If you have the money to buy a DSC radio it is worth spending a little more on a compatible GPS.
Once correctly connected together the GPS will constantly tell the VHF where it is. This means that if you find yourself in a distress situation, pressing the Red distress button will transmit your position along with your MMSI.
If however you do not have a GPS you need to manually enter your position regularly – this might be the case if you charter a boat.
On the Icom this is done as follows:
From the start screen:
– Press “Menu”
– Scroll using the ARROWS to Position Input
– Press “Enter”
– Enter the latitude using the ARROWS to select the number and CH button to move to the right and 16 button to move to the left.
– Press “Enter”
– Enter the longitude in the same way as above.
– Press “Enter”
– Enter the time (24 hour clock) in the same way as above.
– Press “Enter” Check the position is correct on the start screen.
If this does not make it clear, see the video below:
How often should I re-enter the position
This really depends on how fast you are traveling but on passage in a sailing yacht it could form part of the hourly routine of plotting and checking your position.
Doing this every hour may soon convince you to buy a GPS and the cable that joins it to the VHF!
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