Goto Section: 80.304 | 80.307 | Table of Contents
FCC 80.305
Revised as of October 1, 2007
Goto Year:2006 |
2008
Sec. 80.305 Watch requirements of the Communications Act and the Safety
Convention.
(a) Each ship of the United States which is equipped with a radiotelegraph
station for compliance with part II of title III of the Communications Act
or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must:
(1) Keep a continuous and efficient watch on the radiotelephone distress
frequency 2182 kHz from the principal radio operating position or the room
from which the vessel is normally steered while being navigated in the open
sea outside a harbor or port. A radiotelephone distress frequency watch
receiver having a loudspeaker and a radiotelephone auto alarm facility must
be used to keep the continuous watch on 2182 kHz if such watch is kept from
the room from which the vessel is normally steered. After a determination by
the master that conditions are such that maintenance of the listening watch
would interfere with the safe navigation of the ship, the watch may be
maintained by the use of the radiotelephone auto alarm facility alone.
(2) Until February 1, 2005, keep a continuous and efficient watch on the VHF
distress frequency 156.800 MHz from the room from which the vessel is
normally steered while in the open sea outside a harbor or port. The watch
must be maintained by a designated member of the crew who may perform other
duties, relating to the operation or navigation of the vessel, provided such
other duties do not interfere with the effectiveness of the watch. Use of a
properly adjusted squelch or brief interruptions due to other nearby VHF
transmissions are not considered to adversely affect the continuity or
efficiency of the required watch on the VHF distress frequency. This watch
need not be maintained by vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and
participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system as required or
recommended by the U.S. Coast Guard, when an efficient listening watch is
maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and a separate assigned
VTS frequency.
(b) Each cargo ship of the United States which is equipped with a
radiotelephone station for compliance with part II of title III of the
Communications Act or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must while being
navigated outside of a harbor or port:
(1) Keep a continuous watch on 2182 kHz in the room from which the vessel is
normally steered while at sea, whenever such station is not being used for
authorized traffic. Such watch must be maintained by at least one officer or
crewmember who may perform other duties relating to the operation or
navigation of the vessel, provided such other duties do not interfere with
the watch. A radiotelephone watch receiver having a loudspeaker and a
radiotelephone auto alarm must be used to keep the continuous watch on 2182
kHz. After a determination by the master that maintenance of the watch would
interfere with the safe navigation of the ship, the watch may be maintained
by use of the radiotelephone auto alarm facility alone.
(2) Keep a continuous watch on 156.800 MHz from the room from which the
vessel is normally steered. The watch must be maintained by a crewmember who
may perform other duties, relating to the operation or navigation of the
vessel, provided such other duties do not interfere with the watch. Use of
properly adjusted squelch of brief interruptions due to other nearby VHF
transmissions are not considered to adversely affect the watch. This watch
need not be maintained by vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and
participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system when a watch is
maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and a VTS frequency.
(c) Each vessel of the United States transporting more than six passengers
for hire, which is equipped with a radiotelephone station for compliance
with part III of title III of the Communications Act must, while being
navigated in the open sea or any tidewater within the jurisdiction of the
United States adjacent or contiguous to the open sea, keep a continuous
watch on 2182 kHz while the vessel is beyond VHF communication range of the
nearest VHF coast station, whenever the radiotelephone station is not being
used for authorized traffic. A VHF watch must be kept on 156.800 MHz
whenever such station is not being used for authorized traffic. The VHF
watch must be maintained at the vessel's steering station actually in use by
the qualified operator as defined by Sec. 80.157 or by a crewmember who may
perform other duties relating to the operation or navigation of the vessel,
provided such other duties do not interfere with the watch. The use of a
properly adjusted squelch is not considered to adversely affect the watch.
The VHF watch need not be maintained by vessels subject to the
Bridge-to-Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS)
system when an efficient listening watch is maintained on both the
bridge-to-bridge frequency and a VTS frequency.
[ 51 FR 31213 , Sept. 2, 1986, as amended at 68 FR 46967 , Aug. 7, 2003; 69 FR 64673 , Nov. 8, 2004]
Goto Section: 80.304 | 80.307
Goto Year: 2006 |
2008
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