DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE

BUREAU  OF  NAVIGATION
_____
 


REGULATIONS
 
FOR
 
 RADIO  APPARATUS  AND 
OPERATORS  ON
STEAMERS
 
[Supersedes Department Circular No. 241]
 
EDITION  JULY  1,  1913
 
[SEAL.]
DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE
UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA
 
 
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE
1913
This is an HTML version of the original government document, Regulations for Radio Apparatus and Operators on Steamers, which reported United States radio regulations for vessels, current at the time of publication.

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REGULATIONS  FOR  RADIO  APPARATUS  AND  OPERATORS  ON  STEAMERS.
________

DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE,                 
OFFICE  OF  THE  SECRETARY,         
Washington, July 1, 1913.    
To collectors of customs, radio inspectors, and others concerned:
    Your attention is invited to the following act approved July 23, 1912, which amends section 1 of the act approved June 24, 1910.

AN  ACT To amend an act entitled "An Act to require apparatus and operators for radio communication on certain ocean steamers," approved June twenty-fourth, nine hundred and ten.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * * *
    "SECTION 1. That from and after October first, nineteen hundred and twelve, it shall be unlawful for any steamer of the United States or of any foreign country navigating the ocean or the Great Lakes and licensed to carry, or carrying, fifty or more persons, including passengers or crew or both, to leave or attempt to leave any port of the United States unless such steamer shall be equipped with an efficient apparatus for radio communication, in good working order, capable of transmitting and receiving messages over a distance of at least one hundred miles, day or night. An auxiliary power supply, independent of the vessel's main electric power plant, must be provided which will enable the sending set for at least four hours to send messages over a distance of at least one hundred miles, day or night, and efficient communication between the operator in the radio room and the bridge shall be maintained at all times.
    "The radio equipment must be in charge of two or more persons skilled in the use of such apparatus, one or the other of whom shall be on duty at all times while the vessel is being navigated. Such equipment, operators, the regulation of their watches, and the transmission and receipt of messages, except as may be regulated by law or international agreement, shall be under the control of the master, in the case of a vessel of the United States; and every willful failure on the part of the master to enforce at sea the provisions of this paragraph as to equipment, operators, and watches shall subject him to a penalty of one hundred dollars.
    "That the provisions of this section shall not apply to steamers plying between ports, or places, less than two hundred miles apart."
    SEC. 2. That this Act, so far as it relates to the Great Lakes, shall take effect on and after April first, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and so far as it relates to ocean cargo steamers shall take effect on and after July first, nineteen hundred and thirteen: Provided, That on cargo steamers, in lieu of the second operator provided for in this Act, there may be substituted a member of the crew or other person who shall be duly certified and entered in the ship's log as competent to receive and understand distress calls or other usual calls indicating danger, and to aid in maintaining a constant wireless watch so far as required for the safety of life.

    The remaining sections of the act of June 24, 1910, which are unchanged, read as follows:

    SEC. 2. That for the purpose of this Act apparatus for radio communication shall not be deemed to be efficient unless the company installing it shall contract in writing to exchange, and shall, in fact, exchange, as far as may be physically practicable, to be determined by the master of the vessel, messages with shore or ship stations using other systems of radio communication.
    SEC. 3. That the master or other person being in charge of any such vessel which leaves or attempts to leave any port of the United States in violation of any of the provisions of this Act shall, upon conviction, be fined in a sum not more than five thousand dollars, and any such fine shall be a lien upon such vessel, and such vessel may be libeled therefor in any district court of the United States within the jurisdiction of which such vessel shall arrive or depart, and the leaving or attempting to leave each and every port of the United States shall constitute a separate offense.
    SEC. 4. That the Secretary of Commerce shall make such regulations as may be necessary to secure the proper execution of this Act by collectors of customs and other officers of the Government.

REGULATIONS.

I.  ADMINISTRATION.

    1. The Department has established, for the purpose of enforcing, through radio inspectors and others, the acts relating to radio communication and the International Convention, the following districts, with the principal office for each district at the customhouse of the port named:
  1. BOSTON, MASS---Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
  2. NEW YORK, N. Y---New York (county of New York, Staten Island, Long Island, and counties on the Hudson River to and including Schenectady, Albany, and Rensselaer) and New Jersey (counties of Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Hudson and Ocean).
  3. BALTIMORE, MD---New Jersey (all counties not included in second district), Pennsylvania (counties of Philadelphia, Delaware, all counties south of the Blue Mountains, and Franklin County); Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia.
  4. SAVANNAH, GA---North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Porto Rico.
  5. NEW ORLEANS, LA---Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico.
  6. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF--- California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Arizona.
  7. SEATTLE, WASH---Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming.
  8. CLEVELAND, OHIO---New York (all counties not included in second district), Pennsylvania (all counties not included in third district), West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan (Lower Peninsula).
  9. CHICAGO, ILL---Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan (Upper Peninsula), Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota.
    2. Radio inspectors are authorized to communicate directly in their respective districts with collectors of customs, and to cooperate with them in the enforcement of the laws.
    3. The radio inspectors and customs officers, as far as practicable, shall visit steamers subject to the act before they leave port, and ascertain if they are equipped with the apparatus in charge of the operators prescribed by the act.
    4. Where a steamer subject to the act is without the apparatus and the operators prescribed, or either of them, and is about to attempt to leave port, the radio inspector or customs officer visiting the vessel shall--
    (a) Notify the master of the fine to which he will be liable, and of the particulars in respect of which the law has not been complied with;
    (b) Notify at once the collector of customs, if necessary, by telephone;
    (c) The radio inspector or customs officer shall submit to the collector of customs of the port a written report stating the exact nature of the violation, the section of the law violated, and the penalties involved and all of the circumstances in connection therewith which will be of service to the collector and to the Secretary of Commerce in determining what action shall be taken;
    (d) Statements should be obtained from operators, ship officers, or other witnesses at the time the violation is discovered and should accompany the report to the collector of customs;
    (e) The collector of customs will report the case to the Secretary of Commerce in the usual manner as a navigation fine case.
    5. The act does not authorize the refusal of clearance in case of violation of its provisions, but specifically provides for the imposition of a fine in a sum not more than $5,000.
    6. The act does not apply to a vessel at the time of entering a port of the United States. Radio inspectors and customs officers may, however, accept as evidence of the efficiency of the apparatus and the skill of an operator messages shown to have been transmitted and received by him over a distance of at least 100 miles, by day, during the voyage to the United States.
    7. Collectors of customs and radio inspectors are enjoined that the reports required by paragraph 4 (c) of these regulations must be precise statements of the facts as the basis for possible proceedings by the United States attorney.
    8. Violations by the master of a vessel of the United States of the provisions of the second paragraph of section 1 will be reported to the collector of customs directly and the usual procedure in cases of fines and penalties will be followed.

II.  OPERATORS.

    1. In so far as licensed operators are concerned a sharp distinction should be drawn between the act of July 23, 1912, which requires apparatus and operators for radio communication on steamers, and the act of August 13, 1912, to regulate radio communication.
    The act of July 23, 1912, amending the act of June 24, 1910, is designed to promote safety at sea through the employment of apparatus and operators to transmit and receive distress calls and other calls relating to perils and aids to navigation. It provides that in the case of American and foreign vessels subject to its provisions "the radio equipment must be in charge of two or more persons skilled in the use of such apparatus." This act does not require that the operators shall be licensed, and the penalty prescribed in section 3 of the act is not incurred by the master of a vessel whose operators are "skilled in the use of such apparatus," even though they may not be licensed.
    The act of August 13, 1912, is designed to execute in behalf of the United States the International Radiotelegraphic Convention and thus to promote orderly exchanges by radio communication. For this purpose the International Radiotelegraphic Convention (Service Regulations) provides that the service of the station on shipboard shall be carried on by a telegraph operator holding a certificate issued by the Government to which the vessel is subject.
    Section 3 of the act of August 13, 1912, carries out this provision of the International Convention by providing licenses for operators on American vessels. If an unlicensed person serves in charge or in supervision of the use and operation of the apparatus both he and his employer are liable to a fine of not more than $100 or imprisonment for not more than two months or both. This section and penalty do not apply to operators on foreign ships. But operators on the ships of foreign nations signatory to the International Radiotelegraphic Convention, as shown above, are required to have certificates or licenses from their own governments, and if not so certificated, the obligations of the convention have not been observed. The convention in the Service Regulations provides for this situation.
    The act of July 23, 1912, as stated, requires that on American and foreign ships the operators must be "skilled in the use of such apparatus," but does not require that they must be licensed. To facilitate commerce and simplify administration, operators presenting American licenses or foreign certificates are accepted as "skilled in the use of such apparatus," except where there may be special reasons to doubt the operator's skill or reliability. Where operators on American or foreign ships do not have such licenses or foreign certificates, radio inspectors or customs officers under the act of July 23, 1912, may accept other competent evidence of skill or may examine such operators.
    2. The Service Regulations of the International Convention require that--
    The service of the station on shipboard shall be carried on by a telegraph operator holding a certificate issued by the Government to which the vessel is subject.
    Such certificate shall attest the professional efficiency of the operator as regards--
    (a) Adjustment of the apparatus and knowledge of its functioning.
    (b) Transmission and acoustic reception at the rate of not less than 20 words a minute (Continental Morse) for commercial first-grade operators and not less than 12 words per minute for second-grade operators.
    (c) Knowledge of the regulations governing the exchange of wireless telegraph correspondence.
    (d) The certificate shall furthermore state that the Government has bound the operator to secrecy with regard to the correspondence.
    3. The International Convention has been ratified by the principal maritime nations, dominions, and provinces. Radio operators holding valid certificates issued by foreign Governments which are parties to the convention will be recognized by this department as persons "skilled in the use of such apparatus" within the meaning of the act unless in the case of a specific individual there may be special reason to doubt the operator's skill and reliability. Such certificates should be ready at hand for the inspection of radio inspectors or customs officers before the steamer departs from the United States.
    4. In the case of a vessel subject to the act under the flag of any nation not a party to the International Convention, the radio operator, before the departure of the vessel from the United States, must furnish to the inspector evidence that he is "skilled in the use of the apparatus." This evidence shall consist of an examination on board by the radio inspector.
    5. The Department of Commerce issues licenses to radio operators certifying the degree of knowledge of radio telegraphy possessed by them and their ability as operators, under the International Convention. Examinations for operators' licenses can be taken at the following points: The United States Navy Yards at Boston, Mass., Brooklyn, N. Y., Philadelphia, Pa., Washington, D. C., Norfolk, Va., Charleston, S. C., New Orleans, La., Mare Island (San Francisco), Cal., Puget Sound, Wash.; at the naval stations at Key West, Fla., San Juan, P. R., and Honolulu, Hawaii; at the Naval Academy, Annapolis Md., and the United States Naval Radio Station at Colon, Republic of Panama; also at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Tex., Fort Wood, New York Harbor, Fort Omaha, Nebr., Fort Leavenworth, Kans.; Fort Mason, San Francisco, Cal.; School for Enlisted Specialists, Fort Monroe, Va.; at the Army stations at St. Michael and Fairbanks; and by special arrangement at the Army stations at Fort Gibbon and Valdez, Alaska; also at the Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C.; and by the Department's radio inspectors at the customhouses in their districts and elsewhere, if practicable, by arrangement with them.
    Applicants for licenses should communicate in advance with the commandants or commanding officers of the navy yards or Army posts or Naval or Army stations named, or with the Director of the Bureau of Standards, or with the radio inspectors at the customhouses in regard to examinations. In emergencies arrangements for the examination of ship operators can be made on short notice with the naval stations or radio inspectors in different ports. An effort should be made to arrange beforehand for any desired examination.
    The operators' licenses will be delivered to the successful applicants at the time of examination, or as soon thereafter as possible. The operator's license is not valid until the oath has been accomplished.
    The license provides that the holder shall take the oath for the preservation of the secrecy of messages before a notary public or other officer authorized to administer oaths.
    6. The requirements which applicants must meet to secure licenses of the several grades and scope and limitations of employment authorized by the licenses of the several grades are as follows:
    Commercial first grade.--The applicant must pass a satisfactory examination in--
    (a) The adjustment, operation, and care of the apparatus, including correction of faults and change from one wave to another.
    (b) Transmitting and receiving by ear at a speed of not less than 20 words a minute in Continental Morse Code (five letters to the word).
    (c) Use and care of storage battery or other auxiliary power apparatus.
    (d) Knowledge of the international regulations applying to radio communication in force.
    (e) Knowledge of requirements of the acts of Congress to regulate radio communication.
    Commercial second grade.--The applicant must pass a satisfactory examination in all the subjects prescribed above for the first grade, with the exception that the minimum speed in transmitting and receiving shall be not less than 12 words in Continental Morse Code and the examination in the subjects will not be as comprehensive as that given first-grade operators.
    Commercial cargo grade.--The examination should be conducted so as to determine the following facts:
    (1) That the applicant is sufficiently familiar with the Continental Morse Code to recognize the distress signal (SOS) when included in a list of other words or signals sent slowly (approximately five words a minute).
    (2) That the applicant is sufficiently familiar with the Continental Morse Code to recognize the radio call letters of the vessel on which he desires to operate, when sent slowly and repeated several times.
    (3) That the applicant is sufficiently familiar with the type of receiving apparatus of the vessel on which he desires to operate to determine by a buzzer or similar test that the detector or receiving apparatus is properly adjusted to receive signals.
    Amateur first grade.--The applicant must have a sufficient knowledge of the adjustment and operation of the apparatus which he wishes to operate, and of the regulations of the International Convention and acts of Congress in so far as they relate to interference with other radio communication, and impose certain duties on all grades of operators. The applicant must be able to transmit and receive in Continental Morse at a speed sufficient to enable him to recognize distress calls or the official "Keep out" signals. A speed of at least five words per minute must be attained (five letters to the word).
    7. Ship stations on vessels of the United States are classed under the act of August 13, 1912, as follows:
    Class A.--Ocean passenger steamers which are required to carry at least two operators and maintain a constant skilled watch. On vessels of this class carrying or licensed to carry less than 100 passengers one operator should hold the commercial first-grade license and the other may hold a second-grade license. Vessels of this class carrying or licensed to carry 100 or more passengers and under the London Convention vessels having constant service should have at least two operators, each holding commercial first-grade licenses.
    Class B.--Cargo steamers which have crews of 50 or more are required to carry two operators, one holding a second-grade commercial license or higher; the second may be a member of the crew holding a cargo or amateur first-grade operator's license, requiring a transmitting and receiving ability of at least five words per minute. Vessels of this class maintain a constant receiving watch, but the transmitting service may be during limited hours as required by the vessel.
    Class C.--Vessels of this class are those voluntarily equipped with radio apparatus and not subject to the act quoted herein. The vessels have no fixed hours of service, but should be provided with at least one operator holding a commercial first or second grade license.
    The following-named vessels come in this class:
    (1) Passenger steamers where the licensed capacity and number of crew combined number less than 50.
    (2) Cargo steamers with crews less than 50.
    (3) Tugs and towing steamers, etc., with crews less than 50.
    (4) Motor vessels.
    (5) Sailing vessels and barges.
    (6) Yachts.
    (7) Steamers of any kind plying between ports or places less than 200 miles apart.
    8. An operator's license may be granted to any person without regard to sex, nationality, or age if the applicant can fulfill the requirements for the class of license desired. Although no stated experience is required, the examinations for the different grades are such as requires a proper amount of experience to pass.
    9. Temporary permits.--Section 3 of the act of August 13, 1912, provides:
    In case of emergency the Secretary of Commerce may authorize a collector of customs to issue a temporary permit, in lieu of a license, to the operator on a vessel subject to the radio ship act of June twenty-fourth, nineteen hundred and ten.
    The permits should be issued only to persons who the collector of customs has reason to believe are skilled in the use of the apparatus, but have not had the opportunity to present themselves for examination before Government officers authorized to conduct examinations and furnish licenses. The temporary permit is valid for one trip only. The collector of customs will forward to the Department of Commerce (Bureau of Navigation) a report covering each temporary permit issued and the reasons for its issue.

III.  APPARATUS.

    1. When the radio apparatus is certified as complying with the requirements of law by the competent authorities of a foreign Government, such certificate will be recognized by this Department, but the radio inspector or customs officer may, if he deem it necessary or desirable, satisfy himself that the apparatus is in good working order.
    2. Whenever practicable the radio inspector shall satisfy himself on his visit before the departure of a steamer subject to the act that the apparatus is efficient and in good working order within the meaning of the act, and if satisfied he shall issue a certificate in the form in Appendix A. The duplicate of these certificates should be filed with the collector of customs as a record of the radio equipment on vessels sailing from his port.
    3. When inspection of the apparatus by a radio inspector or customs officer is not practicable the master of the steamer may furnish to the visiting customs officer a certificate in the form in Appendix B. Such certificate shall be retained in the files of the collector of customs.
    Whenever the radio inspector is absent from his home port, he will notify the collector of customs, who will arrange for the collection of certificates and survey of equipment.
    4. The current necessary to transmit and receive messages shall at all times while the steamer is under way be available for the radio operator's use.
    5. An auxiliary power supply, independent of the vessels main electric power plant, must be provided which will enable messages to be sent for at least four hours over a distance of at least 100 miles day or night.
    Storage battery sets of sufficient voltage and capacity to operate the regular motor generator or source of primary alternating current are recommended. A complete separate auxiliary set comprising power source and wireless equipment may be provided if the required results are obtained.
    Any auxiliary engine for wireless purposes must operate on a fuel which will fulfill the requirements of Rule XI, section 5, of the General Rules and Regulations of the Steamboat-Inspection Service, reading as follows:
    None of the inflammable articles specified in section 4472, Revised Statutes, or oil that will not stand a fire test of 300° F. shall be used as stores on any pleasure steamer or steamer carrying passengers except that vessels not carrying passengers for hire may transport gasoline or any of the products of petroleum for use as a source of motive power for motor boats or launches of such vessels. (Sec 4472, R. S.)
    6. Efficient communication between the radio room and the bridge must be maintained. A speaking tube or telephone will comply with this requirement. A bell and messenger service will not be acceptable unless there are special conditions justifying the equipment. The speaking tube or telephone must terminate in the radio room and on the bridge, or in the chart room if readily accessible from the bridge. If the radio room is adjacent to or accessible from the bridge so that orders may be transferred direct, no means of communication will be required. Any arrangement calling for the services of a third person to transmit the message will not be satisfactory. The radio inspectors will notify the ship authorities whether the means of communication provided is satisfactory at the time of inspection.
    7. One extra pair of head telephones, extra cords, and extra detectors should always be kept on hand.
    8. A storage battery voltmeter, hydrometer, a supply of electrolyte, and distilled water should be a part of the regular equipment, but are not prescribed in terms by statute. The absence of these and similar inexpensive emergency articles will be brought to the attention of the master and of the company installing the apparatus by the radio inspector, in writing, and if after a reasonable interval they have not been supplied, the inspector will communicate the fact to the Commissioner of Navigation.

IV.  CONSTANT  WATCH.

    On vessels of the United States it is the statutory duty of the master to see that one operator is on duty at all times. The radio service of the ship is under the supreme authority of the master.

V.  MISCELLANEOUS.

    1. The amended act applies to vessels licensed to carry as well as those actually carrying 50 or more persons, etc.
    2. Distances under the act are to be computed in nautical miles.

VI.  ADDITIONS  OR  AMENDMENTS.

    Additional or amendatory regulations will be issued from time to time as they may appear necessary.

 E. T. CHAMBERLAIN,           
Commissioner of Navigation.    
    Approved:
          EDWIN F. SWEET,
                         Assistant Secretary.     
APPENDIX  A.--Radio Service Form 752.
CERTIFICATE  OF  RADIO  INSPECTION.
PORT  OF ______ ______,            
______ ______, 191__.    
    This is to certify that I have to-day examined the apparatus for radio communication on the S.S. ______, of which ______ ______ is the master, about to leave this port for ______, and I have found the same efficient and in good working order, as prescribed by the act of June 24, 1910, as amended by the act of July 23, 1912.
(Signed) ______ ______,            
Radio Inspector.    
(Or)      ______ ______,            
Customs Inspector.    
APPENDIX  B.--Radio Service Form 753.

MASTER'S  CERTIFICATE  OF  RADIO  APPARATUS.

NOTICE.

    The radio equipment must be in charge of two or more persons skilled in the use of such apparatus, one or the other of whom shall be on duty at all times while the vessel is being navigated. Such equipment, operators, the regulation of their watches, and the transmission and receipt of messages, except as may be required by law or international agreement, shall be under the control of the master, in the case of a vessel of the United States; and every willful failure on the part of the master to enforce at sea the provisions of this paragraph as to equipment, operators, and watches shall subject him to a penalty of one hundred dollars. (Act of July 23, 1912)
PORT  OF ______ ______,            
______ ______, 191__.    
    This is to certify that I have to-day examined the apparatus for radio communication on the S.S. ______, of which I am the master, about to leave this port for ______, and I have found the same efficient and in good working order, as prescribed by the act of June 24, 1910, as amended by the act of July 23, 1912.
(Signed) ______ ______, Master.    




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