21Jul New VHF Regulation
UPDATE: JULY 2023
IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC.107) was held in London from 31 May to 9 June 2023. The Sub-Committee agreed that this circular should be updated to extend the deadline for updating VHF radiocommunication equipment to 1 January 2028. The revised circular will be distributed as MSC.1/Circ.1460/Rev.4. (Find Circular here) and supersedes all previous versions.
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The Maritime Safety Committee of IMO recognized that incompatibility might exist between VHF radio-communication equipment installed on ships and onshore and the revised frequencies and channeling arrangements for the maritime VHF bands as contained in appendix 18 to the ITU Radio Regulations (RR) – Edition 2020.
ITU made extensive changes to appendix 18 of the RR. Find here MSC.1/Circ.1460/Rev.3.These changes do not affect the GMDSS but the use of other frequencies for VHF meteorological, navigational, and urgent marine information broadcasts, port operations, and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS). According to the Performance standards for shipborne VHF radio installations capable of communication and digital selective calling (resolution A.803(19), as amended), VHF radiocommunication equipment should comply with the RR.
Based on the new regulation, the first radio survey which will take place after 1st of January 2024, all VHFs have to comply with the appendix 18 of the Radio Regulations, which require 4digit channels to be available on the fixed VHFs on board. The table below indicate the new channel list:
JRC has announced that VHFs type JHS-32A/B or older will not be supported, the JHS-770S/780D will need software upgrade depended on S/N series, and that JHS-800S already complies to appendix 18 requirements. Please refer to the table below for analytical guidance:
Due to the current global production issues, we would welcome your input advising us on the projected number of JHS-800S units you would require. This would enable us to inform JRC respectively to schedule its production plans.
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