So I just acquired a little 16' bow rider for playing around on our creek, and maybe short jaunts out to slightly bigger
water. It has no
electronics (beyond an AM/FM
radio LOL). I don't intend to add
GPS, but I would like to add a
VHF for ... well, no good reason really. Maybe listen to chatter. Maybe help out with our local club
race committee once or twice a year. But really, no good reason. I could use my handheld from my sailboat on those rare instances.
But, I have a spare
VHF with
DSC that I acquired when a friend upgraded. It works, I think. I could get a
cheap antenna and install it.
Problem is, you can't change the MMSI for much less than the cost of a new
radio. And the MMSI exists for the sole purpose of supporting the
DSC and associated
distress call, which requires
GPS input, which I won't have.
Is there any strong reason to not install the fixed mount VHF and just use my handheld? The way I see it, the MMSI solely supports features I'll never use. The unit will never broadcast the MMSI. No one will ever know my radio is illegal.
What am I missing? Just stop stressing about irrelevant stuff, be happy?