§  80.1125   Search and rescue coordinating communications.

   (a) The distress signal consists of the word MAYDAY, pronounced in
   radiotelephony as the French expression "M'aider". For distress traffic
   by radiotelephony, when establishing communications, calls must be
   prefixed by the distress signal MAYDAY.

   (b) Error correction techniques, in accordance with ITU-R M.625-3
   (incorporated by reference, see §  80.7), as specified in §  80.1101,
   must be used for distress traffic by direct-printing telegraphy. All
   messages must be preceded by at least one carriage return, a line feed
   signal, a letter shift signal and the distress signal MAYDAY.

   (c) Distress communications by direct-printing telegraphy should be in
   the ARQ mode when ships are communicating directly to the Coast Guard
   or other coast stations on channels which they normally guard. Other
   distress communications, including those on simplex channels provided
   for that purpose, should be in the broadcast forward error correction
   mode. The ARQ mode may subsequently be used when it is advantageous to
   do so.

   (d) The Rescue Coordination Center responsible for controlling a search
   and rescue operation will also coordinate the distress traffic relating
   to the incident or may appoint another station to do so.

   (e) The Rescue Coordination Center coordinating distress traffic, the
   unit coordinating search and rescue operations, or the coast station
   involved may impose silence on stations which interfere with that
   traffic. This instruction may be addressed to all stations or to one
   station only, according to circumstances. In either case, the following
   will be used:

   (1) In radiotelephony, the signal SEELONCE MAYDAY, pronounced as the
   French expression "silence, m'aider";

   (2) In narrow-band direct-printing telegraphy normally using
   forward-error correcting mode, the signal SILENCE MAYDAY. However, the
   ARQ mode may be used when it is advantageous to do so.

   (f) Until they receive the message indicating that normal working may
   be resumed (see paragraph (h) of this section), all stations which are
   aware of the distress traffic, and which are not taking part in it, and
   which are not in distress, are forbidden to transmit on the frequencies
   in which the distress traffic is taking place.

   (g) Stations following distress traffic that are able to continue
   normal service may do so when the distress traffic is well established
   and on condition that it observes the provisions of paragraph (f) of
   this section and that it does not interfere with distress traffic.

   (h) When distress traffic has ceased on frequencies which have been
   used for distress traffic, the Rescue Coordination Center controlling a
   search and rescue operation must initiate a message for transmission on
   these frequencies indicating that distress traffic has finished.

   (i) In radiotelephony, the message referred to in paragraph (h) of this
   section consists of:

   (1) The distress signal MAYDAY;

   (2) The call "Hello all stations" or CQ (spoken as CHARLIE QUEBEC)
   spoken three times;

   (3) The words THIS IS (or DE spoken as DELTA ECHO in the case of
   language difficulties);

   (4) The call sign or other identification of the station sending the
   message;

   (5) The time when the distress situation has ceased;

   (6) The name and call sign of the mobile station which was in distress;

   (7) The words SEELONCE FEENEE pronounced as the French words "silence
   fini"

   (j) In direct-printing telegraphy, the message referred to in paragraph
   (h) of this section consists of:

   (1) The distress signal MAYDAY;

   (2) The call CQ;

   (3) The word DE;

   (4) The call sign or other identification of the station sending the
   message;

   (5) The time when distress situation has ceased;

   (6) The name and call sign of the mobile station which was in distress;
   and

   (7) The words SILENCE FINI.

   [ 57 FR 9065 , Mar. 16, 1992, as amended at  68 FR 46981 , Aug. 7, 2003;  73 FR 4492 , Jan. 25, 2008;  76 FR 67618 , Nov. 2, 2011]

   return arrow Back to Top