PART 80 - STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES

(a) Basis. The rules for the maritime services in this part are promulgated under the provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, which vests authority in the Federal Communications Commission to regulate radio transmission and to issue licenses for radio stations. The rules in this part are in accordance wtih applicable statutes, international treaties, agreements and recommendations to which the United States is a party. The most significant of these documents are listed below with the short title appearing in parenthesis:

(b) Purpose. This part states the conditions under which radio may be licensed and used in the maritime services. These rules do not govern radio stations operated by agencies of the U.S. Government.

(a) Part 0. This part describes the Commission's organization and delegations of authority. Part 0 also lists available Commission publications, standards and procedures for access to Commission records and location on Commission monitoring stations.

(b) Part 1. This part includes rules of practice and procedure for license applications, adjudicatory proceedings, procedures for reconsideration and review of the Commission's actions; provisions concerning violation notices and forfeiture proceedings; and the environmental processing requirements that, together with the procedures specified in § 17.4(c) of this chapter, if applicable, must be complied with prior to the initiation of construction. Subpart Q of part 1 contains rules governing competitive bidding procedures for resolving mutually exclusive applications for certain initial licenses.

(c) Part 2. This part contains the Table of Frequency Allocations and special requirements in international regulations, recommendations, agreements, and treaties. This part also contain standards and procedures concerning marketing of radio frequency devices, and for obtaining equipment authorization.

(d) Part 13. This part contains information and rules for the licensing of commercial radio operators.

(e) Part 17. This part contains requirements for the construction, marking and lighting of antenna towers, and the environmental notification process that must be completed before filing certain antenna structure registration applications.

(f) Part 20 of this chapter which governs commercial mobile radio services which include subpart J of this part (public coast stations).

(g) Part 21. This part contains rules concerning point-to-point microwave service authority relating to communication common carriers.

(h) Part 64. This part contains miscellaneous rules relating to communication common carriers.

(i) Part 68. This part contains technical standards for connection of terminal equipment to the telephone network.

(j) Part 87. This part contains rules for the aviation services. Some maritime frequencies are authorized for use by aircraft stations for safety and distress, public correpondence and for operational communications.

(k) Part 101. This part contains rules concerning the private microwave service relating to point-to-point communication requirements.

Alaska—public fixed station. A fixed station in Alaska which is open to public correspondence and is licensed by the Commission for radio communication with Alaska-Private fixed stations on paired channels.

Alaska—private fixed station. A fixed station in Alaska which is licensed by the Commission for radio communication within Alaska and with associated ship stations, on single frequency channels. Alaska-private fixed stations are also eligible to communicate with Alaska-public fixed stations on paired channels.

Associated ship unit. A portable VHF transmitter for use in the vicinity of the ship station with which it is associated.

Automated maritime telecommunications system (AMTS). An automatic maritime communications system.

Automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue system (AMVER). An international system, operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, which provides aid to the development and coordination of search and rescue (SAR) efforts. Data is made available to recognized SAR agencies or vessels of any nation for reasons related to marine safety.

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). A maritime navigation safety communications system standardized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that provides vessel information, including the vessel's identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and other safety-related information automatically to appropriately equipped shore stations, other ships, and aircraft; receives automatically such information from similarly fitted ships; monitors and tracks ships; and exchanges data with shore-based facilities.

Bridge-to-bridge station. A radio station located on a ship's navigational bridge or main control station operating on a specified frequency which is used only for navigational communications, in the 156-162 MHz band.

Cargo ship safety radio certificate. A certificate issued after a ship passes an inspection of the required radiotelegraph, radiotelephone or GMDSS radio installation. Issuance of this certificate indicates that the vessel complies with the Communications Act and the Safety Convention.

Cargo ship safety radiotelegraphy certificate. A certificate issued after a ship passes an inspection of a radiotelegraph installation. Issuance of this certificate indicates that the vessel complies with the Communications Act and the Safety Convention.

Cargo ship safety radiotelephony certificate. A certificate issued after a ship passes an inspection of a radiotelephone installation. Issuance of this certificate indicates that the vessel complies with the Communications Act and the Safety Convention.

Categories of ships.

Coast station. A land station in the maritime mobile service.

Commercial communications. Communications between coast stations and ship stations aboard commercial transport vessels, or between ship stations aboard commercial transport vessels, which relate directly to the purposes for which the ship is used including the piloting of vessels, movements of vessels, obtaining vessel supplies, and scheduling of repairs.

Day.

Digital selective calling (DSC). A synchronous system developed by the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication (ITU-R) Sector, used to establish contact with a station or group of stations automatically by means of radio. The operational and technical characteristics of this system are contained in ITU-R M.493-13 and ITU-R M.541-9 (both incorporated by reference, see § 80.7) (see subpart W of this part.)

Direction finder (radio compass). Apparatus capable of receiving radio signals and taking bearings on these signals from which the true bearing and direction of the point of origin may be determined.

Distress signal. The distress signal is a digital selective call using an internationally recognized distress call format in the bands used for terrestrial communication or an internationally recognized distress message format, in which case it is relayed through space stations, which indicates that a person, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance.

Distress traffic. Distress traffic consists of all messages relating to the immediate assistance required by a person, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle in distress, including search and rescue communications and on-scene communications.

Emergency position indicating radiobeacon (EPIRB) station. A station in the maritime mobile service the emissions of which are intended to facilitate search and rescue operations.

Environmental communications. Broadcasts of information about the environmental conditions in which vessels operate, i.e., weather, sea conditions, time signals adequate for practical navigation, notices to mariners, and hazards to navigation.

Fleet radio station license. An authorization issued by the Commission for two or more ships having a common owner or operator.

Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS). An International Maritime Organization (IMO) worldwide coordinated maritime distress system designed to provide the rapid transfer of distress messages from vessels in distress to units best suited for giving or coordinating assistance. The system includes standardized equipment and operational procedures, unique identifers for each station, and the integrated use of frequency bands and radio systems to ensure the transmission and reception of distress and safety calls and messages at short, medium and long ranges.

Great Lakes. This term, used in this part in reference to the Great Lakes Radio Agreement, means all of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron (including Georgian Bay), Michigan, Superior, their connecting and tributary waters and the St. Lawrence River as far east as the lower exit of the St. Lambert Lock as Montreal in the Province of Quebec, Canada, but does not include any connecting and tributary waters other than: the St. Marys River, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and the Welland Canal.

Harbor or port. Any place to which ships may resort for shelter, or to load or unload passengers or goods, or to obtain fuel, water, or supplies. This term applies to such places whether proclaimed public or not and whether natural or artifical.

Inland waters. This term, as used in reference to waters of the United States, its territories and possessions, means waters that lie landward of the boundary lines of inland waters as contained in 33 CFR 80.01, as well as waters within its land territory, such as rivers and lakes, over which the United States exercises sovereignty.

INMARSAT. INMARSAT Ltd. is a private commercial company licensed in the United Kingdom.

Marine utility station. A station in the maritime mobile service consisting of one or more handheld radiotelephone units licensed under a single authorization. Each unit is capable of operation while being hand-carried by an individual. The station operates under the rules applicable to ship stations when the unit is aboard a vessel, and under the rules applicable to private coast stations when the unit is on land.

Maritime control communications. Communications between private coast and ship stations or between ship stations licensed to a state or local governmental entity, which relate directly to the control of boating activities or assistance to ships.

Maritime mobile repeater station. A land station at a fixed location established for the automatic retransmission of signals to extend the range of communication of ship and coast stations.

Maritime mobile-satellite service. A mobile-satellite service in which mobile earth stations are located on board ships. Survival craft stations and EPIRB stations may also participate in this service.

Maritime mobile service. A mobile service between coast stations and ship stations, or between ship stations, or between associated on-board communication stations. Survival craft stations and EPIRB stations also participate in this service.

Maritime mobile service identities (MMSI). An international system for the identification of radio stations in the maritime mobile service. The system is comprised of a series of nine digits which are transmitted over the radio path to uniquely identify ship stations, ship earth stations, coast stations, coast earth stations and groups of stations.

Maritime radiodetermination service. A maritime radiocommunication service for determining the position, velocity, and/or other characteristics of an object, or the obtaining of information relating to these parameters, by the propagation properties of radio waves.

Maritime support station. A station on land used in support of the maritime services to train personnel and to demonstrate, test and maintain equipment.

Navigable waters. This term, as used in reference to waters of the United States, its territories and possessions, means the waters shoreward of the baseline of its territorial sea and internal waters as contained in 33 CFR 2.36.

Navigational communications. Safety communications pertaining to the maneuvering of vessels or the directing of vessel movements. Such communications are primarily for the exchange of information between ship stations and secondarily between ship stations and coast stations.

Noncommercial communications. Communication between coast stations and ship stations other than commercial transport ships, or between ship stations aboard other than commercial transport ships which pertain to the needs of the ship.

Non-selectable transponder. A transponder whose coded response is displayed on any conventional radar operating in the appropriate band.

On-board communication station. A low-powered mobile station in the maritime mobile service intended for use for internal communications on board a ship, or between a ship and its lifeboats and life-rafts during lifeboat drills or operations, or for communication within a group of vessels being towed or pushed, as well as for line handling and mooring instructions.

On-board repeater. A radio station that receives and automatically retransmits signals between on-board communication stations.

Open sea. The water area of the open coast seaward of the ordinary low-water mark, or seaward of inland waters.

Operational fixed station. A fixed station, not open to public correspondence, operated by entities that provide their own radiocommunication facilities in the private land mobile, maritime or aviation services.

Passenger ship safety certificate. A certificate issued by the Commandant of the Coast Guard after inspection of a passenger ship which complies with the requirements of the Safety Convention.

Pilot. Pilot means a Federal pilot required by 46 U.S.C. 764, a state pilot required under the authority of 46 U.S.C. 211, or a registered pilot required by 46 U.S.C. 216.

Port operations communications. Communications in or near a port, in locks or in waterways between coast stations and ship stations or between ship stations, which relate to the operational handling, movement and safety of ships and in emergency to the safety of persons.

Portable ship station. A ship station which includes a single transmitter intended for use upon two or more ships.

Private coast station. A coast station, not open to public correspondence, which serves the operational, maritime control and business needs of ships.

Public coast station. A coast station that offers radio communication common carrier services to ship radio stations.

Public correspondence. Any telecommunication which the offices and stations must, by reason of their being at the disposal of the public, accept for transmission.

Radar beacon (RACON). A receiver-transmitter which, when triggered by a radar, automatically returns a distinctive signal which can appear on the display of the triggering radar, providing range, bearing and identification information.

Radioprinter operations. Communications by means of a direct printing radiotelegraphy system using any alphanumeric code, within specified bandwidth limitations, which is authorized for use between private coast stations and their associated ship stations on vessels of less than 1600 gross tons.

Safety communication. The transmission or reception of distress, alarm, urgency, or safety signals, or any communication preceded by one of these signals, or any form of radiocommunication which, if delayed in transmission or reception, may adversely affect the safety of life or property.

Safety signal.

Selectable tfransponder. A transponder whose coded response may be inhibited or displayed on a radar on demand by the operator of that radar.

Selective calling. A means of calling in which signals are transmitted in accordance with a prearranged code to operate a particular automatic attention device at the station whose attention is sought.

Ship earth station. A mobile earth station in the maritime mobile-satellite service located on board ship.

Ship or vessel. Ship or vessel includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance, except aircraft, capable of being used as a means of transportation on water whether or not it is actually afloat.

Ship radio station license. An authorization issued by the Commission to operate a radio station onboard a vessel.

Ship station. A mobile station in the maritime mobile service located on-board a vessel which is not permanently moored, other than a survival craft station.

Station. One or more transmitters or a combination of transmitters and receivers, including the accessory equipment, necessary at one location for carrying on radiocommunication services.

Survival craft station. A mobile station in the maritime or aeronautical mobile service intended solely for survival purposes and located on any lifeboat, liferaft or other survival equipment.

Underway. A vessel is underway when it is not at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground.

Urgency signal.

Vessel traffic service (VTS). A U.S. Coast Guard traffic control service for ships in designated water areas to prevent collisions, groundings and environmental harm.

Watch. The act of listening on a designated frequency.

(a) Certain material is incorporated by reference into this part with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the Federal Communications Commission must publish notice of the change in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved material is available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call (202) 741-6030 or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html. Also it is available for inspection at the Federal Communications Commission's Reference Information Center, located at the address of the FCC's main office indicated in 47 CFR 0.401(a), and is available from the sources listed in this section.

(b) The International Maritime Organization (IMO), 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, United Kingdom; http://www.imo.org; Tel. + 44 (0)20 7735 7611; Fax + 44 (0)20 7587 3210; email: info@imo.org.

(c) The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Place des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland; www.itu.int; Voice: + 41 22 730 5111; Fax: + 41 22 733 7256; email: itumail@itu.int.

(d) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), 3 Rue de Varembe, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland; www.iec.ch; phone: + 41 22 919 02 11; fax: + 41 22 919 03 00; email: info@iec.ch. (IEC publications can also be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation (www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900.)

(e) The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 1, ch. De la Voie-Creuse, CP 56, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland; www.iso.org; Tel.: + 41 22 749 01 11; Fax: + 41 22 733 34 30; email: central&iso.org. (ISO publications can also be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation (www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900.)

(f) The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), 1611 N. Kent Street, Suite 605, Arlington, VA 22209; www.rtcm.org; telephone (703) 527-2000; email information@rtcm.org.

(a) The power of each radio transmitter must not be more than that necessary to carry on the service for which the station is licensed.

(b) Except for transmitters using single sideband and independent sideband emissions, each radio transmitter rated by the manufacturer for carrier power in excess of 100 watts must contain the instruments necessary to determine the transmitter power during its operation.

(a) All coast stations licensed to transmit in the band 156-162 MHz must be able to transmit and receive on 156.800 MHz and at least one working frequency in the band.

(b) All coast stations that operate telephony on frequencies in the 1605-3500 kHz band must be able to transmit and receive using J3E emission on the frequency 2182 kHz and at least one working frequency in the band.

(a) Stations having a frequency assignment below 150 kHz must:

(b) Stations having a frequency assignment within the 405-525 kHz band must transmit and receive on 500 kHz and at least one working frequency in the band.

(c) Stations having frequency assignments above 4000 kHz must be equipped to receive on each of their assigned frequencies and all ship station radiotelegraphy frequencies in the same sub-band as the assigned frequency of the coast station. See subpart H of this part for the list of frequencies.

(a) When the station is authorized to use frequencies in the 1605-3500 kHz band, equipment meeting the requirements of § 80.67(b) must be installed at each transmitting location.

(b) The transmitter power on the frequency 2182 kHz must not exceed 50 watts carrier power for normal operation. During distress, urgency and safety traffic, operation at maximum power is permitted.

(a) Coast stations which transmit on the same radio channel above 150 MHz must minimize interference by reducing radiated power, by decreasing antenna height or by installing directional antennas. Coast stations at locations separated by less than 241 kilometers (150 miles) which transmit on the same radio channel above 150 MHz must also consider a time-sharing arrangement. The Commission may order station changes if agreement cannot be reached between the involved licensees.

(b) Coast stations which transmit on a radio channel above 150 MHz and are located within interference range of any station within Canada or Mexico must minimize interference to the involved foreign station(s), and must notify the Commission of any station changes.

(c) A VHF (156-162 MHz) public coast licensee initially authorized on any of the channels listed in the table in § 80.371(c)(1), or an AMTS licensee initially authorized on any of the channel blocks listed in the table in § 80.385(a)(2), may transfer or assign its channel(s), or channel block(s), to another entity. If the proposed transferee or assignee is the geographic area licensee for the geographic area to which the frequency block is allocated, such transfer or assignment will be deemed to be in the public interest. However, such presumption will be rebuttable.

(a) Each station using telegraphy or telephony must be capable of changeover from transmission to reception and vice versa within two seconds excluding a change in operating radio channel.

(b) During it hours of service, each station must be capable of:

(c) Each station using a multichannel installation for telegraphy must be capable of changing from one telegraphy channel to any other telegraphy channel within the same sub-band below 525 kHz within five seconds. This requirement need not be met by equipment intended for use only in emergencies and not used for normal communication.

(d) Every coast station using a multi-channel installation for radiotelephony must be capable of changing from one telephony channel to another telephony channel within:

(a) Audio frequency. Not less than 100 nor more than 1100 Hertz, provided the frequency used for this purpose will not cause auto alarms or selective-ringing devices to be operated.

(b) Rate of interruption. 60 times per minute ±10%.

(c) Duration of each interruption. 0.5 second ±10%.

(a) Except for marine utility stations, a visual indication of antenna current; or a pilot lamp, meter or equivalent device which provides continuous visual indication whenever the transmitter control circuits have been actuated.

(b) Capability to aurally monitor all transmissions originating at dispatch points and to disconnect the dispatch points from the transmitter or to terminate the operation of the transmitter.

(c) Facilities which will permit the responsible operator to turn the carrier of the radio transmitter on and off at will.

(a) Each control point must be capable of:

(b) Each ship station using telegraphy must be capable of changing from telegraph transmission to telegraph reception and vice versa without manual switching.

(c) Each ship station using telephony must be capable of changing from transmission to reception and vice versa within two seconds excluding a change in operating radio channel.

(d) During its hours of service, each ship station must be capable of:

(e) Each ship station using a multi-channel installation for telegraphy (except equipment intended for use only in emergencies on frequencies below 515 kHz) must be capable of changing from one radio channel to another within:

(f) Each ship station and marine-utility station using a multi-channel installation for telephony must be capable of changing from one radio channel to another within:

(g)

(a) Engage in superfluous radiocommunication.

(b) Use telephony on 243 MHz.

(c) Use selective calling on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz.

(d) When using telephony, transmit signals or communications not addressed to a particular station or stations. This provision does not apply to the transmission of distress, alarm, urgency, or safety signals or messages, or to test transmissions.

(e) Transmit while on board vessels located on land unless authorized under a public coast station license. Vessels in the following situations are not considered to be on land for the purposes of this paragraph:

(f) Transmit on frequencies or frequency bands not authorized on the current station license.

(a) All stations in the maritime mobile service and the maritime mobile-satellite service shall be capable of offering four levels of priority in the following order:

(b) In a fully automated system, where it is impracticable to offer all four levels of priority, category 1 shall receive priority until such time as intergovernmental agreements remove exemptions granted for such systems from offering the complete order of priority.

(a) The station operator must determine that the frequency is not in use by monitoring the frequency before transmitting, except for transmission of signals of distress.

(b) When a radiocommunication causes interference to a communication which is already in progress, the interfering station must cease transmitting at the request of either party to the existing communication. As between nondistress traffic seeking to commence use of a frequency, the priority is established under § 80.91.

(c) Except in cases of distress, communications between ship stations or between ship and aircraft stations must not interfere with public coast stations. The ship or aircraft stations which cause interference must stop transmitting or change frequency upon the first request of the affected coast station.

(a) All stations. All stations whose hours of service are not continuous must not suspend operation before having concluded all communication required in connection with a distress call or distress traffic.

(b) Public coast stations.

(c) Compulsory ship stations.

(d) Ships voluntarily fitting GMDSS subsystems. For ships voluntarily fitting GMDSS subsystems, radios shall be turned on and set to proper watch channels while ships are underway. If ship has duplicate GMDSS installations for DSC or INMARSAT, only one of each must be turned on and keeping watch.

(e) Other than public coast or compulsory ship stations. The hours of service of stations other than those described in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section are determined by the station licensee.

(a) Except as specified in § 20.15(c) of this chapter with respect to commercial mobile radio service providers, charges must not be made for service of:

(b) The licensee of each ship station is responsible for the payment of all charges accruing to any other station(s) or facilities for the handling or forwarding of messages or communications transmitted by that station.

(c) In order to be included in the ITU List of Coast Stations public coast stations must recognize international Accounting Authority Identification Codes (AAIC) for purposes of billing and accounts settlement in accordance with Article 66 of the Radio Regulations. Stations which elect not to recognize international AAIC's will be removed from the ITU List of Coast Stations.

(a) Except for the transmission of distress or urgency signals, all transmissions must cease within the band 485-515 kHz during each 500 kHz silence period.

(b) Stations transmitting telegraphy must use the service abbreviations (“Q” code) listed in Appendix 14 to the Radio Regulations.

(c) The call consists of:

(d) The reply to calls consists of: The call sign of the calling station, not more than twice; the word “DE”; and the call sign of the station called, once only.

(a) The operator must not interfere with transmissions in progress.

(b) The operator must transmit “IE” (two dots, space, one dot) on the test frequency as a warning that test emissions are about to be made.

(c) If any station transmits “AS” (wait), testing must be suspended. When transmission of “IE” is resumed and no response is heard, the test may proceed.

(d) Test signals composed of a series of “VVV” having a duration of not more than ten seconds, followed by the call sign of the testing station will be transmitted. The call sign must be sent clearly at a speed of approximately 10 words per minute. This test transmission must not be repeated until a period of at least one minute has elapsed.

(a) The station transmitting radiotelegraph emissions must be identified by its call sign. The call sign must be transmitted with the telegraphy emission normally used by the station. The call sign must be transmitted at 20 minute intervals when transmission is sustained for more than 20 minutes. When a ship station is exchanging public correspondence communications, the identification may be deferred until completion of each communication with any other station.

(b) The requirements of this section do not apply to survival craft stations when transmitting distress signals automatically or when operating on 121.500 MHz for radiobeacon purposes.

(c) Emergency position indicating radiobeacon stations do not require identification.

(a) Station licensees must not cause harmful interference. When radiation is necessary or unavoidable, the testing procedure described below must be followed:

(b) Testing of transmitters must be confined to single frequency channels on working frequencies. However, 2182 kHz and 156.800 MHz may be used to contact ship or coast stations as appropriate when signal reports are necessary. Short tests on 4125 kHz are permitted by vessels equipped with MF/HF radios to evaluate the compatibility of the equipment for distress and safety purposes. U.S. Coast Guard stations may be contacted on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz for test purposes only when tests are being conducted by Commission employees, when FCC-licensed technicians are conducting inspections on behalf of the Commission, when qualified technicians are installing or repairing radiotelephone equipment, or when qualified ship's personnel conduct an operational check requested by the U.S. Coast Guard. In these cases the test must be identified as “FCC” or “technical.”

(c) Survival craft transmitter tests must not be made within actuating range of automatic alarm receivers.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, stations must give the call sign in English. Identification must be made:

(b) Private coast stations located at drawbridges and transmitting on the navigation frequency 156.650 MHz may identify by use of the name of the bridge in lieu of the call sign.

(c) Ship stations transmitting on any authorized VHF bridge-to-bridge channel may be identified by the name of the ship in lieu of the call sign.

(d) Ship stations operating in a vessel traffic service system or on a waterway under the control of a U.S. Government agency or a foreign authoriy, when communicating with such an agency or authority may be identified by the name of the ship in lieu of the call sign, or as directed by the agency or foreign authority.

(e) Voice traffic in the INMARSAT system is closed to other parties except the two stations involved and the identification is done automatically with the establishment of the call. Therefore, it is not necessary for these stations to identify themselves periodically during the communication. For terrestrial systems using DSC to establish radiotelephone communications, the identification is made at the beginning of the call. In these cases, both parties must identify themselves by ship name, call sign or MMSI at least once every 15 minutes during radiotelephone communications.

(f) VHF public coast stations licensed to serve a predetermined geographic service area are not required to provide station identification under this section. A site-based VHF public coast station may identify by means of the approximate geographic location of the station or the area it serves when it is the only VHF public coast station serving the location or there will be no conflict with the identification of any other station.

(a) Operating procedures for the use of DSC equipment in the maritime mobile service are as contained in ITU-R M.541-9 (incorporated by reference, see § 80.7), and subpart W of this part.

(b) When using DSC techniques, coast stations and ship stations must use maritime mobile service identities (MMSI) assigned by the Commission or its designees.

(c) DSC acknowledgment of DSC distress and safety calls must be made by designated coast stations and such acknowledgment must be in accordance with procedures contained in ITU-R M.541-9 (incorporated by reference, see § 80.7). Nondesignated public and private coast stations must follow the guidance provided for ship stations in ITU-R M.541-9 (incorporated by reference, see § 80.7), with respect to DSC “Acknowledgment of distress calls” and “Distress relays.” (See subpart W of this part.)

(d) Group calls to vessels under the common control of a single entity are authorized. A group call identity may be created from an MMSI ending in a zero, assigned to this single entity, by deleting the trailing zero and adding a leading zero to the identity.

(a) Radar transmitters must not transmit station identification.

(b) [Reserved]

(a) Each public coast station must exchange radio communications with any ship or aircraft station at sea; and each station on shipboard or aircraft at sea must exchange radio communications with any other station on shipboard or aircraft at sea or with any public coast station.

(b) Each public coast station must acknowledge and receive all communications from mobile stations directed to it, transmit all communications delivered to it which are directed to mobile stations within range in accordance with their tariffs. Discrimination in service is prohibited.

(a) Each coast station is authorized to transmit lists of call signs in alphabetical order of all mobile stations for which they have traffic on hand. These traffic lists will be transmitted on the station's normal working frequencies at intervals of:

(b) The announcement must be as brief as possible and must not be repeated more than twice. Coast stations may announce on a calling frequency that they are about to transmit call lists on a specific working frequency.

(a) Limitations on calling.

(b) Time limitation on calling frequency. Transmissions by coast stations on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz must be minimized and any one exchange of communications must not exceed one minute in duration.

(c) Change to working frequency. After establishing communications with another station by call and reply on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz coast stations must change to an authorized working channel for the transmission of messages.

(d) Use of busy signal. A coast station, when communicating with a ship station which transmits to the coast station on a radio channel which is a different channel from that used by the coast station for transmission, may transmit a “busy” signal whenever transmission from the ship station is being received. The characteristics of the “busy” signal are contained in § 80.74.

(a) The service of each ship station must at all times be under the ultimate control of the master, who must require that each operator or such station comply with the Radio Regulations in force and that the ship station is used in accordance with those regulations.

(b) These rules are waived when the vessel is under the control of the U.S. Government.

(a) Associated ship units may be operated under a ship station authorization. Use of an associated ship unit is restricted as follows;

(b) State or local government vehicles used to tow vessels involved in search and rescue operations are authorized to operate on maritime mobile frequencies as associated ship units. Such operations must be in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, except that the associated ship unit: May be operated from shore; may use Distress, Safety and Calling, Intership Safety, Liaison, U.S. Coast Guard, or Maritime Control VHF intership frequencies; and may have a transmitter power of 25 watts.

(a) Calling coast stations.

(b) Calling ship stations.

(c) Change to working frequency. After establishing communication with another station by call and reply on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz stations on board ship must change to an authorized working frequency for the transmission of messages.

(d) Limitations on calling. Calling a particular station must not continue for more than 30 seconds in each instance. If the called station does not reply, the station must not again be called until after an interval of 2 minutes. When a called station called does not reply to a call sent three times at intervals of 2 minutes, the calling must cease and must not be renewed until after an interval of 15 minutes; however, if there is no reason to believe that harmful interference will be caused to other communications in progress, the call sent three times at intervals of 2 minutes may be repeated after a pause of not less than 3 minutes. In event of an emergency involving safety, the provisions of this paragraph do not apply.

(e) Limitations on working. Any one exchange of communications between any two ship stations on 2003, 2142, 2638, 2738, or 2830 kHz or between a ship station and a private coast station on 2738 or 2830 kHz must not exceed 3 minutes after the stations have established contact. Subsequent to such exchange of communications, the same two stations must not again use 2003, 2142, 2638, 2738, or 2830 kHz for communication with each other until 10 minutes have elapsed.

(f) Transmission limitation on 2182 kHz and 156.800 MHz. To facilitate the reception of distress calls, all transmissions on 2182 kHz and 156.800 MHz (channel 16) must be minimized and transmissions on 156.800 MHz must not exceed 1 minute.

(g) Limitations on commercial communication. On frequencies in the band 156-162 MHz, the exchange of commercial communication must be limited to the minimum practicable transmission time. In the conduct of ship-shore communication other than distress, stations on board ship must comply with instructions given by the private coast station or marine utility station on shore with which they are communicating.

(a) Narrow-band direct-printing (NB-DP) operating procedures.

(b) Watch on ship calling frequencies.

(c) Radiotelegraph frequencies. Radiotelegraph frequencies available for assignment to public coast stations are contained in subpart H of this part.

(a) Supplemental Eligibility Requirements. Public coast stations are eligible to use facsimile and data techniques with ship stations.

(b) Assignment and use of frequencies.

(a) The public coast station licensee must provide each associated land station with a letter, which shall be presented to authorized FCC representatives upon request, acknowledging that the land station may operate under the authority of the associated public coast station's license:

(b) Each public coast station serving stations on land must afford priority to marine-originating communications through any appropriate electrical or mechanical means.

(c) Land station identification shall consist of the associated public coast station's call sign, followed by a unique numeric or alphabetic unit identifier;

(d) Radio equipment used on land must be certified for use under part 22, part 80, or part 90 of this chapter. Such equipment must operate only on the public correspondence channels authorized for use by the associated public coast station;

(e) Transmitter power shall be in accordance with the limits set in § 80.215 for ship stations and antenna height shall be limited to 6.1 meters (20 feet) above ground level;

(f) Land stations may only communicate with public coast stations and must remain within radio range of associated public coast stations; and,

(g) The land station must cease operation immediately upon written notice by the Commission to the associated public coast station that the land station is causing harmful interference to marine communications.

(a) Supplementary eligibility requirement. A radioprinter authorization for a private coast station may be issued to the owner or operator of a ship of less than 1600 gross tons, a community of ships all of which are less than 1600 gross tons, or an association whose members operate ships of less than 1600 gross tons.

(b) Scope of communications. Only those communications which concern the business and operational needs of vessels are authorized.

(c) Assignment and use of frequencies.

(d) Coast station responsibilities.

(a) Private coast stations in Alaska are eligible to use facsimile techniques with associated ship stations and other private coast stations in accordance with § 80.505(b).

(b) The frequency 156.425 MHz is assigned by rule to private coast stations in Alaska for facsimile transmissions.

(c) Equipment used for facsimile operations is subject to the applicable provisions of subpart E of this part.

(a) Points of communication. Ship stations and marine utility stations on board ships are authorized to communicate with any station in the maritime mobile service.

(b) Service requirements for all ship stations.

(c) Service requirements for vessels. Each ship station provided for compliance with Part II of Title III of the Communications Act must provide a public correspondence service on voyages of more than 24 hours for any person who requests the service. Compulsory radiotelephone ships must provide this service for at least four hours daily. The hours must be prominently posted at the principal operating location of the station.

(d) Operating conditions. Effective August 1, 1994, VHF hand-held, portable transmitters used while connected to an external power source or a ship antenna must be equipped with an automatic timing device that deactivates the transmitter and reverts the transmitter to the receive mode after an uninterrupted transmission period of five minutes, plus or minus 10 percent. Additionally, such transmitters must have a device that indicates when the automatic timer has deactivated the transmitter. See also § 80.203(c).

(a) Calling by narrow-band direct-printing.

(b) NB-DP operating procedure. The operation of NB-DP equipment in the maritime mobile service must be in accordance with the operating procedures contained in ITU-R M.492-6 (incorporated by reference, see § 80.7).

(c) Required channels for radiotelegraphy.

(a) Except for compulsory vessels, each ship radiotelephone station licensed to operate in the band 1605-3500 kHz must be able to receive and transmit J3E emission on the frequency 2182 kHz. Ship stations are additionally authorized to receive and transmit H3E emission for communications with foreign coast stations and with vessels of foreign registry. If the station is used for other than safety communications, it must be capable also of receiving and transmitting the J3E emission on at least two other frequencies in that band. However, ship stations which operate exclusively on the Mississippi River and its connecting waterways, and on high frequency bands above 3500 kHz, need be equipped with 2182 kHz and one other frequency within the band 1605-3500 kHz.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, at least one VHF radiotelephone transmitter/receiver must be able to transmit and receive on the following frequencies:

(c) Where a ship ordinarily has no requirement for VHF communications, handheld VHF equipment may be used solely to comply with the bridge-to-bridge navigational communication requirements contained in subpart U of this part.

(a) Where a ship station is operating only with handheld bridge-to-bridge VHF radio equipment under § 80.143(c) of this part; or

(b) For vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system when the watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and a separately assigned VTS frequency.

(a) Any person receiving official notice of violation of the terms of the Communications Act, any legislative act, executive order, treaty to which the United States is a party, terms of a station or operator license, or the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission must within 10 days from such receipt, send a written answer, in duplicate, to the office of the Commission originating the official notice. If an answer cannot be sent or an acknowledgment made within such 10-day period by reason of illness or other unavoidable circumstances, acknowledgment and answer must be made at the earliest practicable date with a satisfactory explanation of the delay. The answer to each notice must be complete in itself and must not be abbreviated by references to other communications or answers to other notices. The answer must contain a full explanation of the incident involved and must set forth the action taken to prevent a continuation or recurrence. If the notice relates to lack of attention to or improper operation of the station or to log or watch discrepancies, the answer must give the name and license number of the licensed operator on duty.

(b) When an official notice of violation, impending violation, or discrepancy, pertaining to any provision of Part II of Title III of the Communications Act or the radio provisions of the Safety Convention, is served upon the master or person responsible for a vessel and any instructions appearing on such document issued by a representative of the Commission are at variance with the content of paragraph (a) of this section, the instructions issued by the Commission's representative supersede those set forth in paragraph (a) of this section.

(a) Except as provided in § 80.179, operation of a coast station transmitter must be performed by a person who is on duty at the control point of the station. The operator is responsible for the proper operation of the station.

(b) An operational fixed station associated with a coast station may be operated by the operator of the associated coast station.

(a) Each telegraphy passenger ship equipped with a radiotelegraph station in accordance with Part II of Title III of the Communications Act must carry two radio officers holding a First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, or Radiotelegraph Operator License.

(b) Each cargo ship equipped with a radiotelegraph station in accordance with Part II of Title III of the Communications Act and which has a radiotelegraph auto alarm must carry a radio officer holding a First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, or Radiotelegraph Operator License who has had at least six months service as a radio officer on board U.S. ships. If the radiotelegraph station does not have an auto alarm, a second radio officer who holds a First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, or Radiotelegraph Operator License must be carried.

(c) Each cargo ship equipped with a radiotelephone station in accordance with Part II of Title III of the Communications Act must carry a radio operator who meets the following requirements:

(d) Each passenger ship equipped with a GMDSS installation in accordance with subpart W of this part shall carry at least two persons holding an appropriate GMDSS Radio Operator License or, if the passenger ship operates exclusively within twenty nautical miles of shore, at least two persons holding either a GMDSS Radio Operator License or a Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator License, as specified in § 13.7 of this chapter.

(e) Each ship transporting more than six passengers for hire equipped with a radiotelephone station in accordance with Part III of Title III of the Communications Act must carry a radio operator who meets the following requirements:

(a) Make equipment adjustments which may affect transmitter operation;

(b) Operate any transmitter which requires more than the use of simple external switches or manual frequency selection or transmitters whose frequency stability is not maintained by the transmitter itself.

(a) All adjustments of radio transmitters in any radiotelephone station or coincident with the installation, servicing, or maintenance of such equipment which may affect the proper operation of the station, must be performed by or under the immediate supervision and responsibility of a person holding a First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Radiotelegraph Operator License, or General Radiotelephone Operator License.

(b) Only persons holding a First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate, or Radiotelegraph Operator License must perform such functions at radiotelegraph stations transmitting Morse code.

(c) Only persons holding an operator certificate containing a ship radar endorsement must perform such functions on radar equipment.

(a) No radio operator authorization is required to operate:

(b) No radio operator license is required to install a VHF transmitter in a ship station if the installation is made by, or under the supervision of, the licensee of the ship station and if modifications to the transmitter other than front panel controls are not made.

(c) No operator license is required to operate coast telephone stations or marine utility stations.

(d) No radio operator license is required to install a radar station on a voluntarily equipped ship when a manual is included with the equipment that provides step-by-step instructions for the installation, calibration, and operation of the radar. The installation must be made by, or under the supervision of, the licensee of that ship station and no modifications or adjustments other than to the front panel controls are to be made to the equipment.

(a) EPIRB operations when emergency conditions preclude attendance of the EPIRB transmitter by a person.

(b) Automatic use of a transmitter during narrow-band direct-printing (NB-DP) operations in accordance with § 80.219.

(c) Automatic use of a transmitter during selective calling operations in accordance with § 80.225.

(d) Automatic use of a transmitter when operating as part of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS), an automated multi-station system for which provisions are contained in this part, or an automated public coast station.

(e) Automatic use of a VHF transmitter to send brief digital communications relating to the condition or safety of vessels while moored when all of the following conditions are met:

(a) Each public coast station licensed to operate in the band 1605-3500 kHz must monitor such frequency(s) as are used for working or, at the licensee's discretion, maintain a watch on 2182 kHz.

(b) Except for distress, urgency or safety messages, coast stations must not transmit on 2182 kHz during the silence periods for three minutes twice each hour beginning at x h.00 and x h.30 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

(c) Each public coast station must provide assistance for distress communications when requested by the Coast Guard.

(a) When changes occur in the operation of a public coast station which include discontinuance, relocation, reduction or suspension of a watch required to be maintained on 2182 kHz or 156.800 MHz, notification must be made by the licensee to the nearest district office of the U.S. Coast Guard as soon as practicable. The notification must include the estimated or known resumption time of the watch.

(b) [Reserved]

(a) During its hours of operation, each coast station operating in the 156-162 MHz band and serving rivers, bays and inland lakes except the Great Lakes, must maintain a safety watch on the frequency 156.800 MHz except when transmitting on 156.800 MHz.

(b) A coast station is exempt from compliance with the watch requirement when Federal, State, or Local Government stations maintain a watch on 156.800 MHz over 95% of the coast station's service area. Each licensee exempted by rule must notify the nearest district office of the U.S. Coast Guard at least thirty days prior to discontinuing the watch, or in the case of new stations, at least thirty days prior to commencing service. The Coast Guard may require any coast station to maintain the watch temporarily or permanently. The Coast Guard may also require any coast station to remain capable of either immediately resuming the watch or providing the Coast Guard direct dial-up access to the necessary 156.800 MHz transceiver at no charge so that the Coast Guard can maintain the watch.

(c) If the government station(s) providing the 156.800 MHz watch over the service area of an exempt station temporarily discontinues that watch, the exempt coast station upon receiving notice of this condition must maintain the watch on 156.800 HMz during the discontinuance. Automated maritime communications systems' compliance with this requirement is limited to the use of existing facilities.

(a) Each ship of the United States which is equipped with a radiotelegraph station for compliance with part II of title III of the Communications Act or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must:

(b) Each cargo ship of the United States which is equipped with a radiotelephone station for compliance with part II of title III of the Communications Act or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must while being navigated outside of a harbor or port:

(c) Each vessel of the United States transporting more than six passengers for hire, which is equipped with a radiotelephone station for compliance with 47 U.S.C. 381-386 but which is not carrying MF-DSC radio equipment, must, while being navigated in the open sea or any tidewater within the jurisdiction of the United States adjacent or contiguous to the open sea, keep a continuous watch on 2182 kHz while the vessel is beyond VHF communication range of the nearest VHF coast station, whenever the radiotelephone station is not being used for authorized traffic. A VHF watch must be kept on 156.800 MHz whenever such station is not being used for authorized traffic. The VHF watch must be maintained at the vessel's steering station actually in use by the qualified operator as defined by § 80.157 or by a crewmember who may perform other duties relating to the operation or navigation of the vessel, provided such other duties do not interfere with the watch. The use of a properly adjusted squelch is not considered to adversely affect the watch. The VHF watch need not be maintained by vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system when an efficient listening watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and a VTS frequency.

(a) Each ship of the United States that is equipped with a radiotelephone station for compliance with the Great Lakes Radio Agreement must when underway keep a watch on:

(b) The watch must be maintained by the master, or person designated by the master, who may perform other duties provided they do not interfere with the effectiveness of the watch.

(a) The international radiotelephone distress signal consists of the word MAYDAY, pronounced as the French expression “m'aider”.

(b) These distress signals indicate that a mobile station is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance.

(c) The radiotelephone distress call consists of:

(d) The procedures for canceling false distress alerts are contained in § 80.335.

(a) The international radiotelegraph alarm signal consists of a series of twelve dashes sent in one minute, the duration of each dash being four seconds and the duration of the interval between consecutive dashes one second. The purpose of this special signal is the actuation of automatic devices giving the alarm to attract the attention of the operator when there is no listening watch on the distress frequency.

(b) The international radiotelephone alarm signal consists of two substantially sinusoidal audio frequency tones transmitted alternately. One tone must have a frequency of 2200 Hertz and the other a frequency of 1300 Hertz, the duration of each tone being 250 milliseconds. When generated by automatic means, the radiotelephone alarm signal must be transmitted continuously for a period of at least 30 seconds, but not exceeding one minute; when generated by other means, the signal must be transmitted as continuously as practicable over a period of approximately one minute. The purpose of this special signal is to attract the attention of the person on watch or to actuate automatic devices giving the alarm.

(a) The radiotelegraph or radiotelephone alarm signal, as appropriate, must only be used to announce:

(b) In cases described in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of this section, the transmission of the warning or message by radiotelegraphy must not begin until two minutes after the end of the radiotelegraph alarm signal.

(a) The radiotelegraph distress procedure consists of the following six steps: however, when time is vital, the first and second steps may be omitted. These two steps of the distress procedure may also be omitted in circumstances when transmission of the alarm signal is considered unnecessary:

(b) The radiotelegraph distress transmissions must be sent by means of the international Morse code at a speed not exceeding 16 words per minute nor less than 8 words per minute.

(c) The distress message, preceded by the distress call, must be repeated at intervals until an answer is received. The radiotelegraph alarm signal may also be repeated, if necessary.

(d) The transmissions under paragraphs (a) (5) and (6) of this section, which are to permit direction finding stations to determine the position of the station in distress, may be repeated at frequent intervals if necessary.

(e) When the mobile station in distress receives no answer to a distress message transmitted on the distress frequency, the message may be repeated on any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted.

(a) The radiotelephone distress procedure consists of:

(b) The DSC distress procedure consists of:

(c) Radiotelephone distress transmissions must be made slowly and distinctly, each word being clearly pronounced to facilitate transcription.

(d) After the transmission by radiotelephony of its distress message, the mobile station may be requested to transmit suitable signals followed by its call sign or name, to permit direction-finding stations to determine its position. This request may be repeated at frequent intervals if necessary.

(e) The distress message, preceded by the distress call, must be repeated at intervals until an answer is received. This repetition must be preceded by the radiotelephone alarm signal whenever possible.

(f) When the mobile station in distress receives no answer to a distress message transmitted on the distress frequency, the message may be repeated on any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted.

(a) Stations of the maritime mobile service which receive a distress message from a mobile station which is beyond any possible doubt in their vicinity must immediately acknowledge receipt. However, in areas where reliable communication with one or more coast stations is practicable, ship stations may defer this acknowledgement for a short interval so that a coast station may acknowledge receipt.

(b) Stations of the maritime mobile service which receive a distress message from a mobile station which beyond any possible doubt is not in their vicinity, must allow a short interval of time to elapse before acknowledging receipt of the message in order to permit stations nearer to the mobile station in distress to acknowledge receipt without interference.

(a) The acknowledgement of receipt of a radiotelegraph distress message is transmitted in the following form:

(b) The acknowledgement of receipt of a radiotelephone distress message is transmitted in the following form:

(a) Every mobile station which acknowledges receipt of a distress message must on the order of the master or person responsible for the ship, aircraft, or other vehicle carrying such mobile station, transmit as soon as possible the following information in the order shown:

(b) Before sending this message, the station must ensure that it will not interfere with the emissions of other stations better situated to render immediate assistance to the station in distress.

(a) A mobile station or a land station which learns that a mobile station is in distress must transmit a distress message in any of the following cases:

(b) Transmission must be made on the international distress frequencies or on any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted.

(c) Transmission of the distress message must always be preceded by the call indicated below, which must itself be preceded whenever possible by the radiotelegraph or radiotelephone alarm signal. This call consists of:

(d) When the radiotelegraph alarm signal is used, an interval of two minutes must be allowed, whenever this is considered necessary, before the transmission of the call mentioned in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(a) Distress traffic consists of all messages relating to the immediate assistance required by the mobile station in distress. In distress traffic, the distress signal must be sent before the call and at the beginning of the preamble of any radiotelegram.

(b) The control of distress traffic is the responsibility of the mobile station in distress or of the station which has sent the distress message. These stations may delegate the control of the distress traffic to another station.

(c) The station in distress or the station in control of distress traffic may impose silence either on all stations of the mobile service in the area or on any station which interferes with the distress traffic. It must address these instructions “to all stations” or to one station only, according to circumstances. In either case, it must use one of the following signals which are reserved for use by the mobile station in distress and for the station controlling distress traffic:

(d) If essential, any station of the mobile service near the ship, aircraft, or other vehicle in distress may also impose silence. It must use for this purpose:

(a) When distress traffic has ceased, or when complete silence is no longer necessary on a frequency which has been used for distress traffic, the station which has controlled this traffic must transmit on that frequency a message addressed “to all stations” indicating that normal working may be resumed.

(b) Until they receive the foregoing message indicating that normal or limited working may be resumed, all stations which are aware of the distress traffic, and which are not taking part in it, are forbidden to transmit on the frequencies on which the distress traffic is taking place.

(a) The urgency signal indicates that the calling station has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle, or the safety of a person. The urgency signal must be sent only on the authority of the master or person responsible for the mobile station.

(b) In radiotelegraphy, the urgency signal consists of three repetitions of the group XXX, sent with the individual letters of each group, and the successive groups clearly separated from each other. It must be transmitted before the call.

(c) In radiotelephony, the urgency signal consists of three oral repetitions of the group of words PAN PAN transmitted before the call.

(d) The urgency signal has priority over all other communications except distress. All mobile and land stations which hear it must not interfere with the transmission of the message which follows the urgency signal.

(e) The urgency signal and call, and the message following it, must be sent on one of the international distress frequencies. Stations which cannot transmit on a distress frequency may use any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted.

(f) Mobile stations which hear the urgency signal must continue to listen for at least three minutes. At the end of this period, if no urgency message has been heard, they may resume their normal service. However, land and mobile stations which are in communication on frequencies other than those used for the transmission of the urgency signal and of the call which follows it may continue their normal work without interruption provided the urgency message is not addressed “to all stations”.

(g) When the urgency signal has been sent before transmitting a message “to all stations” which calls for action by the stations receiving the message, the station responsible for its transmission must cancel it as soon as it knows that action is no longer necessary. This message of cancellation must likewise be addressed “to all stations”.

(a) The safety signal indicates that the station is about to transmit a message concerning the safety of navigation or giving important meteorological warnings.

(b) In radiotelegraphy, the safety signal consists of three repetitions of the group TTT, sent with the individual letters of each group, and the successive groups clearly separated from each other. It must be sent before the call.

(c) In radiotelephony, the safety signal consists of the word SECURITE, pronounced as in French, spoken three times and transmitted before the call.

(d) The safety signal and call must be sent on one of the international distress frequencies (2182 kHz or 156.8 MHz radiotelephone). Stations which cannot transmit on a distress frequency may use any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted.

(e) The safety signal and call must be followed by the safety message. Where practicable, the safety message should be sent on a working frequency, and a suitable announcement to this effect must be made at the end of the call.

(f) Messages about meteorological warnings, of cyclones, dangerous ice, dangerous wrecks, or any other imminent danger to marine navigation must be preceded by the safety signal.

(g) Stations hearing the safety signal must not make any transmission likely to interfere with the message.

(a) Vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act transmitting on the designated navigational frequency must conduct communications in a format similar to those given below:

(b) Vessels acknowledging receipt must answer “(Name of vessel calling). This is (Name of vessel answering). Received your call,” and follow with an indication of their intentions. Communications must terminate when each ship is satisfied that the other no longer poses a threat to its safety and is ended with “Out”.

(c) Use of power greater than 1 watt in a bridge-to-bridge station shall be limited to the following three situations:

(a) Survival craft stations may transmit distress, urgency and safety signals, calls and messages.

(b) EPIRB's may transmit only in accordance with the requirements of subparts V and X of this part.

(a) Was transmitted intentionally;

(b) Was not cancelled in accordance with § 80.335;

(c) Could not be verified as a result of either the ship's failure to keep watch on appropriate frequencies in accordance with § 80.1123 or subpart G of this part, or its failure to respond to calls from the U.S. Coast Guard;

(d) Was repeated; or

(e) Was transmitted using a false identity.

(a) VHF Digital Selective Calling.

(b) MF Digital Selective Calling.

(c) HF Digital Selective Calling;

(d) INMARSAT ship earth station. Immediately notify the appropriate rescue coordination center that the alert is cancelled by sending a distress priority message by way of the same land earth station through which the false distress alert was sent. Provide ship name, call sign or registration number, and INMARSAT identity with the cancelled alert message.

(e) EPIRB. If for any reason an EPIRB is activated inadvertently, immediately contact the nearest U.S. Coast Guard unit or appropriate rescue coordination center by telephone, radio or ship earth station and cancel the distress alert.

(f) General and other distress alerting systems. Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section, ships may use additional appropriate means available to them to inform the nearest appropriate U.S. Coast Guard rescue coordination center that a false distress alert has been transmitted and should be cancelled.

(a) Distress, urgency, safety, call and reply.

(b) Working.

(c) Digital selective calling (DSC).

(d) Narrow-band direct-printing (NB-DP).

(e) Facsimile.

(f) VHF-FM digital small message services (VDSMS).

(a) Frequencies in the 100-160 kHz band. The international calling frequency in the 100-160 kHz band is 143 kHz using A1A or J2A emission. When a ship station operating in the 100-160 kHz band desires to communicate with a coast station, it must call on the frequency 143 kHz unless the International List of Coast Stations provides otherwise. Coast stations must reply on their normal working frequency in this band. Only individual calls, replies to such calls, and transmission of signals preparatory to traffic may be transmitted on 143 kHz.

(b) Frequencies in the 2000-27500 kHz band —