§ 80.1133   Transmission of safety communications.

   (a) In a terrestrial system the announcement of the safety message must be
   made on one or more of the distress and safety calling frequencies specified
   in  § 80.1077  using  digital  selective calling techniques. A separate
   announcement need not be made if the message is to be transmitted through
   the maritime mobile-satellite service.

   (b) The safety signal and message must normally be transmitted on one or
   more of the distress and safety traffic frequencies specified in § 80.1077,
   or via the maritime mobile satellite service or on other frequencies used
   for this purpose.

   (c) The safety signal consists of the word SECURITE. In radiotelephony, it
   is pronounced as in French.

   (d) The safety call format or the safety signal indicates that the calling
   station has an important navigational or meteorological warning to transmit.

   (e) In radiotelephony, the safety message must be preceded by the safety
   signal, repeated three times, and the identification of the transmitting
   station.

   (f) In narrow-band direct-printing, the safety message must be preceded by
   the safety signal and the identification of the transmitting station.

   (g)  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 safety messages 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 safety signal SECURITE.

   (h) Safety communications by direct-printing telegraphy should be in the ARQ
   mode when 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.

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

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