pon pon and pan pan

firefgtr · #1 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 06:11 PM

I hear this on channel #16 Buffalo N.Y. Coast Guard once and awhile, I assume they are for emergency broadcasts. Just wondering what the diffrence is between them are.

KCChiefs9690 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 06:16 PM

I don't know if it is the same for both aviation and marine, but in the world of aviation, PAN PAN is transmitted before an message of urgency, and Mayday of course is imminant distress.

Not sure about pon pon though...

nd5y · #3 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 06:38 PM

Yes they are the same
Distress signal = MAYDAY (SOS)
Urgency signal = PAN PAN (XXX)
Safety signal = SECURITE (TTT)

seamusg · #4 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firefgtr

I hear this on channel #16 Buffalo N.Y. Coast Guard once and awhile, I assume they are for emergency broadcasts. Just wondering what the diffrence is between them are.

pon pon is a notice from the USCG of a boat with trouble, or a person in the water. It's a notice to all boaters to help if they can.

hill · #5 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 06:44 PM

Listed below is the definition of the Pan-Pan as used by the USCG on VHF-FM marine radio. It is nice to see the opening on the Marine Forum on this site. I will checking this forum daily, since a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Hope this info helps you out.

Larry

Pan-Pan
Definition: The term used to signify an urgent communication; the second highest priority transmission.
Pronunciation: [pon-pon ] • (noun)

firefgtr · #6 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hill

Listed below is the definition of the Pan-Pan as used by the USCG on VHF-FM marine radio. It is nice to see the opening on the Marine Forum on this site. I will checking this forum daily, since a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Hope this info helps you out.

Larry

Pan-Pan
Definition: The term used to signify an urgent communication; the second highest priority transmission.
Pronunciation: [pon-pon ] • (noun)

Yes Thank-you sir. I monitor channel #16 since our fire dept which iam a member of also responds to marine calls on the upper niagara river with the USGC

Napalm · #7 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 03:21 AM

Things are prounounced in a french-ish accent, I guess since it used to be the universal language.

CommShrek · #8 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 12:54 PM

At least they don't make me fly the White Flag of Surrender on my boat.

firefgtr · #9 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 01:07 PM

hey Twobravo, your Fire Fighter licence plate looks identical to the Ontario, Canada Fire Fighter plates

kb2vxa · #10 (**permalink**) 06-30-2006, 01:15 PM

Ahoy,

Right about the French origin and bastardized pronunciation.

Madie, pronounced mayday, distress.
Pan pan, pronounced pon pon, urgency.
Securitie, pronounced securitay, security less than urgent.

Now if I could only figure out why "bread bread" is so darn urgent. White flag HELL, raise the Jolly Roger and damn those torpedo shaped French loaves, FULL SPEED AHEAD!

By the rocket's red glare, helos up in the air, the Coast Guard's going nuts but my scanner's still there. It's the holiday weekend and madness on the waves, in the land of drunken sailors and the home of the... Darn, can somebody finish the verse? I can't think of a decent rhyme!

CapnJon · #11 (**permalink**) 07-05-2006, 10:08 PM

May-Day is self explainitory...

Pan-Pan is used when on the lookout for a vessel said to be in distress, or an obstruction on the water, or flares sighted...

Security is used by freighters and other boats leaving a dock, coming around a bend, heading into a river or break wall, turning around in the channel, shooting flares for training...etc.

firefgtr · #12 (**permalink**) 07-06-2006, 08:28 AM

right on thanks for clearing this up guys

OpSec · #13 (**permalink**) 07-06-2006, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnJon

Security is used by freighters and other boats leaving a dock, coming around a bend, heading into a river or break wall, turning around in the channel, shooting flares for training...etc.

Sector Lake Michigan (former Group Milwaukee) has also been using that for general safety announcements regarding various marine activities in and around the Milwaukee Harbor (i.e. Summfest)

OpSec · #14 (**permalink**) 07-06-2006, 06:45 PM

Disregard...

pkrueger54 · #15 (**permalink**) 07-10-2006, 03:56 PM

Here is the official U.S. Coast Guard rules for distress and other marine radio information signals. http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/metlife/radio.htm from a former USCG RMCM.

bejohnson · #16 (**permalink**) 07-22-2009, 12:34 AM

Hey guys this is my first post and I wanted to point out something about the call pan-pan. The correct pronunciation is ( /ˈpæn ˈpæn/) The æ is pronounced as in bad, ban, pan or bat. Here is a link to the International Phonetic Alphabet for English that gives the correct pronunciation for most English vowels.

The USCG has mispronounced the call for years. My late wife, who was a two star U.S. Navy admiral (Rear Admiral upper half) and a holder of a PhD is languages ( among others) and was fluent in 36 different languages was constantly correcting the USCG but they live in a world of their own.

When I received my Radiotelephone First Class license with ship RADAR endorsement in 1972 we were also taught to pronounce the call as pan-pan. In amateur radio the call is pan-pan also.

firefgtr · #17 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009, 05:57 AM

thank you...

rfradioconsult · #18 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nd5y

Yes they are the same
Distress signal = MAYDAY (SOS)
Urgency signal = PAN PAN (XXX)
Safety signal = SECURITE (TTT)

MAYDAY always repeated three times
PAN always repeated twice
Securite sent once

bejohnson · #19 (**permalink**) 07-23-2009, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfradioconsult

MAYDAY always repeated three times
PAN always repeated twice
Securite sent once

The correct usage of any of the three calls is to repeat the call three times. See below.

MAYDAY

"MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY"
THIS IS (Ship or Station x3 )
MAYDAY x3 (Ship or Station)
MY POSITION IS (lat and long OR grid ref AND/OR distance and true bearing from a known location)
Nature of Distress
Nature of Assistance required
Number of people
Any other relevant information
OVER
Listen for response.
Repeat if necessary.
If other stations interupt transmit "See-Lonce MAYDAY"

PAN-PAN

"PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN"
ALL-SHIPS (STATIONS) x3 OR (name of) Coastguard Station x3
THIS IS (craft name x3)
MY POSITION IS (lat and long OR grid ref AND/OR distance and true bearing from a known location)
Nature of Distress
Nature of Assistance required
Number of people
Any other relevant information
OVER
Listen for response.
Repeat if necessary.

SECURITY or SECURITE

"Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité." (Pronounced Say-Cure-E-Tay)
All ships (stations), all ships (stations), all ships (stations).
This is (station identifier) x3
Message body x3
This is (station identifier) out.

The above are compiled from my R. L. Schrader "Electronics Communication" text book ©1968 and the operators guide to emergency communications by the U. S. Navy ©1971.

RKG · #20 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamusg

pon pon is a notice from the USCG of a boat with trouble, or a person in the water. It's a notice to all boaters to help if they can.

The Pan Pan signal is not limited to Coast Guard generated transmissions. See 47 CFR sec. 80.327.