FACTOID # 138: Libya’s full name is the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Distress signal

A distress signal is an internationally recognized means of obtaining help by using a radio, displaying a visual object or making noise from a distance.


The most well known distress signal is the Morse code group SOS, which is sent as di' di' dit dah dah dah di' di' dit, ...---.... This is sent with no spacing between the S and the Os, bar-SOS in telegraphic notation. The Marconi Yearbook of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, 1918 states, "This signal [SOS] was adopted simply on account of its easy radiation and its unmistakable character. There is no special signification in the letter themselves, and it is entirely incorrect to put full stops between them [the letters]." All the popular interpretations of "SOS," "Save or Ship," "Save Our Souls," or "Send Out Succour" are simply not valid. Morse code is a system of representing letters, numbers and punctuation marks by means of a code signal sent intermittently. ... // Overview SOS is the commonly used description for the International Morse Code distress signal (· Â· Â· - - - Â· Â· Â· ). This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations effective April 1, 1905, and became the worldwide standard when it was included in the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, which was signed on...


Another distress signal is the code word Mayday. The keyword MAYDAY should only be used from a vessel or aircraft in immediate danger of sinking or crashing and should be spoken three times. The keyword PAN-PAN may be used when the call is urgent but there is no immediate danger. Certain radio frequencies are preferred for emergency calls. Ships use VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and 2182 kHz. Civilian aircraft use 121.5 MHz. Military aircraft use 243 MHz. Aircraft can also signal an emergency by setting one of several special transponder codes, such as 7700. A Code word may refer any of several concepts: For telecommunications senses, see Code word (telecommunication). ... Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal. ... Pan Pan is a lost Hindu Kingdom believed to be exist around 3rd-5th Century A.D. somewhere in Kelantan or Terengganu, Malaysia. ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz (wavelength 10 m) to 300 MHz (wavelength 1 m). ... Transponder codes are four digit numbers broadcast by the transponder in an aircraft to assist air traffic controllers in traffic separation. ...


Mayday and SOS are to be sent in groups of three. Distress can be signaled by any unusual action repeated in groups of three. This could be three puffs of smoke (by covering and uncovering a campfire), three gunshots, three blasts of a whistle or horn, and so on. A campfire. ... For the East End rap group, go to Gunshot (rappers). ... A whistle is a one-note woodwind instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. ...


Other distress signals are primarily for use in rural or isolated areas, or in the wilderness. Survival training includes ground to air signals that can be used to signal passing aircraft with flares, mirrors or marks made on the ground or snow (e.g. the letters "SOS"). These signals should not be used except in an actual emergency and should be destroyed when the person signaling is rescued. Pilots will sometimes take extreme risks to locate and report what they believe to be an emergency signal from the ground. Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate threat to human life or serious damage to property. ...


An aircraft with wireless communication problems can fly a triangular pattern by making 120° turns every 1 or 2 minutes to indicate the problem. A series of left-hand turns is used to indicate a complete failure, while a series of right-hand turns is used to indicate that the aircraft can receive, but not transmit. An aircraft can also indicate distress by making four drops of chaff at 2 minute intervals. Both procedures can be seen from a radar and thus used to alert the air authorities. An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Chaff is the seed casings and other inedible plant matter harvested with cereal grains such as wheat. ... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ...


Emergency beacons aboard aircraft and surface ships may be activated upon a crash or contact with water (as in a sinking). Modern beacons transmit a radio frequency signal at 406 MHz, while older beacons transmit signals at 121.5 MHz or 243 MHz for civil and military purposes, respectively. These beacons can be detected by satellites, which relay the signal to nearby rescue services. The use of satellites makes it possible for signals sent from remote locations to be picked up. Emergency position-indicating rescue beacons (EPIRB), also called Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or Personal Locator Beacon, are small radio transmitters that some satellites and search and rescue aircraft can use to locate people, boats and aircraft needing rescue. ... An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York harbor, 1976. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter; c. ... Rough plot of Earths atmospheric transmittance (or opacity) to various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves. ... A megahertz (MHz) is one million (106) hertz, a measure of frequency. ... The Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) is an internationally-agreed set of safety procedures, types of equipment, and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft. ...


See also

Call for help - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal. ... In addition to distress signals like mayday and pan-pan, most vessels, especially passenger ships, use some emergency signals to internally alert the crew onboard, and in some cases also the passengers. ... Emergency position-indicating rescue beacons (EPIRB), also called Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or Personal Locator Beacon, are small radio transmitters that some satellites and search and rescue aircraft can use to locate people, boats and aircraft needing rescue. ... Emergency position-indicating rescue beacons (EPIRB), also called Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or Personal Locator Beacon, are small radio transmitters that some satellites and search and rescue aircraft can use to locate people, boats and aircraft needing rescue. ... The Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) is an internationally-agreed set of safety procedures, types of equipment, and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft. ... For most of the 20th century, the radio frequency 500 kHz (known as 600 meters or 500 kc for most of the century, before kilohertz replaced kilocycle) was the international calling and distress frequency for ships on the high seas. ... The Emergency Alert System (EAS), is a national system in the U.S. put into place in 1997, superseding the Emergency Broadcast System and administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). ...

External links

  • What is the meaning of SOS?
  • US Coast Guard: Visual Distress Signals for Recreational Boaters
  • US Coast Guard: Flares and other Visual Distress Signals

  Results from FactBites:
 
Parafoil-borne distress signals - Patent 5736954 (5232 words)
Distress signal kits comprise a parafoil for carrying aloft various emergency or distress signals such as radar reflective materials, lights, flares, distress flags or smoke signals.
The life jacket-distress signal kit of claim 8 wherein said hat comprises fastening means for affixing at least one of a strobe light and a radar reflector on top, a chin strap and folding means to cover at least a portion of the wearer's neck, face and shoulders.
A Coast Guard-authorized distress signal (fl square and circle) is displayed on the upper and lower surfaces of the parafoil canopy, as shown in FIG.
Distress signal - Lostpedia (764 words)
The distress signal was first encountered on the radio transceiver that was found in the cockpit.
It was this original signal which brought Rousseau and her team to the Island.
The distress signal was recorded by Rousseau herself and is transmitted from a radio tower near the Black Rock.
  More results at FactBites »


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.