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GOC FOR GMDSS QUESTIONNAIRES

COMPETENCY 1: Transmit and receive information using GMDSS subsystems and

equipment and fulfilling requirements of GMDSS

KUP: The means to prevent the transmission of false distress alerts and the procedures to
mitigate the effects of such alerts.

1. Which action is the most appropriate action for GMDSS radio operator to take in a distress
situation where immediate help is needed, but the vessel is not sinking nor needs to be
abandoned?
a.) Transmit distress call by HF/MF/VHF DSC or Inmarsat
b.) Notify the RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) through VHF FM on channel 13
c.) Transmit distress call by activating the radiotelegraph automatic alarm signal
d.) Switch off EPIRB and SART manually

2. When distress call sent thru DSC has not been acknowledge by any ship station or coast station, the
ship in distress may repeat the distress all after a delay of how many minutes from the initial call?
a.) 3.5 to 4.5 minutes
b.) 5 to 10 minutes
c.) 1 to 2 minutes
d.) 3 to 6 minutes

3. In the event that a false alert is transmitted accidentally on Inmarsat-C, notify the
appropriate ____.
a.) RCC to cancel the alert by sending a distress priority message via the same CES through
which the
false alert was sent
b.) Coast Radio station (CRS) by sending a cancellation message by radiotelephony
c.) LUT to cancel the alert by sending a distress priority message via the same CES through
which the
false alert was sent
d.) CES to cancel the alert by sending a distress priority message via the same RCC through
which the
false was sent

4. The signal used by other ships in the vicinity of the distress ship imposing radio silence if necessary
is:
a.) SEELONCE DISTRESS
b.) SEELONCE FEENEE
c.) SEELONCE MAYDAY
d.) MAYDAY RELAY

5. With the use of emergency position indicating radio beacon, distress call can be transmitted:
a.) Automatically
b.) With Difficulty
c.) With little delay
d.) With long delay

6. Stations who hear a distress and is in the vicinity shall _______.

a.) Acknowledge immediately the distress message
b.) Do not acknowledge unless specifically called
c.) Defer acknowledgement and priority to coastal stations.
d.) Defer acknowledgement and give priority to SAR vessels.

7. Stations who hear a distress signal and a long distance away and the signal has not been
acknowledge, shall_____.
a.) Relay the distress message
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b.) Defer acknowledgement giving priority to nearer stations

c.) Cease from listening because she is too far ship
d.) Acknowledgement receipt and proceed to the assistance of distress

8. The Radio Telephone distress message consist of :

a.) All of these
b.) Nature of distress and kind of assistance desired
c.) Particulars of its position, latitude and longitude, and other information which might
facilitate rescue,
such as length, color and type of vessel.
d.) MAYDAY spoken three times, call sign and name of vessel in distress

9. Your ship received a Distress relay on DSC VHF channel 70, on what channel would you
reply?
a.) Channel 16
b.) Channel 70
c.) Channel 06
d.) Channel 13

10. An integral part of the GMDSS use to call ships and coast stations using frequencies in
the MF, HF, or VHF bands in transmitting distress.
a.) Digital selective calling
b.) Enhanced group call
c.) All ships call
d.) NAVTEX

11. How long must a distress sent thru Inmarsat-C be repeated upon receipt of notice that the
distress call sent previously failed or was not acknowledged?
a.) After 5 minutes
b.) After 10 minutes
c.) After 1 minute
d.) After 30 minutes

12. In the modern technology, the use of INMASAT satellites and digital selective calling
technique, distress alert can be received with:
a.) Reliability
b.) Manually
c.) Slowly
d.) Ambiguity

13. The signal used by a ship in distress and/or station in charge of distress traffic in imposing radio
silence is:
a.) SEELONCE MAYDAY
b.) SEELONCE DISTRESS
c.) SEELONCE FEENEE
d.) MAYDAY RELAY

14. Why should functional testing of an SART be minimized?

a.) All of these
b.) Possibility of misinterpretation by other vessel as a distress situation
c.) Potential Interference with safe navigation.
d.) Minimized power consumption of the battery

15. A vessel sends a distress call with the use of inmarsat system. Despite the sudden
LES/CES failure the call have reached the RCC. What Inmarsat component made it?
a.) NCS
b.) SCC
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c.) NCC
d.) SOC

16. Distress call from ship thru INMARSAT system are routed automatically to RCC via:
a.) LES/CES
b.) GEOLUT
c.) MCC
d.) LUT

17. Stations who hear a distress signal and in areas where communication with coastal stations is
practicable shall_____.
a.) Defer acknowledgement and give priority to coastal stations
b.) Acknowledge immediately
c.) Defer acknowledgement and give priority to nearer stations.
d.) Do not acknowledge unless called for

18. Correct operation of inmarsat terminal; usage of the Inmarsat system, sending distress alarm are
under the responsibility of the_____.
a.) Master of the vessel
b.) Any Crew Member
c.) Chief Officer
d.) Safety Officer

19. When false distress alert is detected during transmission on MF-DSC, you should_____.
a.) Switch off transmitter immediately, switch the equipment on, set the equipment to 2182 khz
and
make broadcast to “All Stations” cancelling the false alert
b.) Switch off Transmitter immediately, switch equipment on, tune equipment to all HF R/T
distress
frequencies and make broadcast to cancel the false alert.
c.) Switch off Transmitter immediately, which equipment on, set equipment to channel 16 and
make
broadcast to “ALL STATIONS’ cancelling the false alert
d.) Switch off Transmitter immediately, which equipment on, prepare cancellation message on
INMARSAT terminal and transmit

20. Sub-system of the COSPAS/SARSAT, whose responsibility is to coordinate the different

RCC to avoid everyone coming for rescue?
a.) MCC
b.) LUT
c.) GEOLUT
d.) RCC

21. Time length by which the EPIRB signal will be considered a real distress?
a.) 60 seconds
b.) 30 seconds
c.) 10 minutes
d.) 60 minutes

22. Your Ship received a distress relay from another ship on DSC frequency 2187.5 khz. You
would acknowledge by radio telephony on what frequency?
a.) 2182 khz
b.) 4207.5 khz
c.) 8290.0 khz
d.) 6312 khz

23. Communication equipment use for distress alerting ship-to-ship.

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a.) VHF or MF with DSC

b.) INMARSAT
c.) SITOR
d.) EGC

24. All stations who hear a distress signal shall _____.

a.) Cease all transmissions capable of interfering with distress traffic
b.) Cease all transmissions regardless of the classification.
c.) Cease listening to the traffic and continue transmission.
d.) Continue transmissions of the frequency where distress traffic.

25. What action should you take after sending a false distress alert on VHF?
a.) Make a voice announcement to cancel the alert on Ch. 16
b.) Make a general call to all ships through 2182 khz
c.) Make a cancellation message on INM-C
d.) Contact Nearest RCC by Inmarsat

26. Stations who hear a distress signal and not in the vicinity shall _____.
a.) defer acknowledgement and give priority to the nearer stations
b.) not acknowledge and let nearer stations to acknowledge
c.) acknowledge immediately and proceed to the disaster area
d.) acknowledge receipt and relay distress message

27. Duration of a single distress call thru VHF with DSC:

a.) .45 to .63 seconds
b.) 0.5 to 0.7 seconds
c.) 0.9 to 1.0 seconds
d.) 1 to 1.27 minutes

28. You sent a VHF DSC distress alert. What channel do you use to the follow-on voice
transmission?
a.) Channel 16
b.) Channel 12
c.) Channel 13
d.) Channel 22

29. The International distress frequency for radiotelephony is _____.

a.) 2182 khz
b.) 500 khz
c.) 156.8 mhz
d.) 156.6 khz

30. The signal used when relaying a distress message is_____.

a.) MAYDAY RELAY spoken three times
b.) RELAY MAYDAY spoken three times
c.) RELAY DISTRESS spoken three times
d.) DISTRESS RELAY spoken three times

31. Distress frequency in the VHF band with DSC;

a.) 156.525 mhz
b.) 156.525 khz
c.) 12577 khz
d.) 6213.0 khz

32. What is the primary function of a CES?

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a.) To provide direct communications between the inmarsat station placing a call and the
station receiving the call
b.) To monitor and control communications through the inmarsat satellite for which it is
responsible
c.) To determine which satellite is best suited to provide communications between the
inmarsat station placing a call and the station receiving the call
d.) To provide multi-mode communications between the inmarsat station placing a call and the
station receiving the call

33. Which of the following conditions would be a symptom of malfunction in a 2182 kHz
radiotelephone system that must be reported to the Master, then logged appropriately.
a.) No indication of power output when speaking into the microphone.
b.) When testing a radiotelephone alarm on 2182 kHz into an artificial antenna, the Distress
frequency
watch receiver becomes unmuted, an improper testing procedure
c.) Failure to contact a shore station 600 nautical miles distant during daytime operation.
d.) Much higher noise level observed during daytime operation

34. Under normal circumstances, what do you do if the transmitter aboard your ship is operating off-
frequency, over-modulating or distorting?
a.) Stop transmitting.
b.) Make a notation in station operating log.
c.) Reduce to low power.
d.) Reduce audio volume level.

35. Your antenna tuner becomes totally inoperative. What would you do to obtain operation on both the
8 MHz and 22 MHz frequency bands?
a.) Bypass the antenna tuner. Use a straight whip or wire antenna approximately 30 ft long
b.) Bypass the antenna tuner and shorten the whip to 15 ft.
c.) It is impossible to obtain operation on 2 different HF bands, without an operating antenna
tuner
d.) Without an operating antenna tuner, transmission is impossible

36. What would be an indication of a malfunction on a GMDSS station with a 24 VDC battery system?
a.) A constant 30 volt reading on the GMDSS console voltmeter
b.) After testing the station on battery power, the ammeter reading indicates a high rate of charge that
then declines
c.) After testing the station on battery power, a voltmeter reading of 30 volts for brief period
followed by
a steady 26 volt reading
d.) None of the above

37. If a ship radio transmitter signal becomes distorted:

a.) Cease operations
b.) Reduce transmitter power
c.) Use minimum modulation
d.) Reduce audio amplitude.

38. Which would be an indication of proper operation of a SSB transmitter rated at 60 watt PEP
output?
a.) In SITOR communications, the power meter can be seen fluctuating regularly from zero to the 60
watt relative output reading.
b.) In SSB (J3E) voice mode, with the transmitter keyed but without speaking into the microphone,
power output is indicated.
c.) A steady indication of transmitted energy on an RF Power meter with no fluctuations when speaking
into the microphone.
d.) In SSB (J3E) mode, speaking into the microphone causes power meter to fluctuate slightly around
the 60 watt reading.
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39. How do you cancel a false EPIRB distress alert?

a.) Notify the Coast Guard or rescue coordination center at once
b.) Make a radiotelephony “distress cancellation” transmission on 2182 kHz.
c.) Transmit a DSC distress alert cancellation.
d.) Transmit a broadcast message to “all stations” canceling the distress message.

40. The action to be taken after sending a false Distress Alert on 8414.5kHz, indicating J3E, is to:
a.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, on the 8MHz voice distress
frequency
b.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2187.5 kHz
c.) Switch off the equipment only after contacting a Coast Station/RCC
d.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on Ch16/2182
kHz

41. The action to be taken after sending a false Distress Alert by EPIRB is to:
a.) Contact the appropriate RCC and cancel the alert
b.) Send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2182 kHz
c.) Send a cancellation message, to the RCC, using the same LES
d.) Send a cancellation message, to all stations, on Ch16

42. The action to be taken after sending a false Distress Alert on 2187.5kHz, indicating J3E, is
to:
a.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2182kHz
b.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on Ch16
c.) Switch off the equipment only after contacting a Coast Station/RCC
d.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2177kHz

43. The action to be taken after sending a false Distress Alert on VHF Ch70 is to:
a.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on Ch16
b.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2187.5kHz
c.) Switch off the equipment only after contacting a Coast Station/RCC
d.) Reset the DSC controller and send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2182kHz

44. The action to be taken after sending a false Inmarsat-C Distress Alert is to:
a.) Send a cancellation message, to the RCC, using the same LES
b.) Send a cancellation message, to all stations, on Ch16
c.) Send a cancellation message, to all stations, on 2182kHz
d.) Switch off the equipment only after contacting a Coast Station/RCC

45. Distress received from any source, including communications equipment intended for alerting,
when no distress situation actually exists, and a notification of distress should not have resulted.
a.) False alert
b.) False alarm
c.) False Relay
d.) False Sequence

46. If a GMDSS radio operator initiates a DSC distress transmission but does not insert a message,
what happens?
a.) The transmission will be made with "default" information provided automatically.
b.) The receiving station will poll the DSC unit of the vessel in distress to download the necessary
information
c.) The transmission is not initiated and "ERROR" is indicated on the display readout.
d.) The transmission is aborted and an alarm sounds to indicate this data must be provided by the
operator.

47. What should you do if a station calling you is indistinct?

a.) Ask for the call to be repeated
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b.) Wait till they call again

c.) Do not stop calling till they answer your call
d.) Call every 10 minutes interval

48. Which action should you take after sending a false Distress alert on VHF?
a.) Make a voice announcement to cancel the alert on Ch-16
b.) Send a DSC cancellation message on Ch-70
c.) Make a voice announcement to cancel the alert on Ch-13
d.) Make a voice announcement to cancel the alert on Ch- 22A

49. A "Standard Format for Search and Rescue Situation Reports" (SITREPs) should be used by
vessels in distress. The SITREP can be compiled as a short form (urgent essential details). Which of
the following information shall be included when using the "short" .
a.) Weather on scene
b.) Oil spill possibility
c.) Fire on board
d.) Flooding on board

50. You have announced a safety message on VHF DSC. Where do you transmit the safety
message in the radiotelephony?
a.) Channel 16
b.) Channel 70
c.) Working Channel
d.) 2182 KHz