Module 7 - Urgency & Safety Calls
DSC Urgency and Safety Workflows
What you will learn
Follow the different MCA small-craft sequences for an all-ships urgency announcement and a safety report to HM Coastguard.
Urgency and safety are not one generic DSC workflow. Urgency uses an all-ships alert and short Channel 16 announcement before the full working-channel message; a safety report uses an individual Coastguard call where supported.
For urgency, make an ALL SHIPS DSC urgency call and nominate a suitable working channel. Then tune to Channel 16 and transmit only the short announcement: PAN-PAN three times; ALL STATIONS three times; THIS IS; vessel name three times; call sign; MMSI; PLEASE GO TO CHANNEL followed by the working channel; OUT. Tune to that channel and make the full urgency call and message.
The short announcement ends OUT because it directs all stations to the working channel rather than inviting replies on Channel 16. The full message on the working channel ends OVER when a response is required. This protects the calling and distress channel from extended traffic.
For a safety report to HM Coastguard, use an INDIVIDUAL DSC call with safety priority if supported. Wait for acknowledgement, accept the proposed working channel, tune to it and wait for the Coastguard to call. If the set does not support the safety call, call by voice on Channel 16. Channel 70 remains digital-only.
| Stage | Urgency to all ships | Safety report to HM Coastguard |
|---|---|---|
| DSC | All Ships; urgency; nominate channel | Individual Coastguard; safety priority if supported |
| Channel 16 | Short PAN-PAN channel announcement; OUT | Voice fallback when safety DSC is unavailable |
| Working channel | Full PAN-PAN message; OVER when reply needed | Wait for Coastguard call, then pass verified report |
| Channel 70 | Digital signalling only | Digital signalling only |
Keep the two pathways separate
The operator must choose between asking for urgent assistance and reporting an unlit drifting object.
1. Urgent help
Use All Ships DSC urgency, the short Channel 16 announcement and the full message on the nominated channel.
2. Safety report
Use an individual DSC safety call to HM Coastguard when supported, accept the channel and wait for the call.
3. Protect channels
Never speak on Channel 70 and do not put the full urgency exchange on Channel 16 after nominating a channel.
Sense check: Urgency reaches relevant listeners; the safety report reaches the authority without creating an unverified general broadcast.
Common mistake or limitation
- Sending the full urgency message on Channel 16 after announcing a working channel.
- Ending the short announcement OVER and inviting multiple replies there instead of using OUT.
- Treating an individual safety report and an all-ships safety broadcast as the same action.
Recap
- Urgency: All Ships DSC, short Channel 16 announcement, full working-channel message.
- Safety report: individual DSC safety call to HM Coastguard when supported.
- Channel 70 carries DSC data, never voice.
Optional quick check
Section 8 of 9
After an All Ships DSC urgency call, where is the full PAN-PAN message transmitted?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
- MCA GMDSS VHF DSC procedures for small boat users (24 July 2024)
- ITU Radio Regulations, Chapter VII: distress alerts, relay and traffic control
- ITU Final Acts WRC-23, Article 33: urgency and safety communications
- MCA MGN 324 (M+F) Amendment 2: safe use of VHF radio and AIS
- CEPT ERC/REC 31-04 SRC syllabus (16 February 2024)
Continue studying Urgency & Safety Calls
This public lesson is part of Revision Module 7. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.