Radio Log, Records, False Alerts and Operational Safety Practices
What the exam tests here
Record-keeping and judgement. The radio log is legal evidence; false alerts are a serious operational and regulatory problem; and daily practice around the radio installation is inspected as much as it is examined.
The radio log
Entries are made for: distress, urgency and safety traffic originated, received or relayed; DSC distress alerts and acknowledgements; watchkeeping arrangements and any interruption; MSI received or missed; battery and equipment checks; tests and faults; and false alerts with the cancellation action taken. Entries carry date, UTC time and position. The log is kept for the period required by the administration (commonly at least three years) and is available for inspection.
False alerts
A false alert triggers a real SAR response and can put rescuers at risk. If a DSC distress alert is sent in error: do not switch off the equipment; transmit immediately to the nearest coast station or RCC on the associated radiotelephony frequency, giving the ship's name, call sign, MMSI, time of the alert and the word FALSE ALERT, and request cancellation. For an EPIRB, switch it off, inform an RCC by the quickest means available (radiotelephony, DSC, Inmarsat) with the beacon identity, and record the event. Failure to cancel can lead to investigation and penalties.
Operational safety practice
The radio installation stays powered when the ship is in port so that alerts and MSI continue; the EPIRB is accessible with a valid HRU and battery; SARTs are not tested in port; MF/HF and Inmarsat are switched to the correct region and frequency for the passage; and no unauthorised transmissions take place.
Worked example
The EPIRB is accidentally activated during a drill and switched off after two minutes without notification. A SARSAT alert already reached the MCC and a query is raised with the flag State. The correct action was an immediate call to the RCC with the beacon's identity and time of activation, and an entry in the radio log.
Traps
- Switching off the set instead of cancelling a false DSC alert.
- Confusing FALSE ALERT cancellation with SEELONCE FEENEE, which closes genuine distress traffic.
- Leaving no log entry, which makes an innocent mistake look like concealment.