AIS Registration, MMSI Number

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

If the MMSI was initially issued by BoatUS:

1. Wire the AIS up, turn it on, go to Marine Traffic or another AIS and get the MMSI your unit is putting out.
2. Go to https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/MMSINumberTransfer
3. Follow the instructions.

The MMSI for international travel is different from the MMSI given by BOATUS which is for USA internal waters only.
The FCC registration is required by law for any vessel that makes contact with any non-US vhf station.
So, the OP would do best by applying (online) to the FCC for radio station licence which will allocate MMSI (and a callsign).

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Ziggy

You'll need to get a new MMSI through BOATUS (free) or FCC ($$) and contact Raymarine to get it programmed into your AIS unit.

My post above was not entirely correct. Apparently, you can get a BOATUS MMSI reassigned if the previous owner cancels the registration. BOATUS in their FAQ (https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/FAQ) claims that they will attempt to contact the previous owner for you if you provide them with the MMSI number.

I don't believe the FCC is as flexible.

[bcn]

In case it has not been explained clearly:

the BoatUS "MMSI" does nor comply with ITU standards and is only accepted in US waters.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by bcn

In case it has not been explained clearly:

the BoatUS "MMSI" does nor comply with ITU standards and is only accepted in US waters.

Exactly.
And as I have written, the FCC will issue new, different MMSI.
The BOATUS number should be de-registered.

[SV Enough]

Whether your going through transferring, get new or whatever for the MMSI you end up with. Take a few minutes and enable the DSC in your VHF and also enter the MMSI in it. Then if you hit the distress button authorities in VHF range and other ships like mine will see your distress. Read up on all the other goodies DSC does like actively hailing another DSC VHF MMSI on the reserved DSC hailing channel and shifting their VHF to the working channel you preselected. There is a BUNCH of convenience neat stuff DSC does other than distress.

You went through the trouble to get the MMSI, may as well use it to its max. :-)

Mark Fay MMC Jr. Engineer QMED AS-E / MSC ET

[SV Enough]

BTW just in case you were unaware class B AIS is routinely set as filtered out (EXCEPT CLASS B) by class A ECDIS system and does not show up as an AIS target, it is painted as a regular radar echo and that is all. So if you are expecting the over 600 GWT crowd to see your AIS transponder, don't count on it.

Mark Fay MMC Jr. Engineer QMED AS-E / MSC ET

[tanglewood]

I think when discussing "transfer" of an MMSI, there are really two different situations, with two different answers. An MMSI is meant to stick to a boat forever, so it can't move between boats. But boats change hands, and since the MMSI sticks with the boat, the MMSI can get transferred to the new owner.

In more detail, a boat is sold and it is desired to transfer the boat's MMSI to the new owner. This can be done for both BoatUS and FCC MMSIs, as best I can tell. It's a bit convoluted for the FCC, since you apply for a new SA license for your newly purchased boat, and when asked about an MMSI, you say you already have one and give the number. I haven't personally gone down that path, but that's how it appears to work.

The other situation is when equipment programmed with one boat's MMSI is being moved to another boat. That's what the OP is trying to do. In that situation you can not "transfer" the MMSI to a different boat, because an MMSI sticks to the original boat forever. It's like a HIN. If the new boat where the equipment is to be installed already has an MMSI, then the equipment just needs to be reprogrammed. For Class B devices, this can only be done by the manufacturer. If the new boat doesn't yet have an MMSI, then you need to first get one, then go through the same reprogramming exercise.

One problem I regularly see is boats that have changed hands and the MMSI registration info has not been updated. All the data bases list the previous owner, contact info, boat name, etc. Similarly, the AIS itself hasn't been reprogrammed to reflect boat name changes. A boat I used to own has now been resold and renamed 3-4 times, yet its AIS is still reporting the boat's original name. This is a growing problem now that AIS has been around long enough to see boat's change hands.

[SV Enough]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

I think when discussing "transfer" of an MMSI, there are really two different situations, with two different answers. An MMSI is meant to stick to a boat forever, so it can't move between boats. But boats change hands, and since the MMSI sticks with the boat, the MMSI can get transferred to the new owner.

In more detail, a boat is sold and it is desired to transfer the boat's MMSI to the new owner. This can be done for both BoatUS and FCC MMSIs, as best I can tell. It's a bit convoluted for the FCC, since you apply for a new SA license for your newly purchased boat, and when asked about an MMSI, you say you already have one and give the number. I haven't personally gone down that path, but that's how it appears to work.

The other situation is when equipment programmed with one boat's MMSI is being moved to another boat. That's what the OP is trying to do. In that situation you can not "transfer" the MMSI to a different boat, because an MMSI sticks to the original boat forever. It's like a HIN. If the new boat where the equipment is to be installed already has an MMSI, then the equipment just needs to be reprogrammed. For Class B devices, this can only be done by the manufacturer. If the new boat doesn't yet have an MMSI, then you need to first get one, then go through the same reprogramming exercise.

One problem I regularly see is boats that have changed hands and the MMSI registration info has not been updated. All the data bases list the previous owner, contact info, boat name, etc. Similarly, the AIS itself hasn't been reprogrammed to reflect boat name changes. A boat I used to own has now been resold and renamed 3-4 times, yet its AIS is still reporting the boat's original name. This is a growing problem now that AIS has been around long enough to see boat's change hands.

You covered it very well. Boaters buy these class B toys so everyone can see them like the big dogs, they think. Then they discover there is ongoing care and feeding and other ongoing fiddling with the thing, they lose interest and leave it neglected and on all the time.

It has gotten to the trash clutter point that even laptop programs that access your AIS devise have a selection to turn off class B targets.

[tanglewood]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

You covered it very well. Boaters buy these class B toys so everyone can see them like the big dogs, they think. Then they discover there is ongoing care and feeding and other ongoing fiddling with the thing, they lose interest and leave it neglected and on all the time.

It has gotten to the trash clutter point that even laptop programs that access your AIS devise have a selection to turn off class B targets.

Nothing that I'm saying is meant to discourage people from Class B AIS, and none of the issues are unique to Class A. The problem is negligent owners.

And I completely and utterly disagree with your position on Class B, including your assertion that captains "routinely disable" display of Class B. I'm still waiting for a professional captain to say they do that.

But rather than have that debate all over again, I'll refer people to the discussion here

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

BTW just in case you were unaware class B AIS is routinely set as filtered out (EXCEPT CLASS B) by class A ECDIS system and does not show up as an AIS target, it is painted as a regular radar echo and that is all. So if you are expecting the over 600 GWT crowd to see your AIS transponder, don't count on it.

Mark Fay MMC Jr. Engineer QMED AS-E / MSC ET

This is not correct. Most competent bridge watch crew do not filter out class B. They may do that in a harbor situation but not that often. And they almost never do it on the high seas. Your odds of being seen with class B are very high.

I have no idea why people keep scaring new AIS owners with this story.

[SV Enough]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

This is not correct. Most competent bridge watch crew do not filter out class B. They may do that in a harbor situation but not that often. And they almost never do it on the high seas. Your odds of being seen with class B are very high.

I have no idea why people keep scaring new AIS owners with this story.

Please don't be an expert on things you know nothing about. When was the last time you where aboard a 600 GWT or higher as a member of its crew. Do you have a Merchant Marine Credential, are you an Electronics Technician working aboard merchant vessels for a living?

See http://gcaptain.com/class-filtering-targets-ships/

As a card carrying Merchant Marine Jr. Engineer, Qualified Member of the Engineering Dept, Able Seafarer Engineering working as an Electronics Technician afloat I have personally routinely used the EXCEPT CLASS B to get that garbage off the system under orders from the captain.

You sea dogs colregs experts really pull my finger.

[SteveInMD]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

Please don't be an expert on things you know nothing about. When was the last time you where aboard a 600 GWT or higher as a member of its crew. Do you have a Merchant Marine Credential, are you an Electronics Technician working aboard merchant vessels for a living?

See Class B AIS - Filtering Of Targets By Ships – gCaptain

As a card carrying Merchant Marine Jr. Engineer, Qualified Member of the Engineering Dept, Able Seafarer Engineering working as an Electronics Technician afloat I have personally routinely used the EXCEPT CLASS B to get that garbage off the system under orders from the captain.

You sea dogs colregs experts really pull my finger.

Isn't failing to keep a proper watch the fault of the ship in the case you describe? It certainly isn't the fault of the vessel with the class B AIS. If the ship filters class B when they should not, that's simply their poor choice.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

BTW just in case you were unaware class B AIS is routinely set as filtered out (EXCEPT CLASS B) by class A ECDIS system and does not show up as an AIS target, it is painted as a regular radar echo and that is all. So if you are expecting the over 600 GWT crowd to see your AIS transponder, don't count on it.

Mark Fay MMC Jr. Engineer QMED AS-E / MSC ET

I see our Able Seaman is still pushing this garbage, despite being corrected by far more experienced deck officers and others on his last thread.

[tanglewood]

Originally Posted by SteveInMD

Isn't failing to keep a proper watch the fault of the ship in the case you describe? It certainly isn't the fault of the vessel with the class B AIS. If the ship filters class B when they should not, that's simply their poor choice.

SV Enough's position and this whole topic were recently debated over here. If you want to take his bait and discuss it further, I think the other thread is the place to do it rather than cluttering this one up.

[SV Enough]

Folks you really need to read https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto...ication_system

Class A systems have satellite connection to coordinate time slots and those other function shore based VHF systems provide.

And if you read the conventional wisdom of they only filter in or around harbors and such, where do most of you hang out?