With Handheld VHF with DSC any need for fixed unit?

[Briansails]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

This info is wrong. As posted before, the MMSI is specific to the vessel, not the radio. For example, I have a fixed unit and handheld VHF both with the same MMSI.

The Standard Horizon HX850 is a nice radio that would meet your needs.

Frank

This is correct, the MMSI is specific to the vessel. That is exactly why in the U.K. the the ships VHF DSC and the portable VHF DSC are supposed Different MMSI numbers. The handheld is not always specific to the vessel. Say you have a fixed radio on a 50 meter ferry, and one of the deckhands borrows the handheld for the weekend to go for a spin in the tender with his girlfriend. Imagine his embarassment at having half the costguard turn up if he finds himself in trouble.

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Briansails

This is correct, the MMSI is specific to the vessel. That is exactly why in the U.K. the the ships VHF DSC and the portable VHF DSC are supposed Different MMSI numbers. The handheld is not always specific to the vessel. Say you have a fixed radio on a 50 meter ferry, and one of the deckhands borrows the handheld for the weekend to go for a spin in the tender with his girlfriend. Imagine his embarassment at having half the costguard turn up if he finds himself in trouble.

Strange example ... the ferry captain/crew is not suppose to misuse official ship safety equipment owned by a ferry operator for non-official business, or loan it to a civilian for weekend fun.

Back on the subject ... since I posted a question earlier in this thread, I have inquired in the USA and in Canada, and the official answer is ...

The MMSI is assigned to a boat described (for SAR purpose) in MMSI record/database. Since you cannot change the MMSI on the radio at your whim to accommodate the weekend fun or other temporary anomaly, one or more radios on a specific boat will have the same MMSI in perpetuity pointing to that one specific boat.

The point here is that the MMSI record points to a specific boat, and not to a specific radio (in the USA and Canada at least).

[hellosailor]

"The MMSI is assigned to a boat"
I don't know about the UK, but in the US if the handheld is going to be used off the boat, it is supposed to be licensed as a "portable" which is specifically not assigned to a vessel, but documented as being used for transport, crewing, and other purposes that will be associated with a user, rather than a vessel.
I've got an EPIRB that is registered similarly: NOAA was quite happy to tell me to just indicate on the registration that it would be used "portable" and not assigned to a vessel, and that's what they see when they pull up the registration. No boat assigned to it, vagrant in transit, call one of the contact numbers to find out more.

[goboatingnow]

Because a ship has one entry in the ITU database there is one mmsi assigned to the ship and hence all radios. The ITU is debating licensing Mmsi to handhelds individually , but I believe only the UK has released a purely national scheme

Dave

[funk-an-bord.de]

In Germany there is one MMSI per boat.
A handheld VHF will only get a own entry in the ITU Mars Database
(as VHF or DSC/VHF with a MMSI)
when the handheld is used on a very smal boat where there is no battery to operate a fixed VHF.
E.g. a kayak.
Greetings, Wilhelm

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Because a ship has one entry in the ITU database ...

Thanks for posting a reference to ITU database ... I did some digging and found this handy boat search. Here is the link: Particulars of Ship stations ... FWIW

[Briansails]

This is how Ofcom is doing it in the U.K.

Ofcom | Hand held VHF DSC FAQs

One MMSI for the boat, seperate MMSI and different liscence for any portable vhf/dsc sets.

[Briansails]

Originally Posted by Richard_W

Strange example ... the ferry captain/crew is not suppose to misuse official ship safety equipment owned by a ferry operator for non-official business, or loan it to a civilian for weekend fun.

Back on the subject ... since I posted a question earlier in this thread, I have inquired in the USA and in Canada, and the official answer is ...

The MMSI is assigned to a boat described (for SAR purpose) in MMSI record/database. Since you cannot change the MMSI on the radio at your whim to accommodate the weekend fun or other temporary anomaly, one or more radios on a specific boat will have the same MMSI in perpetuity pointing to that one specific boat.

The point here is that the MMSI record points to a specific boat, and not to a specific radio (in the USA and Canada at least).

Hi Richard,
Yes, the MMSI does point to a specific boat. In a lot of europe however it seems the portable vhf/dsc will get a different MMSI to the main Vhf/MMSI on the parent boat. This is for the reasons you have outlined. the MMSI is not user reprogrammable for weekend fun. The radio is however portable, and us humans being what we are are likely to use it for many different functions, and more than likely away from the parent boat. I guess this is why they have opted for a seperate liscence and MMSI for handheld dsc units in order to avoid confusion

Ofcom | Hand held VHF DSC FAQs