with GPS Position.
When the VHF radio receives a DSC Distress Call, the position information of the
vessel in distress is transferred to the chart plotter. The chart plotter logs the Distress Call
into the DSC Log and also marks the position of the vessel in distress on the Chart page. A
pop-up screen advises the user that a Distress Call has been received. Within the pop-up
screen it asks the user if he would like to view the call on the Chart page or exit the pop-up
screen. By selecting the item "VIEW ON CHART" and press 'ENTER' two options are
shown:
• GoTo Vessel
Activates the navigation to the Distress Call or Position Request icon. The chart
plotter changes the map scale to allow showing the Distress Call (or Position Re-
quest) icon and the vessel’s icon simultaneously on the screen. The chart plotter
then verifies if there are obstructions (land or low water) between the two positions.
If obstructions are found the chart plotter shows a pop-up screen saying that the
navigation to the Distress Call cannot be set automatically and the user must define
a route to avoid the obstacles.
• Stay on View
Exits the pop-up screen and remains on the selected map screen.