MMSI issue... right thread?

[seapop]

I want to get my MMSI so that I can use AIS properly when I get my new transponder. With BoatUS I understand that they can only provide "domestic" MMSIs and so therefore not recognizable in international waters.
But to get one from the FCC takes a VHF license and several $$ fees.

Does this mean that if I travel into Canadian waters with the domestic MMSI that I won't be recognized or rescued if needed?

[Mirage35]

I don't know anything about US licensing, but from my radio course:


The MMSI is a unique 9 digit number; the first three identify the country of origin. That's it, that's all.


Your MMSI-equipped radio will not stop transmitting when you hit Canadian waters, and my radio will receive and interpret its signal.

[Kelkara]

Originally Posted by seapop

I want to get my MMSI so that I can use AIS properly when I get my new transponder. With BoatUS I understand that they can only provide "domestic" MMSIs and so therefore not recognizable in international waters.
But to get one from the FCC takes a VHF license and several $$ fees.

Does this mean that if I travel into Canadian waters with the domestic MMSI that I won't be recognized or rescued if needed?

If your plan is to go to Canada, why not do it legally and get the FCC licence? But I'm sure lots of people don't bother ... You will still be transmitting the same info, and everyone else will be receiving the same info ... the difference is that you won't appear on any SAR database with additional info (phone numbers, better boat description etc) to assist the coastguard in any rescue operations.

[evm1024]

from the BoatUS site:

Registration Criteria
BoatUS has been authorized by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Coast Guard to assign MMSI numbers only to vessels that meet the following criteria:

Used for recreation only
Not required by law to carry a radio
Do not communicate with or visit foreign ports (i.e. Canada, Bahamas, Mexico & the Caribbean)
If you do not meet these criteria, you are legally required to obtain a Ship Station License from the FCC. They will issue an MMSI number with a Ship Station License.

[evm1024]

If you were to go to Canada with a BoatUS issued MMSI and you were to use the MMSI you may get rescued and then end up facing some further legal issues....

But I am just speculating

[Mirage35]

Yes, I was speaking technically, ignoring regulations.


To operate the radio in Canada you need both a station licence and operator's permit. Probably not seriously enforced for US vessels close to the border, but ...

[dfelsent]

I suggest you do the FCC thing. You want the Ship License (SA), the restricted operators permit, and the MMSI. While you are at it, tick the boxes for radar, HF,MF and everything else. No additional cost.
It's one more thing to spend money on, but one less thing to have as a concern.
Do it right on the FCC site and don't pay any middlemen.

[RaymondR]

Apparently the problem is that the US has a fairly liberal regime for VHF users related to pleasure vessels in that they don't require US pleasure vessels to have ship station licenses or operator proficiency documentation for pleasure vessel radio operators. I tend to the opinion that this is a very sensible regime in that it encourages pleasure vessel users to install an important piece of safety equipment.

However, whilst supplying pleasure vessel owners with an MMSI number they are also being responsible in informing the owner that whilst it is legal to operate the transmitter it applies to on a pleasure vessel in US waters this is not the case in countries with more intrusive regulatory regimes.

Unfortunately we have the same restrictive regulations in Australia however in spite of the draconian fines which might apply many sensible and generally law abiding citizens just ignore them and fit and use VHF radios on their pleasure vessels.

I'd go ahead and apply in the US and if you go to the land of the snap frozen yanks just turn the damned thing off, or if possible to receive only, you'll be able to see them and know who to curse out anonymously. Be mindful that it's only illegal to transmit with an undocumented transmitter, you can receive all you like without a single damned scrap of paper.

[GWilly]

I went thru this last spring, as I frequently travel in BC with my boat. The issue is that the domestic MMSI obtained thru BoatUS (or any nonFCC site) does not get communicated to Canadian authorities. Only the FCC one does. So if you get into trouble while in BC, your AIS is useless, as the Canadians will have no idea who you are and will not be able to locate you. You’re basically defeating the whole purpose of having it. So bite the bullet and get the FCC version, assuming you want your safety. As I recall, it was only about ~$200 or so.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by GWilly

So if you get into trouble while in BC, your AIS is useless, as the Canadians will have no idea who you are and will not be able to locate you.

If the radio is a DSC-capable model with a GPS feed... broadcasting an emergency message... the location of the radio will be known... whether or not the transmitter's identity is available.

-Chris

[rosatte]

I am Canadian and in the process of getting a MMSI number for my B&G radio which has ais I have a restricted radio licence which is for aviation they do not recognize it as it needs to be maritime like they have more training Not but I’m getting a MMSI number as a unlicensed operator which still gives u the same coverage and identifiable as a licensed operator

[Mirage35]

Originally Posted by rosatte

... I have a restricted radio licence which is for aviation they do not recognize it as it needs to be maritime like they have more training ...

We’re kind of getting OT here, but — I am licensed on aviation and marine bands and wouldn’t describe it as “more” training so much as “different” training. They’re pretty different environments.

[John_Trusty]

I agree with the previous posters, but want to add some more info as someone who recently went through the hoops.

First, doing business with the US FCC is a royal pain. They mix everyone together, so the following pages for licensing a "ship" includes everything from your little boat to a fleet of towboats on the Western Rivers! Additionally, they mix all the ship stuff in with all the rest of their licenses, so this is all mixed with licensing satellites, FM radio stations, etc. Google is your friend in this, and forget about their pages.

This is an overview of the licensing process:
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-...radio-stations

Here's the licensing portal, where you begin the maze that is the FCC site: http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home

In order to talk to the FCC, you first need to get a FCC Registration Number (FRN) -- yes, their acronym is used in their own acronym!

You'll need to complete on-line forms 159 (you need a form to pay them!) and 605, but you can do both online. You'll need to license yourself as a Restricted Operator (RR), which costs $70. You also need to license the ship as Ship Recreational or Voluntarily Equipped (SA), which costs $220 (spit into a $70 and 150 payment). Those two-letter codes are critical because their pull-down menus are in that order and there is no help screens.

There is absolutely no competence or equipment capability information. This is not about whether you can or should operate a given radio, only for fee collection. Your personal license is forever; the ship license expires in 10 years.

In the end, your licenses are two PDF files which you can print, and do with what you like -- frame, laminate, stick in your boat binder, etc. From other posts on this topic, it sounds like if you cruise Canada extensively and talk to half of their citizens over the VHF, you will be the last person to ever see these licenses. No one seems to care very much. If you do have an emergency, I expect their coasties will risk their lives to save yours, just like they all do.