Sec. 80.265  Requirements for survival craft portable radio equipment.

    (a) Survival craft portable radio equipment must be provided as a 
single portable buoyant unit consisting of a transmitter, receiver 
including headphones, power supply, grounding system, antenna system and 
line for lowering the apparatus. Each totally enclosed lifeboat must 
comply with the additional equipment requirements specified in this 
section:
    (1) The radio must float in sea water and withstand a drop into sea 
water in various positions from a height of 6 meters (20 feet), without 
requiring repair or adjustment other than normal antenna tuning. The 
operating controls, indicating devices and instruments, including the 
headphones, must be protected against physical damage and from prolonged 
exposure to the weather. The radio must withstand submersion in sea 
water so that no part is less than 5 centimeters (2 inches) below the 
surface of the water for two hours without leaking;
    (2) The radio must be fitted with handles or grips. It must be 
carryable by either one or two persons;
    (3) The radio must be designed to attach to a lifeboat thwart by 
lashing or other acceptable means;
    (4) The radio, exclusive of the line for lowering, must not weigh 
more than 27 kilograms (60 pounds). A radio for use

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in a totally enclosed lifeboat must not weigh more than 18 kilograms (40 
pounds);
    (5) The line for lowering must consist of not less than 12 meters 
(40 feet) of 9 thread manila or sisal rope, or the equivalent thereof, 
which must be securely attached to the radio at all times;
    (6) All removable components necessary for the proper operation of 
the radio must be attached to this equipment;
    (7) Each radio must have a durable removable plate showing clearly 
the survival craft radio call sign in letters and digits and in 
characters of the Morse code; and
    (8) The maximum overall dimensions of the radio to be used in 
totally enclosed lifeboats including accessories must not exceed 35 by 
40 by 50 centimeters (14 by 16 by 20 inches).
    (b)(1) Portable survival craft radio transmitters must meet the 
following requirements:

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                                      Frequency                               Modulation        
                                                        
                                      tolerance                               percentage        
                                                        
                                 -------------------                          (average of       
                     Average power                      
    Operating frequency (kHz)                          Type of emission       modulation        
  Modulation          output into     Artificial antenna
                                  Parts \1\                                  percentage of      
   frequency           specified                        
                                  in 10 \6\  Hz \2\                          positive and       
                  artificial antenna                    
                                                                            negative peaks      
                                                        
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500.............................    5,000        20  A2A and A2B or H2A   Not less than 70..  No
t less than 450   Not less than 1.7   10 ohm resistance,
                                                      and H2B.                                 n
or greater than    watts.              75 picofarads    
                                                                                               1
350 Hertz.                             capacitance.     
500.............................    5,000        20  ......do...........  ......do..........  ..
....do..........  Not less than 2     15 ohms           
                                                                                                
                   watts \3\.          resistance, 100  
                                                                                                
                                       picofarads       
                                                                                                
                                       capacitance.     
8364............................      200        50  A2A and A3N or H2A   ......do..........  ..
....do..........  Not less than 4     40 ohms           
                                                      and H3N.                                  
                   watts.              resistance.      
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\1\ For equipment type accepted or type approved before November 30, 1977.                      
                                                        
\2\ For equipment type accepted or type approved after November 29, 1977.                       
                                                        
\3\ In the case of equipment type approved prior to May 26, 1965, the power output may be 1.7 wa
tts into an artificial antenna of 10 ohms resistance and
  75 picofarads capacitance.                                                                    
                                                        

    (2) The transmitter must be equipped with a visual indicator or 
indicators such as neon tubes to show antenna circuit resonance. Failure 
of the indicator(s) must not keep the transmitter from operating.
    (c) Portable survival craft receivers must meet the following 
requirements:
    (1) The audio output must be one milliwatt with a signal to noise 
power ratio of at least 10 to 1, when the receiver is supplied through 
the following artificial antennas with the respective radio frequency 
signals:

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----------------
                                    Signal strength                                             
                
    Operating frequency, (kHz)        (microvolts)    Modulation factor   Modulation (Hz)    Art
ificial antenna 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
500..............................                 25                0.3                400  10 o
hms resistance  
                                                                                             and
 100 picofarads 
                                                                                             cap
acitance.\1\    
8364.............................                100                0.3                400  40 o
hms resistance. 
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----------------
\1\ In the case of equipment type approved prior to May 26, 1965, the artificial antenna may be 
10 ohms         
  resistance and 75 picofarads capacitance.                                                     
                

    (2) The noise power present in the output of the receiver when the 
receiver is adjusted for A2A or H2A emission on 500 kHz and 8364 kHz 
must be determined with an unmodulated input signal of the indicated 
strength.
    (d) The power supply must meet the following requirements:
    (1) The source of power must be a manually operated electric 
generator capable of energizing the survival craft radio installation. 
The mechanical power applied to the crank handle(s) or the propelling 
lever(s) of the generator driving mechanism must not exceed a maximum of 
0.15 horsepower for any operation of the survival craft radio 
installation at any temperature of the generator and its associated 
driving mechanism between minus 30 degrees

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and plus 50 degrees Celsius. Under these conditions the speed of 
rotation of the crank handle(s) must not be greater than 70 revolutions 
per minute nor must the cycles of operation of the propelling lever(s) 
be greater than 70 cycles per minute. The voltages applied to the radio 
installation must not vary from their normal values more than 20 percent 
at any generator speed in excess of the normal operating speed which can 
be manually developed.
    (e) The antenna system must consist of a single wire antenna with a 
collapsible mast or a collapsible rod antenna conforming to the 
following requirements:
    (1) The single wire antenna must be at least 12 meters (40 feet) of 
at least No. 10 AWG insulated extra-flexible stranded copper and include 
a means for fastening the wire to the antenna supports, and means for 
making electrical connection to the transmitter;
    (2) Each totally enclosed lifeboat must be provided with a 
collapsible rod antenna which operates in either a freestanding position 
or supported only by a grommet in the canopy of the lifeboat. The 
antenna must be capable of being erected from within of the enclosure. 
Antennas for use in totally enclosed lifeboats must be type accepted.
    (f) The grounding system must consist of either a conducting wire or 
plate to provide an efficient ground for the portable survival craft 
equipment. The conducting wire must consist of a length of not less than 
6 meters (20 feet) of No. 10 AWG bare stranded copper or equivalent 
copper braid weighted at one end for immersion in the sea. The ground 
plate must consist of a bare plate or strips of corrosion resistant 
metal having a total area of at least .6 square meters (6.5 square feet) 
and must be located on the hull of the lifeboat below the waterline. The 
electrical connection to the grounding conductor or to the ground plate 
must be made from inside the lifeboat.