US Coast Guard rebuilds its MMSI public webpages

[joehersey]

Today the US Coast Guard posted its rebuilt Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) webpages, intended to make it easier to find what you need without the unnecessary clutter. The biggest change is the addition of a new page dedicated to What to do when Selling or Disposing of your Radio or Radio-equipped Vessel.

An underlying reason the Coast Guard had for rebuilding these MMSI webpages is to address the 60% unregistered MMSIs noted in a USCG study of 2019 USCG VHF DSC distress alert statistics. For example, most used DSC-equipped VHF radios being sold today, including radios installed in resold boats, have the previous owners registered MMSI locked in.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by joehersey

For example, most used DSC-equipped VHF radios being sold today, including radios installed in resold boats, have the previous owners registered MMSI locked in.

Yeah I wonder what could have led to that? Maybe the idiotic rule that end users can't change the MMSI.

Remove MMSI reprogramming restrictions and while you are at it remove the requirement that AIS be programmed by the vendor and people might actually change them to be correct.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Statistical

Yeah I wonder what could have led to that? Maybe the idiotic rule that end users can't change the MMSI.

Remove MMSI reprogramming restrictions and while you are at it remove the requirement that AIS be programmed by the vendor and people might actually change them to be correct.

You have a higher opinion than I do of people's ability to deal with such things. Maybe you are right and I am just a misanthrope.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Statistical

Yeah I wonder what could have led to that? Maybe the idiotic rule that end users can't change the MMSI.

Remove MMSI reprogramming restrictions and while you are at it remove the requirement that AIS be programmed by the vendor and people might actually change them to be correct.

Not an issue if you follow the rules. The new owner should get the same MMSI number, and not have to reprogram anything. What isn't happening is that the new owner isn't updating registration/getting a new ship station license. That is an education thing, not a technical problem with reprogramming the radio.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by wholybee

Not an issue if you follow the rules. The new owner should get the same MMSI number, and not have to reprogram anything. What isn't happening is that the new owner isn't updating registration/getting a new ship station license. That is an education thing, not a technical problem with reprogramming the radio.

The thing is I can't control what the new owner does when selling them a boat. Likewise I can't control what the prior owner does when buying their boat. I can't update the MMSI without a release from the old owner. The system as it exists makes it impossible unless both the new owner and old owner coordinate and while you may know what to do and want to the right thing you have no control over the other party. It is pretty obvious the system isn't working when 60% of resold boats have bad info. Not 10% or 20% which would be terrible but 60%.

It would be ideal if MMSI didn't persist when boat was sold you could simply deregister the MMSI with the government and blank the radio. It would be on the new owner would get a MMSI and program it, or don't it is no longer your problem.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Statistical

It would be ideal if MMSI didn't persist when boat was sold you could simply deregister the MMSI and blank the radio. It would be on the new owner would get a MMSI and program it, or don't it is no longer your problem.

That would definitely solve the problem.

Originally Posted by wholybee

Not an issue if you follow the rules. The new owner should get the same MMSI number, and not have to reprogram anything. What isn't happening is that the new owner isn't updating registration/getting a new ship station license. That is an education thing, not a technical problem with reprogramming the radio.

It's not just an issue when a boat is sold, but if someone replaces their VHF(s) and sells the old one, it still has the old MMSI in it (which still belongs to the seller and their boat). And that's a problem.

[team karst]

Originally Posted by wholybee

Not an issue if you follow the rules. The new owner should get the same MMSI number, and not have to reprogram anything. What isn't happening is that the new owner isn't updating registration/getting a new….

This confuses me. The AIS on my purchased boat
broadcast a German prefixed MMSI from at least two owners ago. I figured out how to delete memory and put my new MMSI into the unit.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

It's not just an issue when a boat is sold, but if someone replaces their VHF(s) and sells the old one, it still has the old MMSI in it (which still belongs to the seller and their boat). And that's a problem.

Yup and it isn't that uncommon for a boat to have VHF and AIS with different MMSI. There is no way for a new owner to fix that short of returning equipment to the manufacturer for programming (at sometimes stupid cost) even if you can get the prior owner to do things right which he might not or might not even be able to do if both MMSI are controlled by prior prior owners. Just as easy to just get a new number that at least you can do on your own.

Now not every boat is like that but some are. The system relies too much on both parties doing the right thing with zero enforcement and once it is screwed up well likely it is never getting fixed. Not worth the time, money, and effort for most boater.

[joehersey]

Originally Posted by Statistical

The thing is I can't control what the new owner does when selling them a boat. Likewise I can't control what the prior owner does and I also can't update the MMSI without a release from the old owner. The system as it exists makes it impossible unless both the new owner and old owner coordinate and while you may know what to do and want to the right thing you have no control over the other party.

It would be ideal if MMSI didn't persist when boat was sold you could simply deregister the MMSI and blank the radio. It would be on the new owner would get a MMSI and program it, or don't it is no longer your problem.

Indeed!!

The US tried to get ITU to ease their restrictions on users resetting MMSIs, but were rebuffed. However, ITU did ease the restrictions enough to allow users to reset MMSIs "with the advice from the manufacturer", which Standard Horizon now does by emailing a PIN to the user to reset own-ship MMSI. We're hopeful that the next edition of the DSC standard (IEC 62238) will require manufacturers provide users similar means for resetting MMSIs.

Is the US the only country having such problems? What do others do?

[glenn.225]

I'm not sure if I can delete or change the mmsi number of my VHF off of the top of my head. But I know I installed it.
Different countries, different rules.
BTW I'm in Canada.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by glenn.225

I'm not sure if I can delete or change the mmsi number of my VHF off of the top of my head. But I know I installed it.
Different countries, different rules.
BTW I'm in Canada.

It is an International Rule. Same for all countries. The rule is that a user can program a VHF MMSI, and then change it one time. After that, the manufacturer needs to be contacted.

[joehersey]

Originally Posted by wholybee

It is an International Rule. Same for all countries. The rule is that a user can program a VHF MMSI, and then change it one time. After that, the manufacturer needs to be contacted.

Rec ITU-R M.493-15 §12.4 states this rule, which applies to all DSC radios internationally: "Once stored, it should only be possible for an authorised user to change the MMSI with advice/cooperation from the manufacturer."

Slightly better than the negative tense used in original rule, which stated "Once stored, it should not be possible for the user to change the MMSI without advice from the manufacturer".