Does the ICOM M506 alarm if no GPS position?

[msponer]

Hi,
Our Thrane & Thrane Sailor VHF kicked the bucket. I am replacing it with an Icom 506.

Once an MMSI is programmed in, many DSC VHF's will beep incessantly if there is no GPS signal. Our Thrane & Thrane did this after our main GPS died, and the net result is that we left it off and used our handheld VHFs. I searched high and low, and there was no option to delete the MMSI or disable these alarms. I've met many other cruisers who were forced into the same situation by a broken GPS or NMEA gremlins.

Does the 506 alarm like this? I've wired it to its own dedicated GPS puck, but feel it is safer to give up DSC and be able to leave it on all the time, even if it's GPS dies.

[Marinetech]

If the MMSI is not programmed the VHF will not alarm if no GPS is present, but this defeats the DSC capabilities of the radio.

Byron

[smac999]

solved by having a 2nd GPS source on board...