[blueh20pc]

I'm posting this as a what happened, real world situation.


Tonight I just recieved a call from the USCG at 12:15pm EST saying my vessel has been transmitting a DSC distress call which was picked up 12 NM offshore of Kitty Hawk, NC by a vessel, and the CG was checking to see if the vessel was safe.

That's at LEAST 20NM as the crow flies from where my boat is positioned, with the antennae folded down.

My boat is a 23 footer, and stays on the trailer in my driveway, in Kill Devil Hills, NC. It sits approximately 1 mile from the coast, behind the house on the trailer, with my 8 foot shakespeare antennae folded down off the t-top. ICOM 322 VHF is hooked to it, and the radio is hard wired to the Standard Horizon GPS via the NMEA bus to distribute the GPS coord's in the event someone pushes the distress button. I was charging the batteries, the perko switch was set to off, and the dogs were out and would have alerted me if someone was messing with the boat.


The USCG did not recieve any GPS coordinates. They marked my vessel 9 miles off shore using their software.

I told the PO to cease and desist with any alarms coming from my boat for the next 2 weeks until I diagnose and fix the problem. I disonnected the batteries at the wing nuts just to be certain.

I don't think it's the radio, it's less than a year old from a reputable reseller. Has anyone had something like this happen before?

BTW... Kudos to USCG station Oregon Inlet, NC... They were getting ready to launch the MLB and go look for my boat. And it is nasty tonight, breaking whitewater across the bar today.