Garmin 278 Manual De Usuario

DSC uses marine VHF radio GPS technologies to transmit and 

receive location information. DSC is used by mariners to assist them 

in two major areas: distress calls and position reporting.
A non-emergency DSC position report allows mariners to exchange 

and display the positions of one another. When you receive a DSC 

position, you can create a waypoint or to show the received position 

on an electronic map. 
An emergency DSC distress call allows a vessel in trouble 

to transmit a substantial amount of information in a single 

transmission, or “call,” without the need for voice communication. 

When any nearby rescuer receives the DSC signal, an alarm sounds, 

and they immediately receive the position of the caller. 
The rescuer can to navigate (Go To) the caller’s position to 

assist or forward the call on to the Coast Guard. When the Coast 

Guard receives the call, they can immediately access the caller’s 

information in their database while in transit to the caller’s location.
Any time a vessel receives a DSC call, the vessel can store that 

location and quickly navigate to that position using a Go To. This 

makes DSC a time-saver, especially in an emergency situation. To 

use DSC, users must first register their VHF radio with the FCC and 

receive a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number.

With your GPSMAP 278 properly connected to a VHF radio with 

DSC output, you can receive any DSC distress call within range. 

An alert message appears and a tone sounds when a distress call is 

received. The alarm only sounds on a distress call; position reports 

do not sound the alarm. Distress calls are broadcast to all DSC users 

in radio range and appear with a blue and white checkered icon on 

the DSC Call List and Log tabs.
You can enter a caller’s name, if it is known. The caller’s name 

replaces the MMSI number as a reference once entered.

The Position Report operates similarly to the distress call. This type 

of contact is like a phone call; no emergency alarms are set off. 

Position reports are not broadcast to all DSC users and appear with a 

gold boat icon. 

Each time you receive a distress call or position report, either the 

DSC Position Report Page or a Distress Call Page opens. Both pages 

contain identical fields to the DSC Entry Review Page. 

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