Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

AS REGARDS RADIOTELEGRAPHY

6. Alarm Signal.

The International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, having approved of the use of the automatic alarm receiver for watch-keeping purposes, and anticipating that a large number of these receivers will be installed in passenger and cargo ships in the near future, recommends that the next International Radiotelegraph Conference prescribe that " the alarm signal shall, as a general rule, precede the distress signal."

7. Cyclone Warnings.

The International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, considering that it is of more importance to prevent disaster than to render assistance after a disaster has occurred, and being of the opinion that in certain cases use may be made of the auto-alarm to this end, strongly recommends that the next International Radiotelegraph Conference authorise Governments to permit coast stations under their jurisdiction to precede the broadcasting of emergency cyclone warnings by the alarm signal.

8. Wave Lengths.

The International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea draws the attention of the Governments concerned to the advisability of ensuring that signals of distress utilising waves of Type A 2 shall be effective over a sufficiently wide band of frequencies.

The Conference also desires to draw attention to the provisions of Article 5, § 11, of the Regulations annexed to the International Radiotelegraph Convention, Washington, 1927, and to point out that radiotelephonic transmissions on frequencies in the neighbourhood of the distress wave will render inoperative automatic alarm receivers working on the alarm signal denned in Article 19, § 21 (e), of the above-mentioned Regulations. The Conference desires, therefore, to emphasise the importance, in the interests of safety of life at sea, of avoiding the use of radio-telephonic emissions in the neighbourhood of the distress wave, except in case of emergency.