Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)SchedulesSecond ScheduleProtocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974AnnexChapter IV : Radiotelegraphy and RadiotelephonyPart C — Technical RequirementsRegulation 18 : Radiotelephone auto alarms |
(a) | The radiotelephone auto alarm shall comply with the following minimum requirements: |
(i) | The frequencies of maximum response of the tuned circuits, and other tone selecting devices, shall be subject to a tolerance of ; pm 1,5 per cent in each instance; and the response shall not fall below 50 per cent of the maximum response for frequencies within 3 per cent of the frequency of maximum response; |
(ii) | in the absence of noise and interference, the automatic receiving equipment shall be capable of operating from the alarm signal in a period of not less than four and not more than six seconds; |
(iii) | the automatic receiving equipment shall respond to the alarm signal, under conditions of intermittent interference caused by atmospherics and powerful signals other than the alarm signal, preferably without any manual adjustment being required during any period of watch maintained by the equipment. |
(iv) | the automatic receiving equipment shall not be actuated by atmospherics or by strong signals other than the alarm signal; |
(v) | the automatic receiving equipment shall be effective beyond the range at which speech transmission is satisfactory; |
(vi) | the automatic receiving equipment shall be capable of withstanding vibration, humidity, changes of temperature and variations in power supply voltage equivalent to the severe conditions experienced on board ships at sea, and shall continue to operate under such conditions; |
(vii) | the automatic receiving equipment should, as far as practicable, give warning of faults that would prevent the apparatus from performing its normal functions during watch hours. |
(b) | Before a new type of radiotelephone auto alarm is approved, the Administration concerned shall be satisfied by practical tests, made under operating conditions equivalent to those obtained in practice, that the apparatus complies with paragraph (a) of this Regulation. |