Right now I don't have a boat (just the work boats...lol) I spend most of my off time on my motorcycle and quads. I have fished in the past, but usually more into motorsports than anything. There is no official test for the DSC. If you do hit your DSC button, we will treat it as an actual search and rescue case until told otherwise. I do recommend ensuring your DSC radio is registered with current information and also connected to your GPS. This will help in a few ways if you are in distress. First it will pass us information on yourself (including phone numbers to contact persons for description of clothing) and info on your boat so we know what we are looking for if you are unable to answer your radios at any time. The GPS connection will pass us your current position in order for us to locate you faster and make the searching more efficient. As far as the safety certificate for your boat, you can go to the Vessel Safety Check website at http://www.safetyseal.net/GetVSC/ you type in your zip code and it will give you the e-mail and name of all examiners in your area. Hope this helps. Ron