Sec. 80.320  Radiotelephone distress call and message transmission 
          procedure.

    (a) The radiotelephone distress procedure consists of:
    (1) The radiotelephone alarm signal (whenever possible);
    (2) The distress call;
    (3) The distress message.
    (b) Radiotelephone distress transmissions must be made slowly and 
distinctly, each word being clearly pronounced to facilitate 
transcription.
    (c) After the transmission by radiotelephony of its distress 
message, the mobile station may be requested to transmit suitable 
signals followed by its call sign or name, to permit direction-finding 
stations to determine its position. This request may be repeated at 
frequent intervals if necessary.
    (d) The distress message, preceded by the distress call, must be 
repeated at intervals until an answer is received. This repetition must 
be preceded by the radiotelephone alarm signal whenever possible.
    (e) When the mobile station in distress receives no answer to a 
distress message transmitted on the distress frequency, the message may 
be repeated on any other available frequency on which attention might be 
attracted.