The CCIR,

CONSIDERING

(a) that satellite EPIRBs can be used for distress alerting in the maritime land and aeronautical environments;
(b) that satellite EPIRBs with common characteristics may be employed in diverse operating environments;
(c) that satellite EPIRBs are one of the prime alerting means in the Global Maritime Distress and safety System (GMDSS) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO);
(d) that all ships to which Chapter IV of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974, as amended in 1988, applies will be required by Regulation IV/7.1.6 to carry a. satellite EPIRB from 1 August 1993;
(e) that SOLAS Regulation IV/7.1.6 provides for the carriage of a satellite EPIRB operating in the 406 MHz band;
(f) the necessity to gain operational experience with globally received data by 1 August 1993;
(g) the assured availability of four operational COSPAS-SARSAT type satellites in orbit until the year 2003 and the planned availability thereafter;
(h) the current and projected availability of the COSPAS-SARSAT ground system;
(j) the test results presented in Report 919,

UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS

1. that the transmission characteristics for a satellite EPIRB operating through a low polar-orbiting satellite system in the 406 MHz band should be in accordance with Annexes I and II to this Recommendation;
2. that administrations be discouraged from using data formats not covered by this Recommendation.