Changing the VHF

[loritzlorena01]

Hi...
We are going to change the VHF of our boat. Do we keep the same MMSI of the old one?
And we are planning to sail to the Caribe next year, do we need to register in FFC and then Core?
I'm not finding this information clear in internet.
Many thanks for your advice!

[ranger58sb]

An MMSI belongs to the boat, not the radio.

For cruising outside U.S. waters, it's proper to have an FCC-issued Ship's Station license (which includes an MMSI), and a Restricted Radio Operator's License. See FCC website for both.

If your current MMSI is FCC-issued (i.e., not from BoatUS or similar) then you could keep that.

There are boatloads of MMSI-related threads here on CF...

-Chris

[Kettlewell]

Theoretically, one needs an FCC-issued Ship's Station License, but has anyone ever been asked to show one in any country? I have not.

[rls8r]

loritzlorena01 -

As ranger58sb says, the MMSI belongs to the boat/owner, and not to the radio. So, if you already have an MMSI issued to you by the FCC, then you'll just keep it and tell your VHF vendor to set your new radio with that one.

If you obtained your MMSI through BoatUS you'll have to cancel it and apply for one through the FCC if you intend to sail abroad. Per the BoatUS web site:

"Registration data for FCC-assigned MMSI numbers go into the International Telecom Union (ITU) database that is accessible to international search & rescue agencies. In order to be accepted into the ITU database, any FCC assigned MMSI must end in zero. This is why the BoatUS MMSI number cannot be re-used when later applying for an FCC MMSI number for international cruising."


You get your FCC MMSI by applying for a Ship Station License for your VHF. To do that, you'll first need to obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN), which you do by registering with the FCC using the COmission REgistration System (CORES). Once you get your FRN you'll go to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) page and apply for a Ship Station License.

As Kettlewell says - it's unlikely that you'll actually have to show your Ship Station License to anyone (although I do keep a copy of mine with my ships papers). But you get your FCC MMSI through the process of applying for a Ship Station License. I do not know of another way of getting an FCC MMSI.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Theoretically, one needs an FCC-issued Ship's Station License, but has anyone ever been asked to show one in any country? I have not.

Never…but it’s in my ship’s document folder just in case.