West Marine VHF580 Receiving a position request Position Reply, Enabling automatic position reply

contact a station that is not in your directory, select Manual. The radio prompts you to enter the MMSI number you want to call. Enter the MMSI number the same way you enter directory entries (see page 22). Enter all nine digits and press ENT-1W/25W.

4.The radio displays the MMSI number you are about to contact and asks you to confirm. If you want to request the position of the displayed MMSI number, select Send. To cancel the request, select Cancel.

5.When the other station responds, the radio displays the MMSI number, the longitude,

and the latitude of the other station. If your radio is connected to a chartplotter through the NMEA OUT connection (see page 35), the position information will also be displayed on the plotter screen.

6.If the other station does not have valid GPS data, the radio displays No Position.

Receiving a position request (Position Reply)

When another station requests your current position, the radio displays the following screen:

POS Request

KENT NEWMAN

Reply

Cancel

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Back[CLR] Select[ENT]

To send your current position to the other station, select Reply; the radio transmits your latitude and longitude to the other station. If you select Reply but the radio does not have valid GPS data, it transmits the reply code with No Position.

To reject the position request, select Cancel.

Enabling automatic position reply

If you want the radio to automatically transmit your current position whenever it receives a position request, you can enable automatic position reply. Most boaters activate automatic position reply for safety reasons or because they subscribe to a marine towing service. Sometimes—for example, in some competitive situations--you may not want other stations to get your position without your manual confirmation

1.Press and hold CALL-MENUto display the normal menu.

2.Select Setup and then POS Reply.

3.Choose Auto and press ENT-1W/25W. The radio will automatically transmit your position when it receives a position request.

4.To disable automatic position reply, repeat the steps above and select Manual.

Sending your own position (Position Send)

If your radio is connected to a GPS receiver, you can send your boat’s position to someone else. If you are requesting assistance or using an all ships call to give a safety warning, you can send your current position so other stations know where you are:

1.Press CALL-MENUto display the call menu.

2.Select Position Send.

3.The radio displays the names listed in your directory; use CHANNEL UP and CHANNEL DOWN to choose the directory entry you want to contact and press ENT-1W/25W. If you want to contact a station that is not in your directory, select Manual. The radio prompts you to

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