Operation Manual

104
User Manual
The Distress Call, that allows to receive a position of the vessel in distress,
and the 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 Request) 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.