6 Operating Procedures
The following operating procedure summary has been proposed by the UK Maritime and
Coastguard Agency. It is not exhaustive and should not be regarded as a replacement for informa-
tion provided by the proper two day VHF/DSC training course required for all VHF license holders.
6.1 Sending a Distress Alert
1. Send a Distress Alert using DSC/
2. Wait approx 15 seconds for a DSC acknowledgement from the Coastguard or a ship station.
3. On receipt of a DSC acknowledgement or after about 15 seconds, transmit the Distress
call on channel 16 -
ÒMayday, Mayday, MaydayÓ
ÒThis is (
name of vessel repeated three times
)
ÒMaydayÓ
MMSI number and name of vessel or callsign
, spoken once
Position
Nature of distress
If the vessel is not in Ògrave and imminent dangerÓ, an All Ships Urgency call followed by a spo-
ken ÒPan PanÓ call or a routine call to the nearest coastguard station may be more appropriate. It
is a prosecutable offense to initiate a Distress Alert call for any other reason than that the vessel
and/or crew is in imminent danger.
6.2 Cancelling a Distress Alert
If a DSC Distress Alert is sent accidentally, cancel it immediately on the DSC1400 by pressing the
C button to prevent repeats, then make the following announcement on channel 16 -
ÒThis is (
name of vessel, callsign, MMSI
)Ó
ÒCancel DSC Alert sent (
date & time UTC
)
Do not simply cancel the DSC alert without verbally cancelling it as well, otherwise the rescue
authorities will not be aware that this is a false alarm.
6.3 Acknowledging a Distress Alert & Relaying Alert.
When a DSC Distress Alert is received, an audible alarm will sound. Immediately cease any trans-
mission that may interfere with distress traffic and continue a watch on channel 16.
If there is no DSC acknowledgement from a coast station or ship, after a short interval acknowl-
edge by voice on channel 16 -
ÒMayday
(
MMSI of vessel in distress repeated three times
)Ó
ÒThis is (
name of own vessel, repeated three times
)Ó
ÒReceived MaydayÓ
(State the assistance you can give).
A similar response should be given to a Distress Relay, using the words ÒMayday RelayÓ instead
of ÒMaydayÓ in the message above.
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5.4 Startup
The first time that the DSC1400 is switched on,
it will be necessary to enter the vesselÕs MMSI
number (Fig 5.3). Use the keypad to enter the
9-digit MMSI. If a mistake is made, use the the
key to move back and edit the error. When
the number is entered, the DSC1400 will ask for
verification.
It is important that the MMSI
entered is checked carefully, as it can only be
entered once.
To change the MMSI number after it has been
programmed the unit must be returned to an
authorised Simrad Dealer to erase the existing
number.
Once the MMSI is entered and confirmed, the
main screen should show the current position
of the vessel, the time the last position fix was
taken and the channel selected on the RT1400.
If the position is not shown, check the connec-
tions and settings of the navigational receiver
used. If there is no signal being received, a
!
will flash next to the time. If the
!
is not flash-
ing, this indicates that the DSC1400 is using a
manually entered position/time.
1
4
7
C
Fig 5.3 - Entering MMSI number
Set MMSI
000000000
