If a boat is adrift with dead batteries, the radio won’t help. Also, the fixed-mounted VHF on a boat depends upon the boat’s electrical system for power. With an average fixed-mounted antenna on an average pleasure boat, a boater can’t expect a range much over 20 miles.
Antenna height plays a big role here, as can atmospheric conditions.
The biggest downfall of a VHF-DSC radio is the same as it is for all VHF radios: The range is limited by the curvature of the Earth. VHFs are also relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and virtually all of the models on the market today are rugged and reliable. The DSC radio retransmits any emergency signals received, so as long as another boat with a VHF-DSC radio receives the transmission, the effective range of a distress call can be many times greater than an individual boat’s VHF range. The MMSI number is like a phone number for the boat, and all DSC capable equipment, including Automatic Information System (AIS) units associated with the specific vessel should use the same MMSI number, since the MMSI serves to identify the vessel, not the equipment. Part of that alert is a nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number that identifies the boat.
DSC allows the radio to transfer information digitally, not just by voice, and to instantly send a digital distress alert to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard will automatically know who the boater is, get the exact GPS position (if attached to a GPS unit), and know the boater is in distress.Įvery VHF marine radio manufactured for the last several years has digital selective calling. The VHF radio (very high frequency) is the most common emergency marine communications device, and with good reason: It’s simple to operate, communications go both ways, and, with a properly installed DSC-equipped VHF (digital selective calling), when a boater hits the panic button, the U.S. Photo Credit: National Safe Boating Council
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