Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 54 Part 2.djvu/319

 54 STAT.] MULTILATTERAL-TELECOMMUNICATION-APR. 8, 1938 [562] §9. (1) The distress message must be repeated at intervals until an answer has been received, and especially during the periods of silence provided for in article 21, §5 [No. 492]. Ante, p. 15 [563] (2) The alarm signal may also be repeated, if necessary. [564] (3) The intervals must, however, be sufficiently long so that stations preparing to reply may have time to put their transmitters in operation. [565] (4) In case the on-board station in distress received no answer to a distress message sent on the 500-kc (600-m) wave, the message may be repeated on any other available wave by means of which attention might be attracted. [566] §10. Furthermore, a mobile station which becomes aware that another mobile station is in distress, may transmit the distress message in either of the following cases: [567] (a) when the station in distress is not itself in a position to transmit it; [568] (b) when the master (or his relief) of the vessel, aircraft, or other vehicle carrying the station which intervenes, believes that further help is necessary. [569] §11. (1) Stations of the mobile service which receive a distress message from a mobile station which is unquestionably in their vicinity, must acknowledge receipt thereof at once (see §§18 and 19 below) [Nos. 587, 588, and 589]. If the distress call has not been Pr p 153. preceded by an auto-alarm signal, these stations may transmit this auto-alarm signal with the authorization of the authority responsible for the station (for mobile stations, see article 11, §1) [No. 276], Ant, p.148. taking care not to interfere with the transmission of the acknowledg- ment of the receipt of said message by other stations. [570] (2) Stations of the mobile service which receive a distress message from a mobile station which unquestionably is not in their vicinity, must wait a short period of time before acknowledging re- ceipt thereof, in order to make it possible for stations nearer to the mobile station in distress to answer and acknowledge receipt without interference. 1 F. DISTRESS TRAFFIC [571] §12. Distress traffic shall include all messages relative to imme- Distress traffic. diate assistance needed by the mobile station in distress. [572] §13. Every distress-traffic radiotelegram must include the dis- tress signal preceding the call and repeated at the beginning of the preamble. [573] §14. The control of distress traffic shall devolve upon the mobile station in distress or upon the mobile station which, by application of the provisions of §10 (a) [No. 567], has sent the distress call. These stations may delegate the control of the distress traffic to another station. [574] §15. (1) When it considers it indispensable, any station of the mobile service in the proximity of the ship, aircraft, or vehicle in [577] 1 The provisions of §11 shall also apply to any station working in the mobile service bands. 1539

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