§  80.1111   Distress alerting.

   (a) The transmission of a distress alert indicates that a mobile unit
   or person is in distress and requires immediate assistance. The
   distress alert is a digital selective call using a distress call format
   in bands used for terrestrial radiocommunication or a distress message
   format, which is relayed through space stations.

   (b) The distress alert must be sent through a satellite either with
   absolute priority in general communication channels or on exclusive
   distress and safety frequencies or, alternatively, on the distress and
   safety frequencies in the MF, HF, and VHF bands using digital selective
   calling.

   (c) The distress alert must be sent only on the authority of the person
   responsible for the ship, aircraft or other vehicle carrying the mobile
   station or the mobile earth station.

   (d) All stations which receive a distress alert transmitted by digital
   selective calling must immediately cease any transmission capable of
   interfering with distress traffic and must continue watch on the
   digital selective call distress calling channel until the call has been
   acknowledged to determine if a coast station acknowledges the call
   using digital selective calling. Additionally, the station receiving
   the distress alert must set watch on the associated distress traffic
   frequency for five minutes to determine if distress traffic takes
   place. The ship can acknowledge the call using voice or narrowband
   direct printing as appropriate on this channel to the ship or to the
   rescue authority.

   [ 57 FR 9065 , Mar. 16, 1992, as amended at  68 FR 46980 , Aug. 7, 2003]