Here is some information that I hope is useful for members crossing oceans or exploring island chains and coastlines.

There are very distinct advantages of using the DSC capability of ICOM 's M802(DSC) and M801(E/A) radios for boat-to-boat calling for General communications. But to get it working requires amendments to the default radio setup.

The default setup assumes that - apart from comms on 2 Meg MF frequencies - all communication from small-craft will be with coast stations. Therefore, the default DSC calling setup on the 4, 6, 8, 12 and 16 Meg DSC General calling channels is duplex, and cannot possibly work for boat-to-boat calling.

The reality is - according to my contacts in the GMDSS/IMO world - there are no government run coast stations anywhere in the world monitoring for DSC calls on these General calling frequencies. Government run HF/SSB coast stations only provide a listening service on the DSC Distress calling frequencies, which are simplex; so Distress calls can reach other nearby vessels, as well as distant coast stations.

But boat-to-boat DSC calling using the General receiver/transmitter in these radios creates significant day-to-day operational benefits for crews because these radios can be left on 24/7 in a speaker muted quiet mode, with the radio (not the crew) doing the work of listening for DSC calls - General (Individual or Group) and Distress (All call).

Three distinct advantages arise by maintaining HF/SSB radios in a 24/7 DSC watch:

1. Groups of yachts travelling together can provide quick response 24/7 mutual support for each other. Without needing to wait for the next voice sked.

2. Groups of yachts can immediate contact either another specific yacht (by sending a DSC Individual call to that yacht 's MMSI), or the entire group (by sending a DSC Group Call) to get advice about a dinner menu, anchorage, technical problem etc.

3. Yachts become immediately accessible S&R resources for any other mariners to contact via a DSC Distress call. This also applies to MRCCs making a DSC Distress call to find a nearby vessel to go to the site of an activated EPIRP or PLB.

To get these benefits from your M802(DSC) or M801(E/A) requires some straightforward changes that are detailed in the two attached documents.

Also attached is a document with a report from the skipper on a yacht participating in the ARC/WCC rally group crossing the Indian Ocean in 2015 regarding the process of getting the group to make effective use of their DSC capable HF/SSB radios to create a 24/7 mutual support network by first, making the necessary amendments, and second, utilising their Group Call ID to give all the crews the ability to send one DSC call to alert all the other radios in the group, simultaneously, to then make voice contact.

I hope this is useful. Any comments or questions, I 'll try to respond. Or email me at radio@bruneibay.net

Best wishes

Allan Riches
OCC Port Officer - Brunei

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the very useful inputs.

In the UK, people have the significant advantage of RYA DSC radio courses and I certainly suggest this is very worthwhile training for long or short trips; basically anywhere beyond coastal VHF range and therefore where a HF/SSB marine radio with DSC and maintaining a 24/7 link (via VHF and HF/SSB radios) between yachts using group calls becomes relevant and important to create a mutual support network for general info and advice, as well as a quick response from nearby boats in the unlikely case of more serious problems.

Bob Smith at Yachtcom - www.yachtcom.co.uk - has been part of our team to establish the Worldwide Group Call Network and has lots of experience conducting radio training and with radio installations.

Having a copy on-board of Terry 's comprehensive book on the M802 (almost identical operation with the M801) is also strongly recommended as a ready reference. Vastly more useful than the manufacturer 's very basic manual. This book helped the WCC/ARC rally group in the Indian Ocean in 2015 get their radios functional and their 24/7 group call system working. Contact Terry at http://www.made-simplefor-cruisers.com/ to get a book. Or Bob may have some available in the UK.

My apologies for the commercial plug for these two people, but experience over this side - with far less land based S&R resources and support, and much lower shipping densities - shows that an effective radio linking yachts in a reliable 24/7 network can really make a big difference.