Subelement A: Rules & Regulations— Topic 1: Equipment Requirements
Question 1-1A3
Element 1 (MROP)Small passenger vessels that sail 20 to 150 nautical miles from the nearest land must have what additional equipment?
Explanation
The range of 20 to 150 nautical miles from the nearest land places the vessel in what is primarily defined as GMDSS Sea Area A2.
* **Sea Area A2** requires equipment capable of terrestrial Medium Frequency (MF) communications for distress, urgency, and safety purposes, in addition to the VHF DSC equipment required for Sea Area A1 (which the vessel would pass through). An **MF-HF SSB Transceiver** fulfills this requirement by providing the necessary MF capabilities for voice communication and receiving safety information beyond VHF range.
Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:
* **A) Inmarsat-B terminal** and **B) Inmarsat-C terminal:** These are satellite communication terminals primarily required for GMDSS Sea Area A3 and A4, which are outside the range of terrestrial MF coast stations (typically beyond 100-150 nm).
* **C) Aircraft Transceiver with 121.5 MHz:** This is an aeronautical distress frequency and equipment, completely unrelated to maritime GMDSS requirements for passenger vessels.
Related Questions
1-1A1 What is a requirement of all marine transmitting apparatus used aboard United States vessels?1-1A2 What transmitting equipment is authorized for use by a station in the maritime services?1-1A4 What equipment is programmed to initiate transmission of distress alerts and calls to individual stations?1-1A5 What is the minimum transmitter power level required by the FCC for a medium-frequency transmitter aboard a compulsorily fitted vessel?1-1A6 Shipboard transmitters using F3E emission (FM voice) may not exceed what carrier power?