1. The CCIR, recognising the need for a means of testing the MF DSC system without either initiating a commercial call or generating a false alarm, have introduced a special "test" call, which enables a safety category message to be generated by a vessel and acknowledged by a coast station.

2. The Sub-Committee on Radiocommunications at its thirty-seventh session (COM 37/17 paragraphs 3.38 and

recognising that many ship installations may not have been used since they were commissioned and ship and coast station operators would benefit from experience of operating procedures, bearing in mind the provision of regulation N3068 of the ITU Radio Regulations which prescribes that "test transmissions shall be kept to a minimum" and "should be co-ordinated with a competent authority, as necessary", in order not to overload the distress channel, and recommended that adjacent Administrations introduce a regular daily exchange of MF DSC "test/safety" messages between their coast stations and that ships periodically exchange MF DSC test messages with their nearest coast station either prior to entering harbour or prior to departure.

3. Administrations are further advised that the publication of a list of coast stations equipped with MF DSC equipment, stating which stations can accept and reply to DSC test calls, would be helpful to shipmasters.