Emergency
Channel 16
If:
•Your ship is sinking, or on fire
•Someone has been lost overboard
•There exists grave and imminent danger
Use this distress procedure:
•Select Channel 16
•Say "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday."
•Give call sign and boat name
•Give location of boat
•Describe emergency
•If no answer, repeat; then try another channel
Caution
Every ship at sea is to obliged to give absolute priority to radio communications relating to ships in distress - it is vital that false distress calls or messages not be broadcast.
Calling
Channel 16 & Working Channel
If | - you wish to establish |
| communications with another |
| station |
And | - you know which working channel |
| the station is monitoring |
Then | - initiate the call directly on that |
| working channel |
If | - you wish to establish |
| communications with another |
| station |
And | - you do not know what working |
| channel the station may be |
| monitoring |
Then | - initiate the call on channel 16. |
After contact is made switch to a working channel.
NOTE: Due to congestion on channel 16 caused by frequent hailing of other vessels, the FCC has approved channel 9 as a second hailing channel.
Avoid excessive calling and radio checks
Always monitor before transmitting
Never interrupt emergency communications
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