The SRC exam training game is designed to help you prepare for the SRC exam by practicing radio communication scenarios. The game simulates real-life situations that you may encounter during the exam, such as distress calls, urgency messages, and routine DSC calls. By practicing these scenarios, you can improve your radio communication skills and increase your chances of passing the SRC exam.
The game will be available soon.
A distress call is a message sent by a vessel or other vehicle to indicate that it is in danger and requires immediate assistance. The distress call is used in emergency situations, such as when a vessel is sinking, on fire, or in danger of capsizing.
All distress calls must be logged in the ship’s logbook.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: “Menu” → “Distress Call” → Reason → Position and time → Press the red button for 5 seconds
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a distress call (Mayday)
Example of a distress call (Mayday)
When a distress call is received, the coast guard or other vessels in the area will acknowledge the distress call to confirm that they have received the message and are responding to the emergency.
If the distress call is not acknowledged after a reasonable amount of time (e.g., 5 minutes), you should forward the distress call (Mayday Relay).
Acknowledge the distress call only if you are in a position to provide assistance.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a distress call acknowledgment (Received Mayday)
Example of a distress call acknowledgment (Received Mayday)
The extended distress call acknowledgment is sent after the initial distress call acknowledgment to provide additional information to the vessel in distress.
The transmission must not disrupt other radio stations that are closer to the vessel in distress.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of an extended distress call acknowledgment (Mayday)
Example of an extended distress call acknowledgment (Mayday)
If a distress call is not acknowledged after a reasonable amount of time (e.g., five minutes), you should forward the distress call to the Coast Guard. If the Coast Guard is not available, you should forward the distress call to other vessels in the area (All Stations).
Channel: 16 or the coast guard channel
DSC Settings: “Mayday Relay” or “Distress Alert Relay” if these options are available on the specific radio device (class D radio)
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a distress call forwarding (Mayday Relay)
You might want to wait for acknowledgment of your message before forwarding the distress call. In this case, use the first block of the format and end it with “OVER.” Then wait for acknowledgment from the Coast Guard, such as “GO AHEAD,” to ensure they are ready to receive the distress call. After that, say [Coast Guard name] THIS IS [Your vessel type] [Your vessel name] CALL SIGN [Your call sign] and continue with the second block of the format.
Example of a distress call forwarding (Mayday Relay)
This message is transmitted by a radio station directing the ongoing SAR operation to a vessel that is disturbing the radio communication. The vessel is requested to keep radio silence to avoid interference with the ongoing SAR operation.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a radio silence request
Example of a radio silence request
This message is transmitted by a vessel in distress, or by OSC (On-Scene Coordinator) or MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) to inform all stations that the distress situation is over.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of the end of distress situation message
Example of the end of distress situation message
This message is transmitted by a vessel in distress to inform all stations that the distress call was a false alarm.
After canceling the distress call, the channel 16 should be monitored for a reasonable amount of time for any possible follow-up messages.
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: “CANCEL” or “CLR” → press till the main screen appears. Then turn the radio off and on again. Then cancel the distress call via voice communication.
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of the cancel distress call message
Example of the cancel distress call message
An urgency message is a message sent by a vessel or other vehicle to indicate that it is in a situation that is not immediately life-threatening but requires assistance. The urgency message is used in situations where the vessel is in danger but not in immediate risk of sinking, on fire, or capsizing.
Examples include engine failure, loss of steering, or a medical emergency.
If Channel 16 is used for a distress call, either wait for it to finish first or announce the urgency message on another channel: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, THIS IS [Your vessel type] [Your vessel name] CHANNEL 06. For example: PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, THIS IS MOTORBOAT SKY CHANNEL 06. Then switch to channel 06 and transmit the urgency message.
Channel: 16 or the coast guard channel
DSC Settings: “Menu” → “All Ships Call” or “Individual Call” (if the urgency message is directed to a specific radio station) → priority “Urgency”
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of an urgency message (PAN PAN)
Example of an urgency message (PAN PAN)
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of the cancel urgency message
Example of the cancel urgency message
A safety message is a communication sent by a vessel or other vehicle to inform other vessels in the area of a safety hazard or other important information. The safety message is used to alert other vessels to potential dangers and to ensure the safety of all vessels in the vicinity.
In practice, the safety message is usually transmitted to the Coast Guard on their working channel. The Coast Guard then broadcasts the message to all vessels in the area.
If the message must be transmitted on Channel 16, which is used for distress calls, either wait for the distress call to finish first or announce the safety message on another channel: SÉCURITÉ THIS IS [Your vessel type] [Your vessel name] CHANNEL 06. For example: SÉCURITÉ THIS IS MOTORBOAT SKY CHANNEL 06. Then switch to Channel 06 and transmit the safety message.
Channel: 16 or the coast guard channel
DSC Settings: “Menu” → “All Ships Call” or “Individual Call” (if the safety message is directed to a specific radio station) → priority “Security”
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a safety message (Security)
Example of a safety message (Security)
Channel: 16
DSC Settings: None
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of the cancel safety message
Example of the cancel safety message
A routine DSC call is a message sent by a vessel or other vehicle to establish communication with another vessel or station. The routine DSC call is used for non-emergency communication, such as requesting weather information or coordinating a rendezvous.
DSC Settings: “Menu” → “DSC Calls” → “Individual Call” → “Routine” → Enter the MMSI number of the station you want to call → Select a channel → Select “CALL”
Volume: Turn the volume up until you can hear the white noise, then turn it down a bit
Format of a routine DSC call
Example of a routine DSC call
Format of a routine DSC call under good conditions
Example of a routine DSC call under good conditions
The NATO phonetic alphabet is a spelling alphabet used by shipping and aviation industries to avoid confusion when two letters sound similar. For example, the letter “B” sounds similar to “D” and “P”. To avoid confusion, the NATO phonetic alphabet assigns a word to each letter. For example, “B” is assigned to “Bravo”, “D” is assigned to “Delta”, and “P” is assigned to “Papa”.
Here is the complete list of the NATO phonetic alphabet:
| Letter | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | AL-FAH |
| B | Bravo | BRAH-VOH |
| C | Charlie | CHAR-LEE |
| D | Delta | DELL-TAH |
| E | Echo | ECK-OH |
| F | Foxtrot | FOKS-TROT |
| G | Golf | GOLF |
| H | Hotel | HOH-TEL |
| I | India | IN-DEE-AH |
| J | Juliett | JEW-LEE-ETT |
| K | Kilo | KEY-LOH |
| L | Lima | LEE-MAH |
| M | Mike | MIKE |
| N | November | NO-VEM-BER |
| O | Oscar | OSS-CAH |
| P | Papa | PAH-PAH |
| Q | Quebec | KEH-BECK |
| R | Romeo | ROW-ME-OH |
| S | Sierra | SEE-AIR-RAH |
| T | Tango | TANG-GO |
| U | Uniform | YOU-NEE-FORM |
| V | Victor | VIK-TAH |
| W | Whiskey | WISS-KEY |
| X | X-ray | ECKS-RAY |
| Y | Yankee | YANG-KEY |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO-LOO |
When transmitting numbers, use normal pronunciation, with the following exceptions:
| Number | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | ZEE-ROH |
| 3 | Three | TREE |
| 4 | Four | FOW-ER |
| 9 | Nine | NINE-ER |
Special characters:
| Character | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| . | Decimal | DAY-SEE-MAL |
| , | Comma | COM-MAH |
When taking notes during radio communications or in the SRC exam, specific symbols and abbreviations are used to ensure clear and standardized documentation. This table shows the standard conversion between spoken messages and their written form in the logbook. It’s crucial to use these exact symbols during the SRC exam, as they are part of the international standard for maritime documentation.
| Message | Written in the logbook |
|---|---|
| SKY CALLSIGN ABC | SKY / ABC |
| STOP | . |
| END OF MESSAGE | + |
| DEGREES | ° |
| MINUTES | ´ |
| NAUTICAL MILES | nm |
| KNOTS | kt |
| DECIMAL | , |
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