Radio

Voice Procedure Voice Procedure is based on:- •    Rythm: Short, simple clear phrases. •    Speed: Regular speed, normal talking. •    Volume: Just above normal. •    Pitch: A woman's pitch is best for transmission. •   ... [full article]

The radio can now be tuned to the emergency frequency of the band on which the DSC alert was sent for transmission of the urgency message. The format of an urgency message is: Pan Pan - The words Pan ... [full article]

Compulsory GMDSS vessels are required to keep a radio log in a specified format and various items must be recorded in that logbook. For non-compulsory GMDSS vessels, the various licensing authorities have differing views as to what is required but ... [full article]

NAVTEX is an international automated direct-printing service for promulgation of navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information to ships. It has been developed to provide a low cost, simple and automated means of receiving maritime safety information on board ships ... [full article]

The Inmarsat Services: [A], [B], [C], [E], [Mini-M]   The Inmarsat satellite system is concerned with two kinds of communication as far as maritime stations are concerned - the transmission of emergency traffic, such as distress, urgency and safety messages, ... [full article]

A search and rescue radar transponder (SART) is the main means in the GMDSS for locating ships in distress or their survival craft. The SART operates in the 9 GHz frequency band and generates a series of response signals on ... [full article]

Why 'Geostationary' Satellites? This refers to satellites orbiting at a height of some 36,000 kilometers that remain in the same position over the earth - hence the term geostationary. Over a third of the earth's surface is within view ... [full article]

A safety call is to warn other vessels of a particular danger. It may be some danger to navigation, such as a drifting derelict or it could be an urgent weather warning. Again, the call and the message must be ... [full article]