VHF Radio Call Format Cheat Sheet
Mayday, Pan-Pan, Sécurité, and routine — exact wording for the SRC exam and real use
Four call types cover everything marine VHF radio is used for. Each has a strict format — both because the format is taught for the SRC exam, and because in a real emergency a panicked skipper who remembers the format is much more useful than one who improvises. This is the cheat sheet: the wording, the order, and the memory aids that make it stick.
The four call types
| Type | Prefix | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distress | Mayday × 3 | Grave and imminent danger to vessel or person | Sinking, fire, MOB, life-threatening medical |
| Urgency | Pan-Pan × 3 | Urgent but not grave/imminent danger | Disabled but stable, minor injury, lost in fog |
| Safety | Sécurité × 3 | Important nav/weather warning | Floating object sighted, weather warning relay |
| Routine | None | Standard ship-to-ship or ship-to-shore | Marina call, ship-to-ship, port control |
Mayday call — the M-I-P-D-A-N-I-O template
The memory aid is MIPDANIO — eight items in order. You can write them on a card next to the radio. Most skippers do.
- Mayday × 3
- Identification — vessel name × 3 + callsign
- Position — lat/long or bearing/distance from a known point
- Distress — nature (sinking, fire, MOB, etc.)
- Assistance required
- Number of persons on board
- Information — anything else useful (life raft launched, EPIRB activated, abandoning ship in X minutes)
- Over
Mayday template — fill in the blanks
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
THIS IS [vessel name] [vessel name] [vessel name]
CALLSIGN [callsign]
MMSI [9-digit MMSI]
MAYDAY [vessel name]
MY POSITION IS [lat/long or bearing/distance]
I AM [nature of distress — sinking, on fire, MOB, etc.]
I REQUIRE [assistance needed — immediate evacuation, fire-fighting, medical, etc.]
[number] PERSONS ON BOARD
[any other useful information]
OVER
Mayday example
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
THIS IS YACHT WINDWARD WINDWARD WINDWARD
CALLSIGN MEFK7
MMSI 232123456
MAYDAY WINDWARD
MY POSITION IS 50 DEGREES 48 MINUTES NORTH 1 DEGREES 08 MINUTES WEST
I AM SINKING AFTER HITTING A SUBMERGED OBJECT
I REQUIRE IMMEDIATE EVACUATION
FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD
LIFE RAFT LAUNCHED, EPIRB ACTIVATED, ABANDONING IN TWO MINUTES
OVER
DSC distress alert — the modern first step
On any modern marine VHF with DSC (Digital Selective Calling), the distress procedure starts before the voice call:
- Lift the red flap over the distress button
- Press and hold (3–5 seconds, varies by radio) until the alert is sent
- If time permits, select the nature of distress from the menu (sinking, fire, MOB, etc.)
- Wait for the radio to switch automatically to Channel 16
- Make the voice Mayday call as above
The DSC alert transmits your MMSI, GPS position, and nature of distress to every DSC-equipped vessel in range, plus the Coastguard. The voice call gives the human detail. Both together are the modern standard. See our handheld VHF buying guide for radios with DSC + GPS built in.
Pan-Pan call
Same M-I-P-D-A-N-I-O format, just with “Pan-Pan” instead of “Mayday.” Use it when you need help but you are not in immediate life-threatening danger.
When to use Pan-Pan:
- Engine failure in benign weather, drifting toward a hazard
- Crew injured but stable (e.g. broken wrist)
- Lost in fog, unsure of position
- Running out of fuel before you can reach a marina
- Towing required to a safe haven
PAN-PAN PAN-PAN PAN-PAN
ALL STATIONS ALL STATIONS ALL STATIONS
THIS IS YACHT WINDWARD WINDWARD WINDWARD
MMSI 232123456
MY POSITION IS 50 DEGREES 48 MINUTES NORTH 1 DEGREES 08 MINUTES WEST
I HAVE LOST ENGINE POWER AND I AM DRIFTING TOWARDS SHALLOWS
I REQUIRE A TOW TO THE NEAREST HARBOUR
TWO PERSONS ON BOARD
OVER
Sécurité call
A Sécurité call broadcasts a safety message to all vessels. Used for important navigational or weather warnings. Coastguard often uses Sécurité to relay gale warnings, hazard reports, and missing vessel info.
As a private skipper, you would use Sécurité if you spotted, for example, a container floating in shipping lanes, or a vessel drifting without lights.
SÉCURITÉ SÉCURITÉ SÉCURITÉ
ALL STATIONS ALL STATIONS ALL STATIONS
THIS IS YACHT WINDWARD WINDWARD WINDWARD
LARGE PARTIALLY-SUBMERGED CONTAINER SIGHTED AT
50 DEGREES 48 MINUTES NORTH 1 DEGREES 08 MINUTES WEST
DRIFTING APPROXIMATELY 1 KNOT NORTH-EAST
ALL VESSELS IN THE AREA KEEP CLEAR
OUT
Routine call
The everyday call — calling a marina, port control, lock keeper, or another vessel. No special prefix. Always on the appropriate working channel, not Channel 16.
Three-part format:
- Who you are calling (3 times if calling cold)
- Who is calling (this is X)
- What you want, ending with “Over”
SOLENT COASTGUARD SOLENT COASTGUARD SOLENT COASTGUARD
THIS IS YACHT WINDWARD
REQUEST RADIO CHECK
OVER
// Coastguard replies on a working channel
SOLENT COASTGUARD THIS IS WINDWARD
RECEIVING YOU LOUD AND CLEAR
THANK YOU AND OUT
Procedure words to know
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Over | My transmission is complete; reply expected |
| Out | Transmission ended; no reply expected |
| Roger | Received and understood |
| Wilco | Will comply (received + acting on it) |
| Affirmative / Negative | Yes / No (avoid “yeah”) |
| Say again | Repeat last (do not use “repeat”) |
| Stand by | Wait, I will call you back |
| Read back | Repeat all of what I just said back to me |
Common SRC exam traps
“Repeat” vs “Say again”
“Repeat” in international radio procedure historically meant “fire again at the same target” in artillery use. For asking someone to repeat their last transmission, use “Say again.”
Mayday relay
If you hear a Mayday and no other station acknowledges, you can relay it. Format starts with “Mayday Relay × 3” instead of just Mayday. Identifies you as the relayer, not the vessel in distress.
False alerts
If you accidentally trigger a DSC distress alert (kids on the boat, finger on the button), cancel it immediately: voice call on Channel 16, “All stations, all stations, all stations, this is [vessel], MMSI [MMSI], cancel my distress alert of [time], please disregard.” Call Coastguard directly as well. Do not just turn the radio off and hope.
Channel 16 is for calling, then move
Channel 16 is the international hailing and distress frequency. Initial call on 16, then both parties agree a working channel (typically 6, 8, 72, or 77) and switch. Long conversations on 16 block the frequency for actual emergencies.
Practise the call format
Reading once is not enough. The point of the format is that you can recite it without thinking when adrenalin is high. Use the SRC quizzes to drill it: