Part B - DSC alerting signal
Clasification Society 2023 - Version 9.38
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Resolutions - Assembly - IMO Resolution A.805(19) – Performance Standards for Float-Free VHF Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons – (Adopted on 23 November 1995) - Annex - Recommendation on Performance Standards for Float-Free VHF Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons - Part B - DSC alerting signal

Part B - DSC alerting signal

  1 The VHF EPIRB DSC distress alerting signal should be transmitted on the frequency of 156.525 MHz using G2B class of emission.

  2 The frequency tolerance should not exceed 10 parts per million.

  3 The necessary bandwidth should be less than 16 kHz.

  4 The output power should be at least 100 mW.

  5 The emission should be vertically polarized at the source.

  6 Modulation

  6.1 Frequency modulation with a pre-emphasis characteristic of 6 dB/octave (phase modulation) with the modulating sub-carrier, should be used.

  6.2 A sub-carrier of 1,700 Hz with frequency shift between 1,300 Hz and 2,100 Hz should be used.

  6.3 The frequency tolerance of 1,300 Hz and 2,100 Hz tones should be within ± 10 Hz.

  6.4 The modulation rate should be 1,200 bauds.

  6.5 The index of modulation should be 2.0 ± 10%.

  7 DSC Message Format and Transmission Sequence

  7.1 The technical characteristics for the DSC message should be in accordance with the sequence for the "distress call" specified in Recommendation ITU-R M.493.

  7.2 The "nature of distress" indication should be "EPIRB emission".

  7.3 The "distress co-ordinates" and "time" information need not be included. In this case the digit 9 repeated 10 times and the digit 8 repeated four times should be included as specified in Recommendation ITU-R M.493.

  7.4 The "type of subsequent communication" indication should be "no information" (symbol # 126) which indicates that no subsequent communications will follow.

  7.5 The alerting signals should be transmitted in bursts. The (N+1) burst of transmission which consists of five successive DSC sequences should be made with an interval of Tn after the Nth burst as given in Figure 1.

 Where:

  • Tn = (240 + 10N) s ± 5%

 and

  • N = 1, 2, 3, ...

Figure 1 Alerting Signals


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