The survival craft two-way VHF radiotelephone for fixed
installations, in addition to meeting the requirements of the Radio
Regulations, the relevant ITU-R Recommendations and the general requirements
set out in Resolution A.694(17),
should comply with the following performance standards.
2.1 The equipment should be capable of being used
for on-scene communication between survival craft, between survival
craft and ship and between survival craft and rescue unit.
2.2 The equipment should comprise at least:
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.1 a transmitter and receiver;
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.2 an antenna which may be fixed to the equipment
or mounted separately; and
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.3 a microphone with a press-to-talk switch and
a loudspeaker.
2.3 The equipment should:
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.1 be capable of being operated by unskilled personnel;
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.2 be capable of being operated by personnel wearing
gloves as specified for immersion suits in Regulation
III/33 of SOLAS 1974;
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.3 withstand such shocks and vibration as may
occur in survival craft;
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.4 be watertight to a depth of 1 m for at least
5 min;
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.5 maintain watertightness when subjected to a
thermal shock of 45°C under conditions of immersion;
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.6 not be unduly affected by seawater, or oil,
or both;
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.7 have no sharp projections which could injure
personnel;
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.8 be capable of operating in the ambient noise
level likely to be encountered in survival craft; and
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.9 be so designed that it can be readily mounted
in a survival craft.
3
Class of Emission, Frequency
Bands and Channels
3.1 The two-way radiotelephone should be capable
of operation on the frequency 156.800 MHz (VHF channel 16) and on
at least one additional channel.
3.2 All channels fitted should be for single-frequency
voice communication only.
3.3 The class of emission should comply with appendix
19 of the Radio Regulations.
4
Controls and Indicators
4.1 An on/off switch should be provided with a
positive visual indication that the radiotelephone is switched on.
4.2 The receiver should be provided with a manual
volume control by which the audio output of the loudspeaker may be
varied. Where a handset is provided, this manual volume control of
the loudspeaker should not influence the audio output of the handset.
4.3 A squelch (mute) control and a channel selection
switch should be provided.
4.4 Channel selection should be easily performed
and the channels should be clearly discernible.
4.5 Channel indication should be in accordance
with appendix 18 of the Radio Regulations.
4.6 It should be possible to determine that channel
16 has been selected in all ambient light conditions.
5
Permissible Warming-up Period
The equipment should be operational within 5 s of switching
on.
The equipment should not be damaged by the effects of open-circuiting
or short-circuiting the antenna.
The RF output power should be a minimum of 0.25 W. Where
the RF output power exceeds 1 W a power reduction switch to reduce
the output power to 1 W or less is required.
8.1 The sensitivity of the receiver should be
equal to or better than 2 μV e.m.f. for a SINAD ratio of 12 dB
at the output.
8.2 The immunity to interference of the receiver
should be such that the wanted signal is not seriously affected by
unwanted signals.
The antenna should be vertically polarized and, as far as
practicable, be omnidirectional in the horizontal plane. The antenna
should be suitable for efficient radiation and reception of signals
at the operating frequency.
10.1 The audio output should be sufficient to
be heard in the ambient noise level likely to be encountered in survival
craft.
10.2 In the transmit condition, the output of
the receiver should be muted.
11
Environmental Conditions
The equipment should be so designed as to operate over the
temperature range -20°C to +55°C. It should not be damaged
in stowage throughout the temperature range -30°C to +70°C.
12.1 The source of energy may be integrated in
the equipment or external to it.
12.2 The source of energy should have sufficient
capacity to ensure 8-hour operation at its highest rated power with
a duty cycle of 1:9. This duty cycle is defined as 6-second transmission,
6-second reception above squelch opening level and 48-second reception
below squelch opening level.
12.3 The two-way radiotelephone equipment may
be equipped with a primary or secondary battery. Primary batteries
should have a shelf life of at least two years.
12.4 Where secondary batteries are used, suitable
arrangements should be made to ensure the availability of fully charged
cells at all times.
In addition to the general requirements specified in Resolution A.694(17), the following should be clearly
indicated on the exterior of the equipment: