Back to services
VHF · MF/HF · INMARSAT · EPIRB
Communication / GMDSS
GMDSS annual radio survey, VHF/MF/HF DSC, INMARSAT-C/FleetBroadband, EPIRB hydrostatic release, reserve battery discharge tests.
Service available at all US ports — 24/7 worldwide. Our next available technician contacts you within 1 hour.
Symptom checklist
What we hear from the bridge.
- ›GMDSS reserve battery below 6 h discharge
- ›DSC test call to coast station fails
- ›INMARSAT-C BAM antenna pointing error
- ›EPIRB self-test red blink, battery expired
- ›MF/HF antenna VSWR > 2.5
Likely root causes
Where the fault usually lives.
- ›Sulphated GMDSS lead-acid bank, cell below 2.05 V
- ›Salt corrosion on antenna base insulator
- ›MMSI mismatch after vessel sale
- ›EPIRB battery >5 years installed
Equipment we bring
Calibrated test equipment, class-acceptable reports.
- Bird 4304A wattmeter
- Megger BITE3 battery impedance tester
- GMDSS test set per ITU-R recommendations
- Anritsu MS2720T spectrum analyser
Reports compatible with DNV · BV · ABS · Lloyd's · TL · RINA · ClassNK · IRS.
Often needed together
Parts most often requested with this service.
- gmdss batteries
- epirb hru
- antennas
FAQ
Common questions for this system.
- Which GMDSS equipment lines do you cover?
- Sailor 6000-series VHF DSC, Furuno FM-8900S, JRC JHS-800S, Sailor RT-5022 MF/HF with HF-DSC scanning receiver, Cobham Sailor 250/500 FleetBroadband, JUE-87 INMARSAT-C, Jotron Tron 60S and McMurdo Smartfind G8 EPIRB, Jotron Tron SART20, Furuno NX-700 NAVTEX. We also reprogram MMSI (after flag/owner change), reload SafetyNET groups and update INMARSAT-C LES tables per the current Maritime Mobile manual.
- Can you do the annual GMDSS radio survey on short notice?
- Yes. Florida desk to US port is typically within twenty-four hours of confirmation, often same-day for Miami, Port Everglades, Jacksonville and Houston. The survey itself runs four to six hours: VHF DSC live test against a coast station, MF/HF dummy-load output measurement on a Bird 43 wattmeter, EPIRB self-test plus dedicated battery and HRU expiry check, SART self-test, INMARSAT-C link test and reserve-source 1-hour discharge on the GMDSS battery bank.
- Which class/administration paperwork do you produce after the radio survey?
- We issue the GMDSS radio installation performance test report in the format expected by DNV, BV, ABS, Lloyd's Register, ClassNK, RINA, TL, IRS and the flag administration's RO. Annexes include the Bird 43 power readings, battery discharge curve, EPIRB beacon decode (HEX ID, country, MMSI), SART 9 GHz sweep capture, and the radio log entry sign-off. The Safety Radio Certificate endorsement is handled with the attending surveyor the same call.
Have a vessel calling?
Three quick questions — port, when, contact. Our next available technician will contact you within 1 hour.