VHF / GMDSS RADIO COURSE

   All students must be able to complete the following tasks:

A. Distress situations

1. Define a distress situation.

2. Initiate a DSC Distress Alert, with position and time input manually or automatically.

3. Send a Mayday call and message by voice.

4. Respond appropriately to a DSC Distress Alert and to a Mayday call and message,

including relay of a distress message.

5. Know how to deploy an EPIRB and a SART.

B. Urgency Situations

1. Define an urgency situation.

2. Initiate a DSC urgency alert.

3. Send a Pan Pan call and message by voice.

4. Respond appropriately to an urgency message.

C. Safety Situations

1. Identify a situation in which a safety message is appropriate.

2. Input a DSC safety alert.

3. Send a safety message by voice.

4. Receive Maritime Safety Information by NAVTEX.

D. Routine Communication

1. Initiate a DCS routine alert.

2. Establish communication and exchange messages with other stations by voice on

appropriate channels.

3. Test the radiotelephone by means of an appropriate test call.

4. Initiate a DSC self test.

5. Enter a DSC group and Individual MMSI.

6. Maintain an appropriate listening watch on DSC and voice channels.

7. Use the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Written test

A written test must be given to each student and will include areas of

 the syllabus not covered by the practical assessment.