🔍 Key Concepts

• GMDSS DSC Distress Alert ("Distress Hot Key") – what data fields are encoded every time a distress is sent • Difference between information that is always transmitted vs. information that is only sent if available or interfaced (e.g., GPS) • What the MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) represents in a distress alert

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: in a one‑button distress alert, what is the minimum information the system must send so that a rescue authority can identify who is in trouble? • Which items in the choices clearly depend on external equipment (like GPS) or extra operator input, and therefore cannot be guaranteed to be sent every time? • Consider the terms distress priority and category of distress – which one is automatically set by the DSC format when you press the distress button, even if you don’t enter any details?

✅ Before You Answer

• Check which options include data that is conditional on GPS or navigation input (position, course, speed). Those cannot be guaranteed in all installations. • Identify the one piece of information that is always known to the DSC unit itself (even with no GPS, no operator input). • Verify which DSC field is automatically assigned when a distress is generated via the hot key, even if no nature of distress is manually selected.