Ordinarily, how often would a station using a telephony emission identify?

• A. Every 5 minutes
• B. At the end of each transmission only
• C. At the beginning and end of each transmission and at 15-minute intervals
• D. Only at the beginning of each transmission

Answer: (C)

When a station uses a telephony (voice) transmission, it must identify itself to everyone listening. The rule is to say the station’s call sign at the start of the transmission, again at the end, and at least once every 15 minutes during any ongoing transmission. This keeps the identity of the transmitting station clear for safety and coordination on shared marine channels. If you only identified at the beginning or only at the end, or identified more frequently than every 15 minutes, you wouldn’t be following the required interval rule. So identifying at the beginning, at the end, and at 15-minute intervals during longer transmissions is the correct practice.