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April 13, 2010 Alert 02-10 Washington, DC DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH AUTOMATIC CHANNEL SWITCHING ON DIGITAL SELECTIVE CALLING (DSC) EQUIPPED VHF MARINE RADIOS It has come to the Coast Guard's attention that an automatic channel switching feature found on certain models of Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipped VHF marine radios may create an unintended hazard by automatically switching from a working channel that might be in use at the time to Channel 16 when the VHF marine radio receives a DSC distress alert, distress alert acknowledgment or other DSC call where a VHF channel number has been designated. This could happen without a vessel/radio operator's immediate knowledge and could initiate an unsafe condition by which the vessel/radio operators would believe they were communicating on a working channel such as Channel 13 when, in fact, they were actually on Channel 16. Imagine a towboat operator on the lower Mississippi River making passing agreements on VHF channel 67 and then suddenly, without warning, not being able to quickly reestablish communications with those vessels because his/her radio automatically switched to Channel 16 instead. Since this unsafe condition can happen at any time, the Coast Guard strongly recommends disabling the automatic channel switching feature when maintaining a listening watch or communicating on the designated bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone, or while monitoring the vessel traffic services (VTS) channel. Radios that lack the disabling feature should not be used for bridgeto-bridge or VTS communications. The International Telecommunications Union Sector for Radiocommunications, Recommendation M.493-11 published in 2004 and later versions require DSC-equipped radios to provide for disabling of this channel auto-switch feature. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires all DSC-equipped radios certified after March 25, 2009 to meet this requirement. Manufacturers that do not provide a disable function are encouraged to do so and to inform their customers if means for correction exist. Updated information including a listing of manufacturers of radios believed to be affected by this Safety Alert will be posted as available at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/. The Coast Guard strongly reminds radio operators and other users to always ensure they are on the proper operating channel when communicating or maintaining watch, particularly with DSCequipped radios capable of channel auto-switching. This safety alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or international safety, operational or material requirement. Developed by the Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Policy Division (CG-652), United States Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. Questions should be directed to Mr. Russell Levin at (202) 475 3555 or Russell.S.Levin@uscg.mil. Source: [P. Urgola, Director V-Dept] For Safety's Sake, Volume III - 2010 -- [Posted: 5/14/2010] The newest edition of For Safety's Sake, Volume III - 2010 has been released. This new issue was released on May 14th and is available for downloading from the V Departments Newsletter page at http://safetyseal.net/Newsletters/. In this issue is: Vessel Safety Check Mega Weeks, Fire Extinguishers: "To Tap or Not To Tap…that is the question?", Program Visitor Window Decal, Visual Distress Signals Revisited, VSC for a Sport Utility Boat, Sport and Utility Boat VSC Decal Placement and more! Download your copy and pass it on to your associates after you've read it. Source: [P. Urgola, Director V-Dept] VSC Mega Weeks -- [Posted: 5/13/2010] Vessel Safety Check Mega Weeks - May 22 through July 11, 2010. Sponsored by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons. Please download and print out the Mega Weeks document and give it widest distribution to all VE's in your area. Use this link to download the document: http://safetyseal.net/pdf_files/2010-VSCMegaWeeks.pdf Source: [P. Urgola, Director V-Dept] For Safety's Sake, Volume II - 2010 -- [Posted: 3/15/2010] The newest edition of For Safety's Sake, Volume II - 2010 has been released. This new issue was released on March 15th and is available for downloading from the V Departments Newsletter page at http://safetyseal.net/Newsletters/. In this issue is: 2009 Performance, Boating Safety Resource Center, Digital Select Calling Radios, Recreational Boating Safety Visitation Program Guide, Opportunities with Sea Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, VSC Mega Weeks and more. Download your copy and pass it on to your associates after you've read it. Source: [P. Urgola, Director V-Dept] The 2010 VSC Decals Are Available -- [Posted: 1/25/2010] The 2010 VSC decals have been shipped to the Auxiliary National Supply Center (ANSC). The overall supply should be more than adequate to meet our demands and the demands of our partners. Instructions are at http://safetyseal.net/pdf_files/2010-Decal-Announcement.pdf The Order Form is at http://safetyseal.net/pdf_files/VSCDECALFM-2010.pdf Source: [Peter Urgola, DIR-RBV] Next Page
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