Do you have DSC / GPS / MMSI configured?

[boatman37]

The MMSI is locked to the RADIO/BOAT, not the person. I believe best practice is to transfer the MMSI to the new owner via the registration service and let them update the registration with their data.

At minimum clear out your contact details from the registration.

Yeah. They are supposed to be picking it up tomorrow so after that will do what I need to. I know my contact info is in there so that would have to be cleared. I left the manual in there for him and will tell him about registering it.

 

[boatman37]

We boat on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh so having a radio probably isn't as critical as if we were on the Great Lakes or something but I am surprised by the local boaters that say they don't need a radio because they have a cell phone? My response is what if you are out on a Wednesday and none of your contacts are out and you have an emergency? What if there is an emergency by another boater? Last summer we were anchored and the police boat went flying by with lights on heading towards the dam. We were anchored about a mile from the dam. Apparently a boat broke down and was drifting towards the dam and apparently didn't have a radio because I had ours on (as it always is) and didn't hear any calls for help. What if the police were not out that day (they aren't always there because they dock at our marina and their boat sits covered most of the time). If that boat had a radio I'm sure somebody could have made it there to help. I know I would have done what I could have.

Other scenarios are if a barge breaks away and the tugboat captain radios to make people aware? It has happened on our river a few time but they usually hit a bridge or the dam.

I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

 

[Strecker25]

We boat on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh so having a radio probably isn't as critical as if we were on the Great Lakes or something but I am surprised by the local boaters that say they don't need a radio because they have a cell phone? My response is what if you are out on a Wednesday and none of your contacts are out and you have an emergency? What if there is an emergency by another boater? Last summer we were anchored and the police boat went flying by with lights on heading towards the dam. We were anchored about a mile from the dam. Apparently a boat broke down and was drifting towards the dam and apparently didn't have a radio because I had ours on (as it always is) and didn't hear any calls for help. What if the police were not out that day (they aren't always there because they dock at our marina and their boat sits covered most of the time). If that boat had a radio I'm sure somebody could have made it there to help. I know I would have done what I could have.

Other scenarios are if a barge breaks away and the tugboat captain radios to make people aware? It has happened on our river a few time but they usually hit a bridge or the dam.

I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

Not to mention cell phones sink. I like having a radio attached to the boat as well as a backup floating handheld vhf.

 

[boatman37]

Yep. And I thought about buying a handheld too for a backup.

 

[Woody]

Channel 16 doesn’t help if you don’t know where you are. The point is that the woman didn’t know her location, so could not effectively help herself. Executing a DSC call automaticity includes your position with the call so both the USCG and other boaters can respond to your location.

For this lady who was surrounded by anchored boats you'd think a call on 16 and identifying herself as the such & such boat that's waving the pink towel would get a response without lat/lon,.....if any of them were listening.

Radio Watchkeeping Regulations

In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate. 47 CFR 80.148, 47 CFR 80.310

§ 80.310 Watch required by voluntary vessels.

Voluntary vessels not equipped with DSC must maintain a watch on 2182 kHz and on 156.800 MHz (Channel 16) whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. Noncommercial vessels, such as recreational boats, may alternatively maintain a watch on 156.450 MHz (Channel 9) in lieu of VHF Channel 16 for call and reply purposes. Voluntary vessels equipped with VHF-DSC equipment must maintain a watch on 2182 kHz and on either 156.525 MHz (Channel 70) or VHF Channel 16 aurally whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. Voluntary vessels equipped with MF-HF DSC equipment must have the radio turned on and set to an appropriate DSC distress calling channel or one of the radiotelephone distress channels whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. Voluntary vessels equipped with a GMDSS-approved Inmarsat system must have the unit turned on and set to receive calls whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate.

47 CFR 80.5 - Definitions

Underway. A vessel is underway when it is not at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground.

Watch. The act of listening on a designated frequency

 

[RollerCoastr]

For this lady who was surrounded by anchored boats you'd think a call on 16 and identifying herself as the such & such boat that's waving the pink towel would get a response without lat/lon,.....if any of them were listening.

You'd think.

A towel may have helped, but the boat had drifted quite a ways before the whole panic set in. In the first 20 or so seconds of the call she mentioned St. Clair Shores 3-4 times. Anyone listening nearby would have to listen carefully to hear her say "Mickcray boat launch", then decide to translate "Mickray" to "MACKray" discard the word "launch" and ignore all each time she insisted that she was a 25-minute boat ride away in St. Clair Shores.

Reporting an incorrect position is more dangerous than not reporting one at all.

MacRay Harbor, with it's teal bulkheads is one of the most distinctive marinas in the Great Lakes. When she was asked to describe landmarks, she mentioned a flag. Not everyone thinks clearly under stress. I discovered in a car accident last winter that I don't. In hindsight, it was staggering to realize how many of my brain cells didn't report for duty once adrenaline took over.

She knew the name of the boat, but not the make, model, year, size, style or even to identify the canvas color. That sounds crazy to us, but it's not unusual for a non-boater.

The caller in the CO incident did something similar. She didn't know the size or style of the boat, and she mis-identified her position.

 

[Siboatguy]

Curious I just set up my mmsi online paid the 25 bucks. But i know the 0183 is not hooked up to the radio, maybe do it this weekend. I have a SOS button on my Garmin GPS. Will that just do the same thing as the Radio SOS button?

 

[Stee6043]

FWIW - US Power Squadrons (USPS.org) does not charge to obtain an MMSI number. I think it's bad form that others do charge for something like this but that's neither here nor there...

And another FWIW - your MMSI number stays with you, not the boat and not the radio. If/when you sell a boat you simply need to clear the MMSI number from that radio and insert the same number into your new boat/new radio. You'll also need to update your MMSI profile when the change occurs if the boat name or type changed. Though I'm not sure how critical that is.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Curious I just set up my mmsi online paid the 25 bucks. But i know the 0183 is not hooked up to the radio, maybe do it this weekend. I have a SOS button on my Garmin GPS. Will that just do the same thing as the Radio SOS button?

My 8212 and VHF 200 only do that over NMEA2000, so I'm hesitant to say which functions work with different equipment over 0183.

 

[Strecker25]

FWIW - US Power Squadrons (USPS.org) does not charge to obtain an MMSI number. I think it's bad form that others do charge for something like this but that's neither here nor there...

And another FWIW - your MMSI number stays with you, not the boat and not the radio. If/when you sell a boat you simply need to clear the MMSI number from that radio and insert the same number into your new boat/new radio. You'll also need to update your MMSI profile when the change occurs if the boat name or type changed. Though I'm not sure how critical that is.

That's interesting, I registered with the FCC and it cost like $200+ so being able to keep the same number when we change boats will be a nice touch

 

[b_arrington]

Curious I just set up my mmsi online paid the 25 bucks. But i know the 0183 is not hooked up to the radio, maybe do it this weekend. I have a SOS button on my Garmin GPS. Will that just do the same thing as the Radio SOS button?

What org did you pay to get an MMSI? In addition to USPS, BoatUS and Sea Tow also issue MMSIs for free.

 

[Strecker25]

What org did you pay to get an MMSI? In addition to USPS, BoatUS and Sea Tow also issue MMSIs for free.

Directly to the FCC, it seems to be a gray area in the documentation but because we cross International borders (Canada) I interpreted it as though I should be registered with the FCC in order to potentially get responses from both Countries should I be somewhere in between the two borders.

 

[b_arrington]

And another FWIW - your MMSI number stays with you, not the boat and not the radio. If/when you sell a boat you simply need to clear the MMSI number from that radio and insert the same number into your new boat/new radio. You'll also need to update your MMSI profile when the change occurs if the boat name or type changed. Though I'm not sure how critical that is.

I would say this this statement is not applicable to most recreational boaters. Although it would apply to some vessels that require an FCC-issued ship station license, which cannot be transferred. Non-FCC issued MMSI numbers (from BoatUS, etc) can (and should) be transferred to a new boat owner.

BoatUS recommends that the MMSI stay with the boat. They say the prior boat owner should cancel their account / ownership of the MMSI so the new boat owner can do it. https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/FAQ

Q: I have purchased a boat & radio with an MMSI number programmed into it. Can the MMSI number be transferred over to me?
If the MMSI number was assigned by BoatUS and the previous owner has cancelled their registration, BoatUS can transfer the MMSI number to the new owner. If the previous owner has not closed the account, we will attempt to contact them to verify that they are not still using the number in another radio. If the previous owner cannot be contacted or is still improperly using the MMSI you will need to reprogram the radio with a new number. To check if your MMSI was assigned through BoatUS, email mmsi@boatus.com.

The main issue is with the process of changing the MMSI number on the radio. Most radios allow for only one or at most two MMSI numbers to be entered to the radio by the end user. This means that once a valid MMSI number is entered, it can be changed zero or one time by the user. Radios do allow for a certified technician to make a change, but that requires either sending the radio to the factory for service or finding an electronics tech to make a house call. Frankly that's a pretty high barrier to get someone to make the change.

Note that the FCC-issued MMSI numbers may be tied to a ship station license, and that has a different process since the license DOES NOT transfer with the vessel. The main difference between the FCC and non-FCC issues MMSI is the international component. FCC MMSI numbers are needed for those traveling outside the US, and the number is registered to the international search and rescue database. Non-FCC MMSI numbers are for US-only boaters, and the number is NOT registered with the international database.

 

[b_arrington]

Directly to the FCC, it seems to be a gray area in the documentation but because we cross International borders (Canada) I interpreted it as though I should be registered with the FCC in order to potentially get responses from both Countries should I be somewhere in between the two borders.

Yes, that is correct. For US boaters, only FCC-issued MMSI numbers are registered with the international search and rescue database. The free ones (BoatUS, USPS) are for US domestic-only boaters. Good on you for doing your homework!

 

[Stee6043]

I would say this this statement is not applicable to most recreational boaters. Although it would apply to some vessels that require an FCC-issued ship station license, which cannot be transferred. Non-FCC issued MMSI numbers (from BoatUS, etc) can (and should) be transferred to a new boat owner.

BoatUS recommends that the MMSI stay with the boat. They say the prior boat owner should cancel their account / ownership of the MMSI so the new boat owner can do it. https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/FAQ



The main issue is with the process of changing the MMSI number on the radio. Most radios allow for only one or at most two MMSI numbers to be entered to the radio by the end user. This means that once a valid MMSI number is entered, it can be changed zero or one time by the user. Radios do allow for a certified technician to make a change, but that requires either sending the radio to the factory for service or finding an electronics tech to make a house call. Frankly that's a pretty high barrier to get someone to make the change.

Note that the FCC-issued MMSI numbers may be tied to a ship station license, and that has a different process since the license DOES NOT transfer with the vessel. The main difference between the FCC and non-FCC issues MMSI is the international component. FCC MMSI numbers are needed for those traveling outside the US, and the number is registered to the international search and rescue database. Non-FCC MMSI numbers are for US-only boaters, and the number is NOT registered with the international database.

The form at USPS.org leads me to believe the owner information is about the only thing that remains the same which is why I made this statement. It's very easy to change the MMSI number in the radio and very little changes on the USPS form. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong

 

[Siboatguy]

What org did you pay to get an MMSI? In addition to USPS, BoatUS and Sea Tow also issue MMSIs for free.

I paid Boat US... They said its a 25 doller fee

 

[RollerCoastr]

It's very easy to change the MMSI number in the radio and very little changes on the USPS form. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong

Depends on the radio. Some allow 1 change by the owner, others (like mine) require a technician to change it even once.

 

[JVM225]

When I sold my old boat I went back in to Boat US and changed all the information for the MMSI to the new owners information.
When I bought this boat I got the old owners MMSI number wiped out of the VHF and then got a new number from Boat US.

 

[Stee6043]

Depends on the radio. Some allow 1 change by the owner, others (like mine) require a technician to change it even once.

Hmm....well I'm going to try this tomorrow so I'll provide an update.

I know it would not be desirable to have an MMSI # in two devices not on the same boat. But if the new owner of a radio had no interest in getting their own MMSI, and I end up having my existing MMSI in two radios, I'm not necessarily at risk?

If I hit that button the most critical information is the GPS location of the VHF doing the transmitting. If they have the wrong owner name...I don't think that's going to materially impact their ability to perform a quick rescue? Perhaps I'm way off on this.

 

[RollerCoastr]

But if the new owner of a radio had no interest in getting their own MMSI, and I end up having my existing MMSI in two radios, I'm not necessarily at risk?

If I hit that button the most critical information is the GPS location of the VHF doing the transmitting. If they have the wrong owner name...I don't think that's going to materially impact their ability to perform a quick rescue? Perhaps I'm way off on this.

Yeah, it seems like the only risk would be the extremely-unlikely event of both radios broadcasting distress at the same time. A vessel broadcasting outdated MMSI info has risk though, particularly if the vessels are vastly different. I wouldn't want a SAR effort coming to my location looking for a 60' trawler when I'm actually in a Sundancer...

The other issue of leaving an MMSI behind in a sold boat is that they would receive DSC calls not meant for them.