DSC Set-Up

Operating Your Radio

DSC Set-Up

Digital selective calling — DSC — employs digital RF signals which tend to carry further and be less susceptible to distortion from noise and atmospheric conditions than analog ones. The result is greater range and more reliable message delivery per watt of output power.

But, that is not the only advantage of DSC equipped radios. Those radios are set up to interface with GPS and to automate many of the operations involved in sending and receiving messages. That results in more compact and accurate messages and less congestion of the airwaves.

The price of these benefits to the user is the time it takes to do the required set-up to make the DSC features work. A little time spent when your radio is new will pay dividends over its life.

These procedures use the Settings menu. Refer to page 38 for information on entering and exiting the Settings menu.

User MMSI Number

This nine (9) digit number is similar to a telephone number in that it is a unique identifier for you and your vessel. DSC uses this number in every message it sends and receives. That is why your radio will not operate in the DSC mode until you enter your MMSI Number. You should enter it as soon as you receive it from one (1) of the issuing agencies listed on page 9.

48 English

Operating Your Radio

User MMSI

User MMSI ID Entry

Error Message

Call/Set Button

DSC Set-Up

To Enter Your MMSI Number:

1.Enter the Settings menu and scroll to USER MMSI with the Up/Down buttons.

2.Press the Call/Set button and the blinking cursor will appear at the first digit under USER MMSI ID ENTRY.

3.Use the Up/Down buttons to scroll through the number list to that digit of your number.

4.Press the Call/Set button to select the digit and the blinking cursor will move to the next digit of the number.

5.Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all nine (9) digits of your MMSI number are entered.

NOTE

Press the High/Low Power button to backspace and erase the last selected number.

6.Check that you have entered the number correctly.

7.Press and hold the Call/Set button to return to the Settings menu.

If You Incorrectly Enter Your MMSI Number

You can repeat steps 1 through 7 to correct it. HOWEVER, YOU CAN DO THIS ONLY ONCE! A third attempt to enter an MMSI number will result in an error message as shown.

Pressing the Call/Set button from the error message will return the radio to the Settings menu.

Once the error message appears, the radio will still operate in all non-DSC modes. But you will have to return the radio to Cobra Electronics (see product service on page 69 for details) for reset before you can enter your MMSI number and use the radio in DSC mode.

Because the MMSI number is so important to DSC operation, this limitation is imposed on all DSC capable radios to prevent constant changes and the potential introduction of errors in the process. If, for any reason, it is necessary to change the MMSI number in the radio more than once, you can return it to Cobra Electronics for reset.

Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra® 49

Page 27
Image 27
Cobra Electronics MRF45 DSC Set-Up, User Mmsi Number, If You Incorrectly Enter Your Mmsi Number, To Enter Your Mmsi Number