GMDSS Upgrade at Lairdside Maritime Centre
The new re-equipped GMDSS suite at Lairdside Maritime Centre.
Lairdside Maritime Centre has recently re-equipped its GMDSS Suite in order to continue providing realistic operator training across a range of subject specialisations. The new equipment configuration is centred around Furuno equipment that is ' live' and meets all the AMERC examination requirements. The suite has been developed as three discrete ship stations and an MRCC Station to allow realistic scenario based training.
A further ship station features a Furuno NX-700 paperless Navtex but omits a Felcom and is typical of typical of A2 station. Providing a typical GMDSS A1 station is a Sailor RT4822 VHF/DSC and a MTI Navtex receiver with attendant SART and EPIRBs.
The original Sailor equipment has been retained and has been configured as a Coast Radio Station/ MRCC. All the equipment feeds into artificial antennas and allows all types of DSC and RT calls to be demonstrated and dealt with in the correct way.
Three Transas 4000 series tutors have been provided to give students practice in the use of Fleet 77 and Sat-B equipment using simulated programmes. The tutor also has great potential as a teaching aid particularly for discussion of radio propagation. A comprehensive and realistic program allows the lecturer to show how varying sunlight conditions affect the range of radio signals over a given time period.
In considering the layout of the new equipment the staff at LMC were keen to maximise the learning potential for delegates. Phil Davies, short course manager at the centre said,
'This extra equipment means that individual students will benefit for a lot more hands on experience than previously. They also now have a greater range of manufacturers equipment to practice with and it is typical of the modern equipment they will find on board. Many delegates in the past have indicated that they feel a lack of confidence on joining their ships when the equipment on board is not the same as that on which they undertook their training and examinations. The addition of the Transas GMDSS tutors offer considerable potential for enhancing the learning potential.'
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