VHF MMSI

Sounds like they want to force retirement of older boats.
 
jmauld said:
Sounds like they want to force retirement of older boats.
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I can't even figure out WHY that would make sense to anybody? I'm going to register in Idaho next year! This is stupid! LOL!!!
 
For our area old sailboats are a major issue to the local governments. People never dispose of them properly. They just set them adrift during a storm and they become someone else’s problem.
I’m not agreeing with the tax because I think what they’re doing would actually make that issue worse. But I could see an idiot not knowing better.
Do you have a boat manufacturer in your state? They might’ve lobbied for this to make their newer boats appear more affordable.
 
Sundancer said:
I need the HH to figure it out! That would be a neat feature and being able to follow another boat when they respond to the PR's would be nice. My main radio is a Standard Horizon Explorer 1600 with DSC. I think I just need a fancy HH to tie to the same MMSI #.
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So, your 1600 programmed with an MMSI and connected to the plotter?

The best strategy to learn the functions IMO isn’t to buy a DSC HH but instead to help friend/neighbor boaters to get configured. This way you don’t have to spend any money, AND you’re increasing the safety of your boating territory. 7 boats on my pier have stepped-up, and I hope to more than double that next year.

I’m also planning to coordinate some DSC training on the pier next summer, so people can practice digital calling and position requests. I also want to create a DSC group for our pier.
 
RollerCoastr said:
So, your 1600 programmed with an MMSI and connected to the plotter?

The best strategy to learn the functions IMO isn’t to buy a DSC HH but instead to help friend/neighbor boaters to get configured. This way you don’t have to spend any money, AND you’re increasing the safety of your boating territory. 7 boats on my pier have stepped-up, and I hope to more than double that next year.

I’m also planning to coordinate some DSC training on the pier next summer, so people can practice digital calling and position requests. I also want to create a DSC group for our pier.
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That's exactly why I responded to this thread! I have NO friends that have MMSI. We are inland and the MMSI isn't really a necessary on the rivers around here. Surprisingly, a number don't even have a VHF on their boat! I boat in the San Juan's and over there I see the benefits.

And yes, my Standard Horizon is linked to my Garmin GPS and has the MMSI number programmed in it. I've had it for at least 4 years waiting for someone else in the area to step up and add this now, old technology! I know it's on a friends list, but he's had other items ahead of this and eventually he'll add it. I'm thinking next summer I'll bug the folks I know in the Juan's and get their MMSI numbers programmed to mess around with it while I'm over there.

Maybe I need to stop by your dock sessions RollerCoastr?
 
So reading through this thread a bit, it seems there may be a bit of confusion with DSC calling and how it works. It is true that all fixed VHF's on the same vessel should have the same MMSI entered in them. Hand held's can also have the same but then you can not use DSC calling to reach them. You can only call another MMSI number much like cell phones. DCS calling works like a cell phone in that it uses TDMA protocol's to reach the other radio on channel 70 digitally on the VHF carrier. The "call" as it were actually rings the other radio and it must be answered or accepted just like a cell phone. Once accepted (answered) the radios switch to the selected channel. This only works when each radio has it's own MMSI number. Pretty cool technology,but it does have it's limitations, it uses the VHF as a carrier and that as we know is basically line of sight for the most part. A big plus is that it works where cell phones don't.
 
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RollerCoastr said:
So, your 1600 programmed with an MMSI and connected to the plotter?

The best strategy to learn the functions IMO isn’t to buy a DSC HH but instead to help friend/neighbor boaters to get configured. This way you don’t have to spend any money, AND you’re increasing the safety of your boating territory. 7 boats on my pier have stepped-up, and I hope to more than double that next year.

I’m also planning to coordinate some DSC training on the pier next summer, so people can practice digital calling and position requests. I also want to create a DSC group for our pier.
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Roller,

If you do organize "DSC for dummies", please include me in such a learning session. While I have always set my VHF's up with it, I have never tried to use it finding it intimidating!
 
Lake Erie Boater said:
... While I have always set my VHF's up with it, I have never tried to use it finding it intimidating!
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I tried that and found it not to work as well as getting a GPS, DSC enabled hand held. The HH really allowed experimentation and learning. There are also USCG test numbers but they don't always respond or their stations can't be reached. The Standard Horizon HX890 is an excellent HH with every feature and not too bad on price as well.
 
SKybolt said:
So reading through this thread a bit, it seems there may be a bit of confusion with DSC calling and how it works. It is true that all fixed VHF's on the same vessel should have the same MMSI entered in them. Hand held's can also have the same but then you can not use DSC calling to reach them. You can only call another MMSI number much like cell phones. DCS calling works like a cell phone in that it uses TDMA protocol's to reach the other radio on channel 70 digitally on the VHF carrier. The "call" as it were actually rings the other radio and it must be answered or accepted just like a cell phone. Once accepted (answered) the radios switch to the selected channel. This only works when each radio has it's own MMSI number. Pretty cool technology,but it does have it's limitations, it uses the VHF as a carrier and that as we know is basically line of sight for the most part. A big plus is that it works where cell phones don't.
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It's confusing for sure. Many VHF's can in-fact directly call another unit with a shared MMSI. Some units can't: they'll return an error such as "Station Busy", but since so many can I'd say that limitation is due to MFR/model programming rather than the TDMA protocol.

My Garmin fixed-mount and my SH portable share an MMSI and they can directly call each other. I know of Furuno VHF's that can also call SH handhelds and vice-versa.

If your VHF can't send a DSC call to its own MMSI, there's still a work-around: just make a group and add it to both units. DSC Group calls are specifically designed to call units within that group even when they also belong to it, so there shouldn't be an issue with MFR/programming.
 
Lake Erie Boater said:
Roller,

If you do organize "DSC for dummies", please include me in such a learning session. While I have always set my VHF's up with it, I have never tried to use it finding it intimidating!
Click to expand...

For sure! Mark & Janet need to add a VHF to their CC. Mark wants to go big/fancy, so that would be a perfect time to get everyone familiar with their systems.
 
RollerCoastr said:
It's confusing for sure. Many VHF's can in-fact directly call another unit with a shared MMSI. Some units can't: they'll return an error such as "Station Busy", but since so many can I'd say that limitation is due to MFR/model programming rather than the TDMA protocol.
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That's interesting. I have seen more not work and get the busy signal that actually work. I know my Garmin and Standard Horizon hand held doesn't work like that. In fact I haven't actually seen any capable of sharing the MMSI. Glad you have actually had this working. It would be nice to have a list of what does work.

On a side note, from a safety standpoint, having a handheld on it's own MMSI might be a better choice because of how the Coast Guard tack's them. If they see it's coming from a small inflatable they might react faster (Just a guess).
 
My Garmin is a VHF 200. It’s a fairly old model as far as Garmin goes, so I bet that most/all Garmins can directly call a shared MMSI.

The portable Standard Horizon HX890 can as well. Mine is even running older software. I think all SH’s can share. I’ve had good luck with SH tech support. That might be something I can ask them.

I don’t know the model number of the Furuno unit, but it looks like a Garmin 210/215…

Also remember the Group option. I just used my own MMSI as the base. Add a leading zero and drop the last digit, add that to both units and you’re done. I think the software update for the 890 is supposed to fix DSC calling issues, but I haven’t experienced any issues with mine.

The happy feeling of first responders having access to our MMSI data isn’t as realistic as I had hoped. I think the plan was reliance on the Rescue21 system? The implementation of that wasn’t wide-spread/comprehensive the last time I discussed it w/ a coastie.
 
RollerCoastr said:
My Garmin is a VHF 200. It’s a fairly old model as far as Garmin goes, so I bet that most/all Garmins can directly call a shared MMSI.

The portable Standard Horizon HX890 can as well. Mine is even running older software. I think all SH’s can share. I’ve had good luck with SH tech support. That might be something I can ask them.

I don’t know the model number of the Furuno unit, but it looks like a Garmin 210/215…

Also remember the Group option. I just used my own MMSI as the base. Add a leading zero and drop the last digit, add that to both units and you’re done. I think the software update for the 890 is supposed to fix DSC calling issues, but I haven’t experienced any issues with mine.

The happy feeling of first responders having access to our MMSI data isn’t as realistic as I had hoped. I think the plan was reliance on the Rescue21 system? The implementation of that wasn’t wide-spread/comprehensive the last time I discussed it w/ a coastie.
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So either I am doing something wrong or my FW is newer and that is the difference as we almost have the exact same radios except I have the 210 AIS, and I got a busy signal when I tried that. Not saying you are incorrect or making anything up, I just don't know why mine did that. You are not the first person to say what you have posted. I just see more of what I posted and have experienced that. That said I would like to understand why things are different from setup to setup with the virtually the same equipment. Maybe because of the group thing?
 
It could absolutely be that newer programming is the impediment, not the fix! I just assumed the other way around.

Are you sure you tried from the 890? I planned to update mine this winter because I have a lot of new directory entires for it anyway. I can make a same-ID DSC test call after the update to see if it loses the ability.
 
RollerCoastr said:
It could absolutely be that newer programming is the impediment, not the fix! I just assumed the other way around.

Are you sure you tried from the 890? I planned to update mine this winter because I have a lot of new directory entires for it anyway. I can make a same-ID DSC test call after the update to see if it loses the ability.
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I did try the 890, and when it didn't work I decided to just get another MMSI for it and did not bother trying to figure out why and just accepted that you needed a 2nd MMSI as I have read in other forums. But I completely believe it works that way for you, as others have stated this as well, but are in the minority. It may be just as you think, the older FW allows this.

From my understanding of how this works and how TDMA works, I don't see how you could call the same number and not get a busy signal. But hey, I also don't understand how you can spoof a cell and have both still working on the same network either.

My 890 was new this past year, spring time and it I updated to the latest FW at that point. My Garmin 210 is at 4.40 and was when I tested all of this. I really wish I knew for sure what was what on the FW and MMSI working - not working with DSC.
 
I just bought a boat that has a Simrad VHF and integrated into a Simrad Chartplotter. If the previous owner programmed in his MMSI number and I don't have access to the previous owner, am I going to have a hard time reprogramming? Or is it going to have to be sent to the manufacturer?

Also, why do they make it so difficult to change an MMSI number? Software-wise it should be a snap so I can only think there's some kind of security concern with people changing them?
 
copb8tx said:
I just bought a boat that has a Simrad VHF and integrated into a Simrad Chartplotter. If the previous owner programmed in his MMSI number and I don't have access to the previous owner, am I going to have a hard time reprogramming? Or is it going to have to be sent to the manufacturer?

Also, why do they make it so difficult to change an MMSI number? Software-wise it should be a snap so I can only think there's some kind of security concern with people changing them?
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Simrad has to go back to the manufacturer to be wiped.
 
Stop! The MMSI number stays with the boat. If you have lost contact with the previous owner, there are ways to get them deregistered. The MMSI is sort of like a VIN for the radio/boat. I would check with BoatUS first and put them on the case. I would start here: https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSIAccount/MMSITransferRequest

Jaybeaux
 
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