GMDSS Sea Areas, DSC and NAVTEX Crib Card, A4 PDF
The sea area ladder, the distress frequency pairs and the false alert cancellation script, laminated next to the set.
Face one, the system: the four sea areas as a nested coverage diagram outward from the coast, each with its SOLAS definition stated exactly, and deliberately no distance in miles, because no instrument states one
The frequency table that stops the commonest error on cards of this kind: every DSC calling frequency printed beside the radiotelephony traffic frequency it pairs with, from 2187.5 with 2182 kHz up to 16804.5 with 16420 kHz
The carriage ladder from regulation 7 upward through sea areas A1 to A4, plus the reserve source of energy with its 1 hour and 6 hour durations, 10 hour recharge and 12 month capacity check
Face two, the operating side: a numbered alerting ladder, the exact spoken form of the distress call and message, and a full false alert cancellation panel band by band with the ITU Resolution 349 example of message
Acknowledgement and relay with the separate five minute rules kept apart, and a NAVTEX panel with frequencies, the B1B2B3B4 identity and the four categories that cannot be deselected
Written against SOLAS chapter IV as replaced by MSC.496(105), in force 1 January 2024, and the 2024 ITU Radio Regulations; A4 and US Letter editions included
SOLAS chapter IV was wholly replaced in 2024, and a good deal of what is still circulating in exam notes is now wrong: sea area A3 is no longer a latitude band, NAVTEX category G is no longer DECCA, and the old lists of which categories cannot be rejected are short by one letter. This card is written from the instruments in force, with the regulation number against every line so you can check it.
The two faces split the job. Face one answers which area you are in, what must be fitted, and which frequency pairs with which. Face two is the one you reach for under pressure: the ladder from the master's permission to the voice call, the words of the MAYDAY, and the cancellation procedure for the day an alert goes out by mistake.
What's inside
Cover and how to use
Card face 1: sea areas, carriage requirements and the distress frequency pairs
Card face 2: the alerting ladder, false alert cancellation and NAVTEX
Combined pack PDF plus individual sheet PDFs, each in A4 and US Letter
Who it's for: GOC and ROC candidates, OOW and Master candidates, and serving watchkeepers who want the right frequency and the cancellation script within reach of the radio installation.
Licence: Personal and classroom use. You may share and repost this content, including commercially. You may not resell the files themselves or sell them on as a standalone product. Copyright remains with Maritime Master Limited.
Printing: Print at 100%, the two card faces back to back, then laminate or pouch for the radio installation. Greyscale by design; prints cleanly in black and white.
