---
kind: "section"
citation: "50 C.F.R. § 600.1503"
title: "50"
number: "600.1503"
heading: "Position report data formats and transmission."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/50/600.1503"
---

# §600.1503. Position report data formats and transmission.


Unless otherwise specified, this subsection applies to all VMS units, MCSs and bundles. Units that can operate as both an EMTU and EMTU-C must meet the requirements for both an EMTU and an EMTU-C in order to gain type-approval as both. To be type-approved in any given fishery, a VMS unit must also meet any additional positioning information as required by the applicable VMS regulations and requirements in effect for each fishery or region for which the type-approval applies. The VMS unit must meet the following requirements:

- (a) Transmit all automatically-generated position reports, for vessels managed individually or grouped by fleet, that meet the latency requirement under [§ 600.1504](/cfr/50/600.1504.md).
- (b) When powered up, must automatically re-establish its position reporting function without manual intervention.
- (c) Position reports must contain all of the following:
  - (1) **Unique identification of an EMTU/EMTU-C and clear indication if the unit is an EMTU-C.**
  - (2) **Date (year/month/day with century in the year) and time stamp (GMT) of the position fix.**
  - (3) Date (year/month/day with century in the year) and time stamp (GMT) that the EMTU-C position report was sent from the EMTU-C.
  - (4) Position fixed latitude and longitude, including the hemisphere of each, which comply with the following requirements:
    - (i) The position fix precision must be to the decimal minute hundredths.
    - (ii) Accuracy of the reported position must be within 100 meters (328.1 ft).
- (d) An EMTU/EMTU-C must have the ability to: (1) Store 1,000 position fixes in local, non-volatile memory.
  - (2) **Allow for defining variable reporting intervals between 5 minutes and 24 hours.**
  - (3) **Allow for changes in reporting intervals remotely and only by authorized users.**
- (e) An EMTU/EMTU-C must generate specially identified position reports upon:
  - (1) **Antenna disconnection.**
  - (2) **Loss of positioning reference signals.**
  - (3) **Security events, power-up, power down, and other status data.**
  - (4) A request for EMTU/EMTU-C status information such as configuration of programming and reporting intervals.
  - (5) **The EMTUs loss of the mobile communications signals.**
  - (6) An EMTU must generate a specially identified position report upon the vessel crossing of a pre-defined geographic boundary.

## Notes

### Source

Source: 85 FR 40921, July 8, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

### Authority

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 561 and 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

### Source

Source: 61 FR 32540, June 24, 1996, unless otherwise noted.