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EMERGENCY
Emergency
Contact Information
Emergency
Contact Information
AusSAR
Rescue Co-ordination Centre
(RCC) 24 Hour
emergency contact numbers:
Maritime
1800
641 792 or
+612
6230 6811
Aviation
1800 815 257 or
+612
6230 6899
General
inquiries may be directed to:
Telephone: (02) 6230 6811
Facsimile: (02) 6230 6888
Postal
Address:
AMSA
GPO
Box 2181
Canberra
City ACT 2601
Emergency
Procedures
Distress
Signals
Use
of the distress signal indicates that a ship, aircraft or person is
threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate
assistance. The radiotelegraphy distress signal consists of the
group
 (SOS),
transmitted as a single character. The radiotelephony distress
signal consists of the word 'MAYDAY'.
Distress
Call and Message
The
distress call consists of:
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1 |
the
distress signal sent three times;
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2 |
the
words 'THIS IS' or 'DE'; and
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3 |
the
callsign or other identification of the station in distress,
sent three times.
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The
distress message consists of:
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1 |
the
distress signal SOS (radiotelegraphy) or MAYDAY
(radiotelephony);
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2 |
the
name, or other identification, of the station in
distress;
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3 |
particulars
of its position;
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4 |
the
nature of the distress and the kind of assistance required;
and
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5 |
any
other information which might be of assistance.
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Obligation
to Accept Distress Traffic
A
distress call or message has absolute priority over all other
transmissions and may be heard on any frequency. Consequently,
operators in the amateur service should be prepared to accept such
traffic at all times.
When
a distress call is heard, you must:
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1 |
immediately
cease all transmissions;
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2 |
continue
to listen on the frequency; and
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3 |
record
full details of the distress message (the information should
be recorded in writing and, if possible, by tape
recorder).
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If
a distress message is received, defer acknowledgement for a short
interval to see if the message has been received by a station better
placed to render assistance. If the distress message is not
acknowledged within a reasonable time, the amateur operator is
obliged to assist.
Notifying
Appropriate Authority
After
acknowledging or attempting to acknowledge receipt of the distress
message, you should immediately forward details of the distress
situation to:
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for
land based distress situations - the nearest police
station;
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for
air or sea based distress situations - AusSAR
Rescue Co-ordination Centre,
Canberra
, ACT. The telephone number for Aviation Rescue services is
1800 815 257 and Maritime Rescue services is 1800 641 792.
These lines are open 24 hours;
or
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any
other appropriate authority.
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You
should resume listening and keep the respective authority informed
of any developments. Any assistance practicable should be given
until cessation of distress traffic is announced (by means of the
operating signals '
QUM
' in radiotelegraphy or 'SEELONCE FEENEE' in radiotelephony), or
until you are advised that assistance is no longer required.
Urgency
Signals
In
cases where the use of the distress signal is not fully justified,
the 'URGENCY' signal may be used. In Morse radiotelegraphy, the
urgency signal consists of three repetitions of the group 'XXX' ,
sent with the letters of each group and the successive groups
clearly separated from each other. It shall be transmitted before
the call.
In
radiotelephony, the urgency signal consists of the group of words
'PAN PAN' , each word of the group pronounced as the French word 'panne'.
The urgency signal shall be repeated three times before the
call.
The
urgency signal has priority over all other transmissions except
distress. All stations hearing an urgency signal should:
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ensure
that they do not cause interference to the transmission of the
message that follows; and
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be
prepared to assist if required.
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last revised 17 September, 2024
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