Distress calls ContentsMaking a designated distress callWhen making a Distress call you can specify the nature of the distress, if GNSS (GPS) data is not available you must also specify your coordinates.Making a distress callIn an emergency you can use your unit to make an automatic DSC distress call.Making a Mayday callIn an emergency you can also make a Mayday call following the instructions below.Cancelling a distress call before transmissionCancelling a distress call after transmissionA distress call can be cancelled after it has been transmitted.Receiving a distress callIt is expected that only a Coast Radio Station (CRS) will acknowledge DSC distress calls and will act as the coordinator for the rescue operation.Ignoring a distress callYou can ignore a distress call by muting the alarm and cancelling the distress call screen.Acknowledging a distress callDistress calls must only be acknowledged if the call continues without acknowledgement from a CRS, you are close enough to the distressed vessel to be of assistance and are prepared to relay the distress to a CRS by any means possible. Class D DSC radios are forbidden from automatically acknowledging distress calls. Acknowledgement must only be made by voice message on channel 16.Manually relaying a distress callA distress relay should only be sent if: the person or vehicle in distress is unable to transmit the distress call itself, for example red flares sighted at night or the person or vehicle in distress is out of range of a CRS and you have already acknowledged the distress by voice message. You can also relay a received distress relay alert manually if it goes unanswered.Distress relays sent by other stationsWhen a Coast Station or another vessel, has received, and acknowledged a DSC distress alert it may transmit a distress alert relay to other vessels in the immediate area.Parent topic: Digital Selective Calling (DSC)Previous topic: Digital Selective Calling (DSC)Next topic: Urgency calls