Where Does NBDP Fit in GMDSS and How to Use It ?

Raise your hand if you think NBDP is more ignored equipment of GMDSS system. If I was with a group of deck officers right now, I am sure I would see many hands raised. NBDP is surely an ignored equipment. But it is ignored because NBDP is a dead horse, hardly used and gathering dust at one corner of the bridge. Even only few coast stations these days have the NBDP facility. All agreed but if we have this equipment on board, we must know about it. That remains the logic for all the equipments on board. So in this post, I will go through all that one may have to know about NBDP. Let's start. What is NBDP ? In simple terms, NBDP (Narrow Band Direct Printing) is a telex. A way to communicate with text rather than by voice. It is said that NBDP was introduced in the GMDSS to help seafarers whose first language was not English. They did not have to speak to broadcast their distress message, instead they could type and send. If we go by the literal meaning of the NBDP, then we can understand that It uses narrow band width for transmitting the message and When a message is received, it prints the message on the screen and on the printer connected with NBDP So what can NBDP do.. NBDP can send and receive text messages with to and from a single station NBDP can transmit text message stored in the equipment (SD c...