Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 63 Part 2.djvu/612

 ;: STAT. I M11LTILATEI'AL-TELEOM('M1l5UNICATIONS -(CT. 2, 1947 1909 (Chapter XIV, art. 37 RR) (897-905) 897 (3) The provisions of 895 and 896 are equally applicable to all stations working in the bands of the mobile service. Section VI. Distress Traffic 898 § 20. Distress traffic comprises all messages relative to the immediate assistance required by the mobile station in distress. 899 § 21. In distress traffic, the distress signal must be sent before the call and at the beginning of the preamble of any radiotelegram. 900 § 22. The control of distress traffic is the responsibility of the mobile station in distress or of the mobile station which, by the application of the provisions of 892 and 893, has sent the distress call. These stations may, however, delegate the control of the distress traffic to another station. 901 § 23. (1) The station in distress may impose silence either on all stations of the mobile service in the area or on any station which interferes with the distress traffic. It addresses these instructions "to all stations" or to one station only, according to circumstances. In either case, it uses the service abbreviation QRT followed by the distress signal ...- - . 902 (2) If it believes it to be essential, any station of the mobile service near the ship, aircraft or other vehicle in dis- tress, may also impose silence. It employs for this purpose the procedure prescribed in 901, substituting for the distress signal the word DISTRESS followed by its own call sign. 903 (3) The use of the service abbreviation QRT must be reserved, as far as possible, for the mobile station in distress and for the station controlling distress traffic. 904 § 24. (1) Any station which hears a distress call must com- ply with the provisions of 881. 905 (2) Any station of the mobile service which has knowl- edge of distress traffic must follow such traffic, even if it does not take part in it.

�