JP 3-50 National Search and Rescue Manual Vol I - US Navy

. Non-compliance with FCC Rules and Regulations,
Subpart G, 47 CFR 80.332, for violations involving gross
negligence.
3. Cases involving violations by federal agencies or foreign
governments should be referred to the Reporting Agency or
Department's Frequency Management Office.
316 Sound Communications
Sound communications of various sorts are used in underwater and
surface search operations. SOFAR devices have been detected as far as
6,000 miles when detonated underwater. Self-contained pingers, actuated
by immersion in salt water or by remote sound signals, can be detected
by sonar at ranges of up to 3 miles, but have an average range of 1
mile. Surface sound devices include gunshots, whistle signals, sirens,
and the human voice. Gunshots are usually limited to a range of
approximately 1 mile, while whistles are limited to about 100 yards.
Detecting sound on the earth's surface depends on the loudness of the
device, the amount of moisture in the air, and the direction and force
of the surface wind.
317 SAR Transponder (SART)
The Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) has been defined by the
IMO as the main means for locating a survival craft within GMDSS. This
device operates in the 9.2-9.5 GHz frequency band and generates 20 dots
on a radar display on being interrogated by a shipborne or airborne
radar operating in this frequency band.
318 Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)
A. This system was established to provide distress and safety
communications between ships at sea and rescue coordination centers on
shore. GMDSS uses technological advances in ship telecommunications,
replacing the existing Morse Code-based system used on ships for over
fifty years. When phase in of all functions of GMDSS is completed,
international distress communications will have changed from a primarily
ship-to-ship based system to a ship-to-shore (Rescue Coordination
Center) based system. Currently, SAR radio facilities aboard ships and
ashore are mandated for commercial vessels by the International
Conference on Safety of Life at Sea (1974, amended 1988) and the
International Telecommunications Union Final Acts of the World
Administration Radio Conference for Mobile Services (Geneva 1987).
These treaties allow GMDSS to be implemented through IMO. GMDSS uses
existing and new technology to improve speed and reliability of distress
communications. Both satellite and radio communications will be used
for ship-to-shore, shore-to-ship, ship-to-ship, and RCC-to-RCC alerting.
System features include Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and Narrow Band
Direct Printing (NBDP).
B. GMDSS shipboard radiocommunication functions include: