Equipment Requirements for Marine Transmitting Apparatus

Equipment Requirements

General Requirements for Marine Transmitting Apparatus

  • FCC Certification: All marine transmitting apparatus used aboard United States vessels must be certified by the FCC for Part 80 operations. Only equipment with this certification is authorized for use.

  • Authorized Transmitting Equipment: Transmitters must be certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for Part 80 operations unless specifically accepted otherwise.

Specific Equipment Requirements

  • Small Passenger Vessels:

    • For vessels sailing 20 to 150 nautical miles from the nearest land, an MF/HF/SSB transceiver is required.

  • Distress Alert Equipment:

    • A DSC (Digital Selective Calling) controller is required. This equipment is programmed to initiate the transmission of distress alerts and calls to individual stations.

Transmitter Power Levels

  • Medium Frequency (MF) Transmitter:

    • Aboard a compulsory fitted vessel, the minimum transmitter power level required by the FCC for a medium frequency transmitter is at least 60 watt PEP (Peak Envelope Power).

  • FM Voice Transmitters:

    • Shipboard transmitters using F3E emissions (FM voice) may not exceed a carrier power of 25 watts.