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Sea Area - Radio Station Requirements

Minimum Requirements

All SOLAS certified ships are required to carry a minimum of:

  1. VHF installations able to transmit/receive DSC distress alerts on Ch 70 and radiotelephony Chs. 06, 13 and 16.

2. VHF (waterproof) walkie-talkies;

For ships 300-500 gross tons: minimum 2

For ships over 500 gross tons: minimum 3

  1. A minimum of one SART’s 9GHz (for ships over 500 gross tons: minimum 2) and one EPIRB transmit distress alerts on 406 MHz.

  2. NAVTEX receiver. In areas with no NAVTEX. Either an INMARSAT EGC receive facility or HF NBDP receiver(if service is provided).

A2 – Additional Requirements

  1. MF radio installations able to transmit/receive for distress and safety purposes on 2187,5 KHz (DSC) and 2182 KHz (radiotelephony).

  2. Radio installations to maintain continuous DSC watch on 2187,5 KHz.

A3 – Additional Requirements

  1. One of the following (a or b)

a) An INMARSAT SES able to transmit/receive distress and safety communications. Transmit/receive distress priority calls. Maintain shore-to-ship watch for distress alerts. Transmit/receive general radio communications.

b) MF/HF radio installations able to transmit/receive for distress and safety purposes on all distress and safety frequencies, in bands between 1605 KHz and 4000KHz, and between 4000 KHz and 27500 KHz; using DSC, radiotelephony and NBDP.

  1. MF/HF radio installations to maintain DSC watch at 2187,5 and 8414,5KHz, and on at least one of 4207,5 KHz, 6312 KHz, 12577 KHz, or 16804,5 KHz.

A4 – Additional Requirements

  1. MF/HF radio installations able to transmit/receive for distress and safety purposes on all distress and safety frequencies, in bands between 1605 KHz and 4000KHz, and between 4000 KHz and 27500 KHz; using DSC, radio telephony and NBDP.
  1. Radio installations to maintain DSC watch on 2187,5 KHz and 8414,5KHz, and on at least one of 4207,5 KHz, 6312 KHz, 12577 KHz, or 16804,5 KHz.
  1. Transmit/receive general radio communications on MF/HF in bands between 1605 KHz and 4000 KHz, and between 4000 KHz and 27000 KHz using radiotelephony and NBDP.

Passenger Ship – Additional Requirements

  1. Handheld or installed ship-to-aircraft, two-ways 121,5 MHz or one-way 123,1 MHz.

  2. Distress alert alarm panel

Sources of Energy – Requirements

    1. There shall be available at all times, while the ship is at sea, a supply of electrical energy sufficient to operate the radio installations and to charge any batteries used as part of a reserve source or sources of energy for the radio installations.
 
  1. A reserve source or sources of energy shall be provided on every ship, to supply radio installations, for the purpose of conducting distress and safety radiocommunications, in the event of failure of the ship’s main and emergency sources of electrical power. The reserve source or sources of energy shall be capable of simultaneously operating the VHF radio installation and, as appropriate for the sea area or sea areas for which the ship is equipped, either the MF radio installation, the MF/HF radio installation, or the Inmarsat Ship Earth Station for a period of at least.
a) 1 hour on ships provided with an emergency source of electrical power.
b) 6 hours on ships not provided with an emergency source of electrical.
*The reserve source or sources of energy need not supply independent HF and MF radio installations at the same time.