Watchdog urges VHF radio users to check emergency call settings

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has issued a marine notice to VHF radio users hinting that they should bone up on how to dive into their radio’s settings and turn off a function that automatically switches the radio to channel 16 when a distress signal is received.

Digital Selective Calling (DSC) is a service fitted to some VHF radios that allows a boater to send out a call for help to any boats in radio range via the push of a single button. Once activated, DSC will repeat the distress call every three to five minutes.

The authority is concerned that because DSC rebroadcasts the signal on a constant cycle, users who have their radios set up to automatically switch to channel 16 may miss important messages broadcast on a different channel.

“Users should be aware that the automatic channel switching function can be disabled to prevent automatic channel switching,” AMSA said in a marine notice posted on its website.

“If automatic channel switching is disabled, transceivers will continue to detect DSC distress alerts. The user can then decide whether to accept the channel switch request.”

AMSA said VHF radio makers implemented the auto-channel switching “in different ways”, so it was important to read the radio’s user manual and learn how to disable it.

“Equipment should provide a visual indication when the automatic switching function is disabled,” it said.

“If the user manual or documentation is not clear in this regard, advice from the supplier or service agent should be sought.”

DSC is being included on more marine radios as several Australian states and territories look at whether VHF radios can replace flares in protected waters.

The move would cut down on the need to dispose of tens of thousands of expired incandescent red and orange smoke flares each year that boaters who do not venture offshore need to replace when their current ones expire, usually on a three-year cycle.

Safely disposing of expired flares is a constant problem for Australian boaters, with no clear policy on how they should be handled. It is illegal to set them off when not in an emergency situation, meaning expired flares cannot be used to train other boaters on how to use them.

Boaters do not need a licence to fit a VHF radio to their boat. However, anyone who wants to use the radio will need to have an operator's licence that demonstrates they have been shown how to use the device and make a securite, pan pan or mayday call.