HF DSC - Surpising amount of Activity

[SoonerSailor]

Someone posted a link to a free bit of software that lets you monitor and log DSC calls, so I had to try it out while on the hard here in Oklahoma. Was I surprised! In about 10 hours of monitoring on the 16 mHz DSC channel, over 100 DSC calls from ships and shore stations were logged. Shore stations in Chile, Japan, England, New Hampshire, California, New Orleans, and Boston were logged. Most of the ship calls were TEST calls, some were position reports, and none were distress.

I was surprised that in this day of satellite communication that there was so much activity, and its reassuring that so many shore stations are actively monitoring for DSC calls from your M802.

If anyone else is interested in playing with this, you can get the software, called YADD from: The NDB List Datamodes Section

You'll need to feed audio from your radio to a sound card or microphone input on your computer to use this software.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by SoonerSailor

Someone posted a link to a free bit of software that lets you monitor and log DSC calls, so I had to try it out while on the hard here in Oklahoma. Was I surprised! In about 10 hours of monitoring on the 16 mHz DSC channel, over 100 DSC calls from ships and shore stations were logged. Shore stations in Chile, Japan, England, New Hampshire, California, New Orleans, and Boston were logged. Most of the ship calls were TEST calls, some were position reports, and none were distress.

I was surprised that in this day of satellite communication that there was so much activity, and its reassuring that so many shore stations are actively monitoring for DSC calls from your M802.

If anyone else is interested in playing with this, you can get the software, called YADD from: The NDB List Datamodes Section

You'll need to feed audio from your radio to a sound card or microphone input on your computer to use this software.

Who in the UK is answering on HF. There,s no operating HF station left in the UK. Lyngby in Euroe is the only one AFAIK.

Not surprising DSC usage , as head phones watches are a thing of the past

Dave

[SoonerSailor]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Who in the UK is answering on HF. There,s no operating HF station left in the UK. Lyngby in Euroe is the only one AFAIK.

Not surprising DSC usage , as head phones watches are a thing of the past

Dave

Sorry, that was in error. When I first saw Portsmouth, I thought England, but it was New Hampshire.

Chip

[Paul Elliott]

Pretty cool! I'm using YADD, feeding if from my FunCube Dongle Pro+ radio connected to a dipole at home. Monitoring 8.4128 MHz (1.7 kHz down from the published frequency), in the last hour I've seen ship traffic to coast stations in Honolulu, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Portsmouth (USA), Recife (Brazil), and Istanbul. These all seem to be test messages.

[funk-an-bord.de]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Who in the UK is answering on HF. There,s no operating HF station left in the UK. Lyngby in Euroe is the only one AFAIK.

Not surprising DSC usage , as head phones watches are a thing of the past

Dave

There are new stations:
In UK is a DSC test station sending a ACK.
News and Newsletter - GMDSS Training LLP Dover, UK for GOC, ROC, LRC, SRC, RYA and MCA courses
In Germany Bremen Rescue startet in the 2 MHz band:
DGzRS Die Seenotretter - Seenotretter überwachen jetzt auch Grenzwellenfunk
In Spain the 8 and 12 MHz bands are DSC monitored
In the mediteranean are Grrek, Italia - I would have to read in the ALRS List of Radio Stations.
Aserbeidjan is a new station on all marine bands.
You will find information on:
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) forum - Index

[ka4wja]

Chip,
I was surprised at the amount of DSC "all-ships" calls, I was getting a few years ago....and now most mornings on-the-radio don't go by without at least one DSC-beep / all-ships call....and every few weeks I get a DSC Distress call as well...

Originally Posted by SoonerSailor

I was surprised that in this day of satellite communication that there was so much activity, and its reassuring that so many shore stations are actively monitoring for DSC calls from your M802.

But, with your software running, you can see a LOT more (calls to other stations, test calls, etc.)....

I know some here will poo-poo this as BS....but the actual real-world fact is that HF communications by vessels at sea is on a up-swing!!!
There are actually a majority of ocean vessels that use HF comms daily, and not just for receiving wefax (although, that has been factually documented by the WMO for the past few years...nobody seems to want to believe it...)
Those that question this, have a look at the 2012 survey by the WMO/jcomm Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology....


Anyway, FB on the new software.....
73,
John, KA4WJA
s/v Annie Laurie

[madsb]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Lyngby in Euroe is the only one AFAIK.

Lyngby seized HF operations on 1. oktober 0000utc 2009

They are still available on MF, but only through DSC - no manual watch.

[funk-an-bord.de]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Who in the UK is answering on HF. There,s no operating HF station left in the UK. Lyngby in Euroe is the only one AFAIK.

Not surprising DSC usage , as head phones watches are a thing of the past

Dave

I reduced the long GMDSS Master Plan Circulation 15
to a list with 84 Coast Station operational on HF.
04.80 Liste der DSC Stationen auf Grenz/Kurzwelle
You can follow on that page the Downloadlink.
Wilhelm