§  80.225   Requirements for selective calling equipment.

   This section specifies the requirements for voluntary digital selective
   calling (DSC) equipment and selective calling equipment installed in
   ship and coast stations, and incorporates by reference ITU-R
   Recommendation M.476-5, "Direct-Printing Telegraph Equipment in the
   Maritime Mobile Service," with Annex, 1995; ITU-R Recommendation
   M.493-11, "Digital Selective-calling System for Use in the Maritime
   Mobile Service," with Annexes 1 and 2, 2004; ITU-R Recommendation
   M.541-9, "Operational Procedures for the Use of Digital
   Selective-Calling Equipment in the Maritime Mobile Service," with
   Annexes 1 through 5, 2004; ITU-R Recommendation M.625-3,
   "Direct-Printing Telegraph Equipment Employing Automatic Identification
   in the Maritime Mobile Service," with Annex, 1995; RTCM Paper
   56-95/SC101-STD, "RTCM Recommended Minimum Standards for Digital
   Selective Calling (DSC) Equipment Providing Minimum Distress and Safety
   Capability," Version 1.0, August 10, 1995; and IEC 62238, First
   edition, "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and
   systems--VHF radiotelephone equipment incorporating Class `D' Digital
   Selective Calling (DSC)--Methods of testing and required test results,"
   March 2003. ITU-R Recommendations M.476-5 with Annex, M.493-11 with
   Annexes 1 and 2, M.541-9 with Annexes 1 through 5, and M.625-3 with
   Annex, RTCM Paper 56-95/SC101-STD Version 1.0, and IEC 62238, First
   edition, are incorporated by reference. The Director of the Federal
   Register approves this incorporation by reference in accordance with 5
   U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of these standards can be
   inspected at the Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street,
   SW., Washington, DC (Reference Information Center) or at the National
   Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the
   availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to:
   http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ib
   r_locations.html . The ITU-R Recommendations can be purchased from the
   International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Place des Nations, CH-1211
   Geneva 20, Switzerland. The RTCM standards can be purchased from the
   Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), 1800 N. Kent
   Street, Suite 1060, Arlington, Virginia 22209, http://www.rtcm.org ,
   e-mail pubs@rtcm.org .

   (a) The requirements for DSC equipment voluntarily installed in coast
   or ships stations are as follows:

   (1) Prior to March 25, 2009, DSC equipment must meet the requirements
   of the following standards in order to be approved for use:

   (i) RTCM Paper 56-95/SC101-STD, RTCM Recommended Minimum Standards for
   Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Equipment Providing Minimum Distress
   and Safety Capability," Version 1.0, August 10, 1995, and ITU-R
   Recommendation M.493-10, "Digital Selective-calling System for Use in
   the Maritime Mobile Service," with Annexes 1 and 2, 2000 (including
   only equipment classes A, B, D, and E); or

   (ii) ITU-R Recommendation M.493-11, "Digital Selective-calling System
   for Use in the Maritime Mobile Service," with Annexes 1 and 2, 2004,
   and, in the case of Class D DSC equipment only, IEC 62238, First
   edition, "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and
   systems--VHF radiotelephone equipment incorporating Class `D' Digital
   Selective Calling (DSC)--Methods of testing and required test results,"
   March 2003.

   (2) Beginning March 25, 2009, the Commission will not accept new
   applications (but will continue to process then-pending applications)
   for certification of non-portable DSC equipment that does not meet the
   requirements of ITU-R Recommendation M.493-11, "Digital
   Selective-calling System for Use in the Maritime Mobile Service," with
   Annexes 1 and 2, 2004, and, in the case of Class D DSC equipment only,
   IEC 62238, First edition, "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication
   equipment and systems--VHF radiotelephone equipment incorporating Class
   `D' Digital Selective Calling (DSC)--Methods of testing and required
   test results," March 2003.

   (3) Beginning March 25, 2012, the Commission will not accept new
   applications (but will continue to process then-pending applications)
   for certification of handheld, portable DSC equipment that does not
   meet the requirements of ITU-R Recommendation M.493-11, "Digital
   Selective-calling System for Use in the Maritime Mobile Service," with
   Annexes 1 and 2, 2004, and, in the case of Class D DSC equipment only,
   IEC 62238, First edition, "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication
   equipment and systems--VHF radiotelephone equipment incorporating Class
   `D' Digital Selective Calling (DSC)--Methods of testing and required
   test results," March 2003.

   (4) The manufacture, importation, sale or installation of non-portable
   DSC equipment that does not comply with either of the standards
   referenced in paragraph (a)(2) of this section is prohibited beginning
   March 25, 2011.

   (5) The manufacture, importation, or sale of handheld, portable DSC
   equipment that does not comply with either of the standards referenced
   in paragraph (a)(3) of this section is prohibited beginning March 25,
   2015.

   (6) Approved DSC equipment that has been manufactured, sold, and
   installed in conformity with the requirements of this section may be
   used indefinitely.

   (b) Manufacturers of Class C DSC equipment to be used on United States
   vessels must affix a clearly discernible permanent plate or label
   visible from the operating controls containing the following:

   Warning. This equipment is designed to generate a digital maritime
   distress and safety signal to facilitate search and rescue. To be
   effective as a safety device, this equipment must be used only within
   communication range of a shore-based VHF marine channel 70 distress and
   safety watch system. The range of the signal may vary but under normal
   conditions should be approximately 20 nautical miles.

   (c) Selective calling equipment, other than that designed in accordance
   with paragraph (a) of this section, is authorized as follows:

   (1) Equipment used in conjunction with the Automated Maritime
   Telecommunications System (AMTS) in the band 216-220 MHz,

   (2) Equipment used to perform a selective calling function during
   narrow-band direct-printing (NB-DP) operations in accordance with ITU-R
   Recommendation M.476-5, "Direct-Printing Telegraph Equipment in the
   Maritime Mobile Service," with Annex, 1995, or ITU-R Recommendation
   M.625-3, "Direct-Printing Telegraph Equipment Employing Automatic
   Identification in the Maritime Mobile Service," with Annex, 1995, ITU-R
   Recommendation M.493-11, "Digital Selective-calling System for Use in
   the Maritime Mobile Service," with Annexes 1 and 2, 2004, and

   (3) Equipment functioning under the provisions of § 80.207(a) includes
   the brief use of radiotelegraphy, including keying only the modulating
   audio frequency, tone signals, and other signalling devices to
   establish or maintain communications provided that:

   (i) These signalling techniques are not used on frequencies designated
   for general purpose digital selective calling (DSC) and distress and
   safety DSC calling as listed in § 80.359;

   (ii) The authorized radiotelephone emission bandwidth is not exceeded;

   (iii) Documentation of selective calling protocols must be available to
   the general public; and,

   (iv) Harmful interference is not caused to stations operating in
   accordance with the International Radio Regulations.

   [ 54 FR 10009 , Mar. 9, 1989, as amended at  62 FR 40306 , July 28, 1997;
    68 FR 46966 , Aug. 7, 2003;  73 FR 4482 , Jan. 25, 2008]