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MMSI / GPIRB / DSC

N.A.

E34 / SF Bay
Hello folks-

I'm a bit lost... I have my nice new GPIRB, PLB, and DSC handheld, and will be replacing the built in VHF with an AIS one (different discussion/post for later). My questions are:

1. Do the GPIRB, PLB need an MMSI? It seems like one can just register them with NOAA?

2. If they need an MMSI, does it need to be... a BoatUS MMSI (domestic only), or an FCC MMSI (international, for an extra $220 or whatever)?

3. I wish to emulate Christian and someday sail to Hawaii... which is not international, but the water in between is.... do I need an FCC MMSI for international? Or is that just if I go to Canada or Mexico?

4. For $220 a license, it seems perhaps best to wait and see if one is *really* going to Mexico, and if so maybe buying a new radio for the trip. Do any of you SoCal folks actually go down there enough to need the FCC license?

This is all worse since I don't want my DSC handheld VHF to have the same MMSI as the boat VHF, since if I fall overboard I want to be able to call the folks on the boat... so I'd need two FCC licenses = $440. I'm inclined to skip it, since who can pick up DSC in mid Pacific anyway... that seems like InReach territory, unless the GPIRB requires the FCC license...

I suspect some of you are more experienced with this stuff than you ever wanted to be... advice definitely appreciated.
 

peaman

Sustaining Member
I understand that an MMSI issued by FCC is required for any foreign travel, including Canada and Mexico. I am told that to change from a BoatUS MMSI to FCC can be a real PITA.

USCG says that, for now, FCC cannot presently assign an MMSI to a device not associated with a particular ship, and that devices which are so associated should have the same MMSI as the ship station.

I got my MMSI a couple weeks ago, but my handheld does not have DSC. The FCC licensing application has LOTS of questions, and will probably help you to answer some of your other questions.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Wow, it sounds as if the costs have really escalated in the last decade. (I suppose that must mean that mine is nearing expiration...)
What you need from the FCC are a Ships Station License (permanently belongs to the boat) and a Restricted Radiotelephone Operators License (permanently belongs to the individual). An mmsi comes with the SSL and goes into all of your devices, except perhaps the PLB.

Once you receive an MMSI, you cannot change it. This was the main reason I went with the real license, even though I wasn't crossing borders at the time.

You can still make regular DSC calls between two devices with the same MMSI. But if you "fall overboard" and hit the big red button, you will be talking to EVERYBODY within range.

Some people do want a separate MMSI for a handheld because they use it on different boats at different times. This is theoretically allowed in the rules but there is no good implementation available. Many discussions can be found on the topic with an on-line search.
 

N.A.

E34 / SF Bay
I believe that the "big red button" will NOT alarm other radios with the same MMSI.... which is to say, if you go over, and hit the button on your handheld, everyone in the area EXCEPT your own boat/crew will know you need help. Hence the importance of a separate MMSI for the handheld.

I got one via BoatUS; it is $25 forever, whereas FCC is $220+ for 10 years (for reference, the handheld cost less than that). Boat US has no entry for "handheld", and will not let you get a "dive radio" MMSI; I just signed up for a regular boat one, and entered "Handheld" in the name and other fields. The FCC form WILL allow you to get a handheld/non-boat-affiliated one, but this is apparently a recent (and possibly still evolving/improving) change, and BoatUS does not yet do it (if they ever will).

Per BoatUS, this MMSI is good for the US and Hawaii (and so, I assume, in between).

FYI: The Standard Horizon handheld can apparently have the MMSI reset by calling their support and walking through a procedure/getting a passcode that allows changing it. I believe this is true for some ICOM units as well. So difficult (which seems to be the point, to prevent abuse of the emergency system) but no necessarily requiring return to manufacturer anymore.

Additional thought: there is an "Additional information" field for the MMSI and (separately, via NOAA) for the EPIRB registrations. I saw it advised to add a link to your float plan here (I used a google doc, where I will just paste new info into the document so the link address doesn't change; be sure to make it viewable by "anyone with the link"). The USCG has a form with everything they'd like to know; for simplicity I did not use the form (though I guess you could, put it on Google, and have a link to it); instead I just made sure my (easily readable) float plan has most of the same info, in roughly the same places. For the handheld having the float plan link seems especially important so they (SAR) know where you are, roughly, and that it is legit.
USCG form: https://floatplancentral.cgaux.org/download/USCGFloatPlan.pdf
 
Last edited:

Gaviate

Member III
, for now, FCC cannot presently assign an MMSI to a device not associated with a particular ship, and that devices which are so associated should have the same MMSI as the ship station.
So, having just now completed mmsi application on FCC website, I came across the question asking if dsc is ship mounted or if it is portable i.e. to be used on several ships. My radio is (will be) mounted but I expect that any SART is cognizant that plb and ebirbs typically go with the people...wherever... and would adjust their "on seen" expectations accordingly when responding to a distress signal. A new to me, but older dsc capable radio pushed me into this rabbit hole but I do love learning!
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I believe that the "big red button" will NOT alarm other radios with the same MMSI.... which is to say, if you go over, and hit the button on your handheld, everyone in the area EXCEPT your own boat/crew will know you need help. Hence the importance of a separate MMSI for the handheld.
This is actually not the case. The DSC function is not like a cellular phone number. It's more like a selective squelch (with an alarm) that opens when a specific MMSI is received OR when any general alert signal is received. You can, for example, make a DSC call to the mother ship from a handheld that has the same MMSI. But an emergency alert will trigger any DSC radio within range, regardless of what MMSI it has.

For handhelds with built in GPS... I'm not exactly sure what happens if a position-request signal is sent and there are two active radios within range that have the same MMSI but different positions. Could be an experiment for a boring Sunday afternoon. I'd guess that two responses will appear on the screen. Or for chart plotters so equipped, two targets will appear with the same "name." But the emergency signal "pushes" out the position data, without need of any request.

Somewhat similarly - most DSC radios can be set up as members of one or more "groups." Group MMSI's are not assigned by the FCC or anybody else - you can synthesize your own, within the formatting guidelines. Thus your family, or your yacht club, or your fishing fleet can make DSC calls to everyone in the group. Every radio with the Group MMSI will be triggered. However, no agency keeps track of these numbers and there is no SAR function. There is an extremely remote possibility that two different groups could choose the same MMSI. (Well... what are the odds that someone would choose "12345" as the group tag. Maybe not so remote.)
 
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