Other
Important
Information
Communications
The following applies to the Great Lakes
and salt water boating:
When boating off-shore, carry commu-
nications gear such as a marine VHF-FM
and/or HF transceiver(s), appropriate to the
operating area. Cellular phone coverage is
available in many coastal areas. However,
cellular phones should NOT be considered
a substitute for VHF-FM marine band ra-
dios for emergency purposes.
In distress situations, press the VHF
transmit button and clearly say: MAYDAY,
MAYDAY, MAYDAY. Follow this with the
vessel name and/or description, the loca-
tion, nature of emergency and number of
people on-board. Then release the transmit
button and wait for 10 seconds. If there is
no response, repeat the MAYDAY call.
Satellite EPIRBs (406 MHz) are designed
to quickly and reliably alert rescue forces,
indicate an accurate distress position, and
guide rescue units to the distress scene, even
when all other communications fail.
When activated, the satellite EPIRB
transmits a distress signal with a beacon-
unique identifying code. The system de-
tects the signal, calculates an accurate
distress position, checks the unique iden-
tifying code against the EPIRB registra-
tion database (vessel and point of contact
information supplied by the owner) and
routes the distress alert with registration
information to the responsible U.S. Coast
Guard (or International) Rescue Coordina-
tion Center (RCC). 406MHz EPIRBs with
GPS (internal or attached) also provide an
immediate GPS position in the information
passed to the RCC.
Geostationary satellites make detection al-
most immediate. If the EPIRB does not have
the ability to provide a GPS position, the
process to determine a position takes about
an hour on average and almost always less
than two hours. Satellite EPIRBs also include
a homing beacon and strobe to help rescue
forces quickly locate the distress scene.
Satellite beacons have signicant cover-
age, alerting timeliness, position accuracy,
and signaling advantages over other types
of EPIRBs (121.5 MHz). Before purchas-
ing or using something other than the 406
MHz EPIRB, be sure to understand the ca-
pabilities and limitations.
Further information and a complete list-
ing of VHF channels and frequencies is
available at: www.navcen.uscg.gov.
Page 1-24 2014 MasterCraft Owners Manual • Safety Knowledge
S A F E T Y K N O W L E D G E
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