§ 95.1403 - Special requirements for Maritime Survivor Locating Devices.

§ 95.1403 Special requirements for Maritime Survivor Locating Devices.

(a) Maritime Survivor Locating Devices (MSLDs) are devices intended to aid in the location of persons in the water. Use on land is not authorized.

(b) MSLDs must meet all the technical and performance standards contained in RTCM 11901.1. RTCM 11901.1, “Maritime Survivor Locating Devices (MSLD),” dated June 4, 2012 is incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a), and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of the document are available and may be obtained from the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services, 1611 N. Kent Street, Suite 605, Arlington, Virginia 22209. The document is available for inspection at Commission headquarters at 445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 20554. Copies may also be inspected at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

(c) No device may be marketed or sold in the United States as a “MSLD” or “Maritime Survivor Locating Device” unless it complies with the requirements of RTCM 11901. Previously approved devices intended to aid in the location of persons in the water that do not meet the requirements of this section shall not be manufactured, imported, or sold in the United States January 17, 2018.

(d) All MSLDs must:

(1) Transmit on at least one of the following frequencies: 121.5 MHz, 156.525 MHz, 156.750 MHz, 156.800 MHz, 156.850 MHz, 161.975 MHz, 162.025 MHz; or

(2) Include a function intended to send a distress message directly to the U.S. Coast Guard or any other search and rescue organization.

(e) Before an MSLD certification application is submitted, the applicant must obtain a test report from a test laboratory which shows that the MSLD complies with the electrical and environmental standards associated with RTCM 11901. The test laboratory must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 with a scope covering the applicable requirements and test procedures.

(1) After the MSLD has been certified by a test laboratory, the following information must be submitted in duplicate to the U.S. Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE., Stop 7126, Washington, DC 20593-7126:

(i) The name of the manufacturer or grantee and model number of the MSLD;

(ii) Copies of the test report and test data showing that the MSLD complies with the electrical and environmental standards associated with RTCM 11901; and

(iii) Instruction manuals associated with the MSLD, description of the test characteristics of the MSLD including assembly drawings, electrical schematics, description of parts list, specifications of materials and the manufacturer's quality assurance program.

(2) After reviewing the information described in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, the U.S. Coast Guard will issue a letter stating whether the MSLD satisfies all RTCM Recommended Standards. In the case of an MSLD that includes a function intended to send a distress message directly to the U.S. Coast Guard or any other search and rescue organization, the letter will also state whether the U.S. Coast Guard endorses that function.

(f) A certification application for an MSLD must contain a copy of the U.S. Coast Guard letter stating that the device satisfies all RTCM Recommended Standards, a copy of the technical test data, and the instruction manual(s).

[81 FR 90749, Dec. 15, 2016]