Sec. 80.409  Station logs.

    (a) General requirements. Logs must be established and properly 
maintained as follows:
    (1) The log must be kept in an orderly manner. The required 
information for the particular class or category of station must be 
readily available. Key letters or abbreviations may be used if their 
proper meaning or explanation is contained elsewhere in the same log.
    (2) Erasures, obliterations or willful destruction within the 
retention period are prohibited. Corrections may be made only by the 
person originating the entry by striking out the error, initialing the 
correction and indicating the date of correction.
    (3) Ship station logs must identify the vessel name, country of 
registry, and official number of the vessel.
    (4) The station licensee and the radio operator in charge of the 
station are responsible for the maintenance of station logs.

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    (b) Availability and retention. Station logs must be made available 
to authorized Commission employees upon request and retained as follows:
    (1) Logs must be retained by the licensee for a period of one year 
from the date of entry, and when applicable for such additional periods 
as required by the following paragraphs:
    (i) Logs relating to a distress situation or disaster must be 
retained for three years from the date of entry.
    (ii) If the Commission has notified the licensee of an 
investigation, the related logs must be retained until the licensee is 
specifically authorized in writing to destroy them.
    (iii) Logs relating to any claim or complaint of which the station 
licensee has notice must be retained until the claim or complaint has 
been satisfied or barred by statute limiting the time for filing suits 
upon such claims.
    (2) Logs containing entries required by paragraphs (e) and (f) of 
this section must be kept at the principal radiotelephone operating 
location while the vessel is being navigated. All entries in their 
original form must be retained on board the vessel for at least 30 days 
from the date of entry. Additionally, logs required by paragraph (f) of 
this section must be retained on board the vessel for a period of 2 
years from the date of the last inspection of the ship radio station.
    (3) Ship radiotelegraph logs must be kept in the principal 
radiotelegraph operating room during the voyage.
    (c) Public coast station logs. Public coast stations must maintain a 
log as follows:
    (1) ``ON DUTY'' must be entered by the operator beginning a duty 
period, followed by the operator's signature. ``OFF DUTY'' must be 
entered by the operator being relieved of or terminating duty, followed 
by the operator's signature.
    (2) The date and time of making an entry must be shown opposite the 
entry.
    (3) Failure of equipment to operate as required and incidents 
tending to unduly delay communication must be entered.
    (4) All measurements of the transmitter frequency(ies) must be 
entered with a statement of any corrective action taken.
    (5) Entries must be made giving details of all work performed which 
may affect the proper operation of the station. The entry must be made, 
signed and dated by the operator who supervised or performed the work 
and, unless the operator is regularly employed on a full-time basis at 
the station, must also include the mailing address, class, serial 
number, and expiration date of the operator license.
    (6) Entries must be made about the operation of the antenna tower 
lights when the radio station has an antenna structure requiring 
illumination by part 17 of this chapter.
    (7) All distress or safety related calls transmitted or received 
must be entered, together with the frequency used and the position of 
any vessel in need of assistance.
    (8) Coast stations which maintain a watch on 500 kHz must enter the 
time this watch is begun, suspended or ended.
    (d) Ship radiotelegraph logs. Logs of ship stations which are 
compulsorily equipped for radiotelegraphy and operating in the band 90 
to 535 kHz must contain log entries as follows:
    (1) The date and time of each occurrence or incident required to be 
entered in the log must be shown opposite the entry and the time must be 
expressed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
    (2) ``ON WATCH'' must be entered by the operator beginning a watch, 
followed by the operator's signature. ``OFF WATCH'' must be entered by 
the operator being relieved or terminating a watch, followed by the 
operator's signature. All log entries must be completed by the end of 
each watch.
    (3) During the watch, all calls and replies to and from the station 
must be entered to include the time, frequencies, and call letters of 
the station communicated with or heard. Also, any messages exchanged 
must be entered to include the time, frequency, and call letters of the 
station(s) communicated with or heard.
    (4) During the watch, an entry must be made twice per hour stating 
whether the international silence period was observed. Entries must also 
be made

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indicating any signals or communications heard on 500 kilohertz during 
this period. If no signals are heard on 500 kHz, an entry to that effect 
must be made.
    (5) The time and reason for discontinuance and the time of resuming 
the watch must be entered when the 500 kHz watch is discontinued.
    (6) All distress calls, automatic-alarm signals, urgency and safety 
signals made or intercepted, the complete text, if possible, or distress 
messages and distress communications, and any incidents or occurrences 
which may appear to be of importance to safety of life or property at 
sea, must be entered, together with the time of such observation or 
occurrence and the position of the ship or other mobile unit in need of 
assistance.
    (7) The position of the ship at least once per day.
    (8) A daily entry must be made comparing the radio station clock 
with standard time, including errors observed and corrections made. For 
this purpose, authentic radio time signals received from land or fixed 
stations will be acceptable as standard time.
    (9) All test transmissions must be entered, including the time of 
the transmissions and the approximate geographical location of the 
vessel.
    (10) Any failure of equipment to operate as required and any 
incidents tending to unduly delay communications must be entered.
    (11) A ship required to keep a radiotelegraph watch on 500 kHz must 
meet the following:
    (i) Entries must be made of the results of tests of the emergency 
installation including transmitter antenna current, hydrometer readings 
of lead-acid storage batteries, voltage readings of other types of 
batteries, and quantity of fuel available for engine generators.
    (ii) When the vessel is in the open sea, a log entry must be made 
each time the emergency power supply is used to carry on a communication 
other than during a safety watch.
    (iii) When the vessel is in the open sea, a daily entry must be made 
showing whether the storage batteries were brought up to the normal full 
charge condition that day.
    (iv) Entries must be made stating when each storage battery is 
placed on charge or off charge.
    (v) Entries must be made about maintenance of survival craft radio 
equipment, including a record of charging of any storage batteries 
supplying power to such equipment. The record of charging must show when 
such storage battery is placed on charge and when it is taken off 
charge.
    (vi) Results of inspections and tests of survival craft radio 
equipment, prior to departure of the vessel from a harbor or port and 
weekly inspections, must be entered.
    (vii) On a cargo vessel equipped with an auto alarm, the entry 
``AUTO ALARM ON'' and the entry ``AUTO ALARM OFF'', respectively, must 
be made whenever the operator places the auto alarm in and out of 
operation. Results of the required auto alarm tests must be entered 
daily, including the minimum number of 4-second dashes from the testing 
device which were necessary to properly operate the alarm.
    (viii) On a cargo vessel equipped with an auto alarm, a log entry 
must be made whenever the auto alarm becomes inoperative. The entry must 
include a statement showing the time the operator was called to make 
repairs; the reason for the failure; parts changed; repairs; and the 
time the auto alarm was restored to service.
    (e) Ship radiotelephone logs. Logs of ship stations which are 
compulsorily equipped for radiotelephony must contain the following 
applicable log entries and the time of their occurrence:
    (1) A summary of all distress, urgency and safety traffic;
    (2) A summary of communications conducted on other than VHF 
frequencies between the ship station and land or mobile stations;
    (3) A reference to important service incidents;
    (4) The position of the ship at least once a day;
    (5) The name of the operator at the beginning and end of the watch 
period;
    (6) The time the watch begins when the vessel leaves port, and the 
time it ends when the ship reaches port;

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    (7) The time the watch is discontinued, including the reason, and 
the time the watch is resumed;
    (8) The times when storage batteries provided as a part of the 
required radiotelephone installation are placed on charge and taken off 
charge;
    (9) Results of required equipment tests, including specific gravity 
of lead-acid storage batteries and voltage reading of other types of 
batteries provided as a part of the compulsory installation;
    (10) Results of inspections and tests of compulsorily fitted 
lifeboat radio equipment;
    (11) A daily statement about the condition of the required 
radiotelephone equipment, as determined by either normal communication 
or test communication;
    (12) When the master is notified about improperly operating 
radiotelephone equipment.
    (f) Applicable radiotelephone log entries. The log entries listed in 
paragraph (e) of this section are applicable as follows:
    (1) Radiotelephony stations subject to parts II and III of title III 
of the Communications Act and/or the Safety Convention must record 
entries indicated by paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(11) of this section.
    (2) Radiotelephony stations subject to the Great Lakes Agreement and 
the Bridge-to-Bridge Act must record entries indicated by paragraphs (e) 
(1), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (11) and (12) of this section. 
Additionally, the radiotelephone log must provide an easily 
identifiable, separate section relating to the required inspection of 
the ship's radio station. Entries must be made in this section giving at 
least the following information:
    (i) The date the inspection was conducted;
    (ii) The date by which the next inspection needs to be completed;
    (iii) The inspector's printed name, address and class of FCC license 
(including the serial number);
    (iv) The results of the inspection, including any repairs made;
    (v) The inspector's signed and dated certification that the vessel 
meets the requirements of the Great Lakes Agreement and the Bridge-to-
Bridge Act contained in subparts T and U of this part and has 
successfully passed the inspection; and
    (vi) The vessel owner, operator, or ship's master's certification 
that the inspection was satisfactory.
    (3) Radiotelephony stations subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act must 
record entries indicated by paragraphs (e) (1), (5), (6), (7), (11) and 
(12) of this section.
[ 51 FR 31213 , Sept. 2, 1986, as amended at  52 FR 35245 , Sept. 18, 1987; 
 54 FR 40059 , Sept. 29, 1989;  61 FR 25807 , May 23, 1996]