VHF radio and a Mayday call
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Channel sixteen, the DSC distress button (needs an MMSI and GPS), how to make a Mayday call, Pan-Pan and Sécurité, and radio checks on the right channel.
Sources (8)
- Channel sixteen is the national distress, safety and calling channel; hail on sixteen then move to a working channel; keep transmissions short, everyone in range hears you — boatus.org
- The DSC distress button broadcasts an encoded distress call picked up by nearby DSC vessels and Coast Guard stations; using DSC requires an MMSI; position is sent only if interfaced with GPS — boatus.org
- DSC alerts include position only if the radio has internal GPS or is connected to one; after the alert, contact the Coast Guard on channel sixteen — navcen.uscg.gov
- MMSIs identify a vessel in DSC calls; the Coast Guard uses the registered MMSI to learn about a vessel in distress — navcen.uscg.gov
- Mayday call order: Mayday three times, this is, vessel name three times, position (lat/long or bearing and distance to a landmark), nature of distress, assistance desired, persons aboard, over; stay by the radio and repeat until answered — navcen.uscg.gov
- Pan-Pan is for urgent but not immediately life-threatening situations (controllable leak, boat drifting into shore); Securité is the safety signal for navigation hazards and weather — boatus.org
- Voice radio checks go on channel nine, not sixteen; never send a DSC distress alert to test a radio — navcen.uscg.gov
- Boaters calling Mayday to get a radio check are treated as hoaxes on channel sixteen — navcen.uscg.gov
General guidance for recreational boaters — your engine and equipment manuals and local regulations come first.