FIRST CHOICE IN DISTRESS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29192, 30 April 1960, Page 4

FIRST CHOICE IN DISTRESS

Special Frequency In Use , '. ... . > *Th« Pre«a* Special Service WELLINGTON, April 29. The Marine Department and the Post Office have urged owners of small ahips to make 2182 kilocycles their, first frequency choice when sending distress ; calls. A Post Office official said this was because all ships equipped with radio-telephones |iad to be able to transmit on the 2182-kilo- ; cycle frequency. Three strateg-ically-sited Post Office coast stations kept a continuous watch on the frequency.

He was commenting on the use and abuse of small ship-to-shore radio-telephone channels.

The only special - emergency frequency for small ships was 2182 kilocycles. This had been set for some years by international agreement for world-wide use as a radio-telephone distress and calling frequency. The Post Office encouraged owners of private coast stations to keep.a listening watch on this frequency during hours of service.

The official said there were other reasons why distress calls should be made on 2182 kiloi cycles. Compulsorily equipped rad io-telephone ships were required to keep a listening watch on the frequency for 10 minutes each four hours, beginning at midnight. Various shore stations were licensed to work on 2045 kilocycles to give a message-hand-ling service for local ships such as trawlers and pleasure craft. This service was primarily for areas where Post Office stations, for geographic and other reasons, could not handle local messages. The 2045-kilocycle frequency was a calling and working frequency, and definitely not an emergency radio channel, the spokesman said. General congestion and irregular hours of watch by private shore stations on 2045 kilocycles would Impair seriously the chances of a distress call being heard.