Prelude

This is the first Advisory Circular issued by the Department of Education. These will cover topics of potential interest to students attending U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary public educations courses. There is no requirement that instructors use these circulars in their public education courses. However, these "information notes" will allow instructors to enhance PE-course material with new and interesting perspectives on a variety of boating safety-related issues.

Advisory

GMDSS, a new type of SOS which uses Digital Selective Calling (DSC), was approved by the United States in an international treaty in 1988. Implementation of this new system is scheduled for February 1, 1999. Initially perceived as applying primarily to off-shore vessels of 300 tons or more and passenger vessels, the full impact on the average recreational boater was not immediately apparent.

Implementation of GMDSS began in 1992. When fully in place, the effect will be a "hands off" distress system giving the vessel's ID and location which will be relayed and repeated, as necessary, until help arrives. Once activated by the vessel operator, further attention would not be required. The system would allow large offshore vessels to stop monitoring VHF Channel 16 and could eventually allow the Coast Guard to do the same. (Monitoring of VHF Channel 13 would still be required.)

In 1997, the FCC is scheduled to require new radios to have GMDSS capability, handhelds excluded. VHF Channel 70 would be reserved for GMDSS usage. Registration of the radios with the FCC to maintain a database with the owner's name, address, telephone number, etc., is still being addressed.

As these critical dates approach, radio manufactures are beginning to object to the potential cost impact of these changes on the standard radio. VHF Channel 70 is already reserved for GMDSS (DSC) usage. The inclusion of this system in the standard radio will almost certainly change the approach that the Coast Guard will take toward staffing and monitoring of frequencies in the future.