Standard Horizon VHF

[hogesinwa]

We bought a new Standard Horizon VHF from West Marine recently. Installed it OK, including its RAM. It is the 1750 so it has GPS but not AIS. Already have AIS on the helm. I misunderstood the advertising which talked about fitting an optional external GPS. I now understand that the INTERNAL GPS is not optional - it is "on" if there is no external GPS fitted and it (the radio) complains extremely loudly if it can't get a fix.

Sometimes, it gets one ok. Othertimes, it can't find one. So it goes off big time.

Does anyone know how I can disable this alarm? I don't want the Distress alarm disabled, just the "I can't find the satellites so I'm going to spit it until someone does something" alarm. Standard Horizon won't tell me for liability reasons but I remember a guy with the 2150 mentioning that he'd done it somehow.

[continuouswave]

I don't know the mechanism you are seeking for disabling the alarm on loss of position update. I do note that the alarm is suggested in the specifications for a DSC radio, ITU-Rec. M.493-13:

Section 12.7 Position updating

If the automatic position update is not available, a displayed and audible reminder to manually update the position should occur before the position information is 4 h[ours] old. The displayed reminder should remain until position updating has been carried out.

The radios from Standard-Horizon seem like they are very compliant with the specifications.

Your best solution is probably to employ an external GPS receiver. This will let the radio work as it was intended, that is, to be automatically updated with the vessel's current position.

Or, buy an older radio that does not have DSC or does not follow the specifications so closely.

I can sympathize with you. I have been awakened several times about 3:30 a.m. when my Standard-Horizon radio alerted me that it did not have a position update because I forgot to turn it off when I went to bed but did turn off the chart plotter feeding the data to the radio.

[Mycroft]

If it's not connected to a GPS antenna, then the DSC isn't going to work. Since you've already set up the DSC, you're going to have to bite the bullet and somehow get a GPS signal to the radio. Can you patch into your nav system?

I think every VHF radio with DSC should come with GPS built-in and an optional antenna.

[SailK2]

I just installed the same radio this winter. Scroll through the set up menu and you will find one called GPS setting(I think), if you click it will go to another menu that says GPS. " on or off". This will shut your GPS off

[barnakiel]

Our unit beeps, I press the button and then it never beeps again, till we turn the unit off/on.

What's the problem pressing the button once?

Remember the position is necessary (so I believe) for distress dsc functions. I think you would hate it if your radio could not send a dsc distress and remained mute throughout.

b.

[continuouswave]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

If it's not connected to a GPS antenna, then the DSC isn't going to work....

That is not true. The DSC functions will work just fine without a connection to a GPS receiver. What will happen: the DSC won't have any automatic position update. You'd have to enter the position manually into the radio using the front panel user-interface and controls. But the DSC still works. You can even send a distress alert message. The position is not required in a distress alert message, but it certainly is a good idea to include one.

[StandardHorizon]

hogesinwa,

Per our pm, the GX1700 will receive GPS signals below deck in your Catalina 42 MkII without any issues. The alarm will only alert you if the GPS position has not been updated for 4 hours. Please not that pooled water topside can affect GPS reception below deck.

[gordwedman]

Originally Posted by hogesinwa

We bought a new Standard Horizon VHF from West Marine recently. Installed it OK, including its RAM. It is the 1750 so it has GPS but not AIS. Already have AIS on the helm. I misunderstood the advertising which talked about fitting an optional external GPS. I now understand that the INTERNAL GPS is not optional - it is "on" if there is no external GPS fitted and it (the radio) complains extremely loudly if it can't get a fix.

Sometimes, it gets one ok. Othertimes, it can't find one. So it goes off big time.

Does anyone know how I can disable this alarm? I don't want the Distress alarm disabled, just the "I can't find the satellites so I'm going to spit it until someone does something" alarm. Standard Horizon won't tell me for liability reasons but I remember a guy with the 2150 mentioning that he'd done it somehow.

I have a GX2355S with DSC and it has never beeped at me. Must be something for newer radios or perhaps the higher Class versions? I have mine connected to an old JRC GPS and it does get position info when that unit is turned on but generally I don't bother.

[StandardHorizon]

gordwedman,

The GX2355S does not alarm every four hours when the GPS position has not been updated since the radio was designed/discontinued prior to the ITU-R M.493-13 regulation January 1, 2013.

[River Cruiser]

My GX-2150 beeps a few times about 10 minutes after I turn it on if I haven't turned on my CP300i.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by continuouswave

I don't know the mechanism you are seeking for disabling the alarm on loss of position update. I do note that the alarm is suggested in the specifications for a DSC radio, ITU-Rec. M.493-13:

The radios from Standard-Horizon seem like they are very compliant with the specifications.

Your best solution is probably to employ an external GPS receiver. This will let the radio work as it was intended, that is, to be automatically updated with the vessel's current position.

Or, buy an older radio that does not have DSC or does not follow the specifications so closely.

I can sympathize with you. I have been awakened several times about 3:30 a.m. when my Standard-Horizon radio alerted me that it did not have a position update because I forgot to turn it off when I went to bed but did turn off the chart plotter feeding the data to the radio.

In my view this ITU requirement makes us less safe.

Many boaters, us included, now turn off the VHF when they go to bed to prevent being awakened in the middle of the night. Late night and early morning distress calls (I've heard a few of them over the years, including one directed to me to inform me that we were dragging) will not be heard.

In my experience the VHF is pretty silent at night so it rarely wakes me up with normal traffic, and even if it does I don't have to get up and push a button for it to grow silent again. With this DSC requirement if I don't have GPS input after 4 hours the alarm sounds and runs continuously until I get up.

Yes, I could leave my chart plotter on 24/7, or buy a separate GPS for the radio and leave that on. But I don't accept that it is OK that the ITU's specification causes me a problem that I now have to solve or live with.

But the fact that a great many users now do like I do, turn off the radio at night, is the real problem; it makes us less safe.