Obtaining boat's MMSI as early as possible?

[baz]

Subject: Obtaining boat's MMSI as early as possible?

It's been awhile since I obtained my last MMSI for my previous RT boat. I know rules/regulations change, and wonder what the rules and/or restrictions there are today for obtaining a boat's MMSI from Govt. source?

I'm thinking all I need is to have the boat's Hull Number (HIN) and the boat's hailing Name in order to secure an MMSI from FCC. A Ship's Station License from the FCC will provide an MMSI number that is valid for international cruising. To obtain a Ship's Station License from the FCC, I can visit the Ship Radio Stations page or call 877-480-3201 presumably.

I want to have my MMSI ready for my 'to be delivered' model yr 2023 R25/OB come July/Aug 2022 so that I can install and configure my AIS transmit/receive feature ASAP after boat's delivery.

I understand: The FCC rules as well as the ITU Radio Regulations require vessel owners to obtain an MMSI prior to using Class A or Class B AIS, a digital selective calling (DSC) radio or an INMARSAT ship earth station.

Taken from -> https://www.milltechmarine.com/About-MMSI_ep_69.html
How do I obtain an FCC-issued MMSI?
Recreational users voyaging outside of US waters need to apply for an "SA - Ship Recreational or Voluntarily Equipped" license. There are several steps:
ONE: Go here to register online with the FCC and receive an FCC Registration Number (FRN).
An FRN is a 10-digit number that is assigned to a business or individual registering with the FCC. This unique FRN is used to identify the registrant's business dealings with the FCC and will be used during the licensing process.
Registering online is the fastest way to receive your FRN. You will receive your FRN immediately after submitting your registration information
TWO: Once you have a FRN, login here.
THREE: After logging in, go here to apply for the SA license. Follow the steps shown.
NOTE: The FCC currently charges $200+ for a ten year SA ship station license.
Once you have completed the license application, it takes about 2 days for the FCC to issue the license. Your license will include a call sign and MMSI for your vessel. You can check back here once you have completed the application and search for your license using your FRN, vessel name or your name.
For detailed instructions on applying for an FCC license, please see our instruction guide here. If you need help with the FCC application process, please contact the FCC help line at (877) 480-3201 not Milltech Marine. The FCC have knowledgable staff who will be happy to help you.
Once you have your license, complete our Online Form for Class B Programming with all of your information. Note, we do not need a copy of your FCC license as we check those online ourselves before we program your transponder.

After reading/researching the above, I think that in order to obtain my MMSI I need at least two things: Boat's Name, and Official Ship Number. I can provide the Name without issues. However, the Official Ship Number has to be either the USCG COD number for the boat, or my WA state's registration number. Now I'm sure neither of these numbers can be obtained UNITL Ranger Tugs provides me the R25/OB's HIN. So basically, I'm stuck and unable to obtain my boat's MMSI until RT starts to build my boat and can tell me its HIN.

 

[FlyMeAway]

Are you planning to document your vessel? If you do, you do not get a WA registration number.

Also, if you're planning to document, I don't know how quickly that can happen either. That's a good question for whoever is handling the titling of your boat. We used Van Ness in Bellingham (because they work with BYS); Pacific Maritime in Seattle is also good. I don't know who FM or your dealer uses but they should be able to answer that question. Our boat was already documented on delivery and so the USCG doc # didn't change, but our certificate took more than 4 months to arrive -- so I wonder if that's how long they are taking to process new docs too.

What is the reason for needing the MMSI right away, vs. waiting a few days?

 

[baz]

Are you planning to document your vessel? If you do, you do not get a WA registration number.

Also, if you're planning to document, I don't know how quickly that can happen either. That's a good question for whoever is handling the titling of your boat. We used Van Ness in Bellingham (because they work with BYS); Pacific Maritime in Seattle is also good. I don't know who FM or your dealer uses but they should be able to answer that question. Our boat was already documented on delivery and so the USCG doc # didn't change, but our certificate took more than 4 months to arrive -- so I wonder if that's how long they are taking to process new docs too.

What is the reason for needing the MMSI right away, vs. waiting a few days?

Thank you for your response.

The reason for wanting the MMSI early is so that the AIS 800 I intend to install can be easily be uploaded with my boat's name and MMSI before it gets installed in some inaccessible place. If the AIS 800 unit can be installed in a place that allows easy access to it, then having the MMSI early will and should not be a priority for me.

Yes, I do intend to USCG Document my boat, and fully understand I do not need or will receive a WA state registration number. However, the annual excise tax has to be paid and that comes associated with a Decal number that will be on the WA state's Registration certificate and the sticker that needs to be place on either side of the boats and made clearly visible. The WA state's Registration Certificate is devoid of a Reg No and the box where it would normally be is blank. I will be using Pacific Maritime Title LLC for dealing with my USCG COD, WA state Registration, etc.

 

[gregc]

It took 2 days for our MMSI to be issued by the FCC, and it would have been faster if I figured out the silly FCC billing app the night I put in the paperwork.

 

[SJI Sailor]

One idea for the AIS would be to mount it wherever, but with an accessible USB cable attached and led out where it is accessible. Maybe a 3' USB male to female extension cable or whatever length. Assuming it it is the Garmin unit, programming the MMSI is done by connecting a USB to a laptop and running a Garmin app one time. As long as you could connect to that cable you should be OK.

We have never needed to access our AIS 800 since installation except for that initial programming. However, we do have to cycle its power after any Garmin update. It is also nice to be able to see the lights on it, because they are green when it's OK and yellow or red otherwise (e.g. after a system update and it needs reboot). The power cycling is easy to do with fuse or overall house power, no need to access the device.

 

[gregc]

SJI Sailor -- can I how you chose the Garmin unit over other options?

We're looking at the upgrade and seems there a many options.

 

[baz]

One idea for the AIS would be to mount it wherever, but with an accessible USB cable attached and led out where it is accessible. Maybe a 3' USB male to female extension cable or whatever length. Assuming it it is the Garmin unit, programming the MMSI is done by connecting a USB to a laptop and running a Garmin app one time. As long as you could connect to that cable you should be OK.

We have never needed to access our AIS 800 since installation except for that initial programming. However, we do have to cycle its power after any Garmin update. It is also nice to be able to see the lights on it, because they are green when it's OK and yellow or red otherwise (e.g. after a system update and it needs reboot). The power cycling is easy to do with fuse or overall house power, no need to access the device.

What an excellent suggestion to have a USB cable pre-installed to deal with having the AIS 800 box having to be concealed. THANKS for the suggestion.

Looking at the R25/OB's wire/fuse block access in the head room to get behind the helm it seems the AIS 800 could be located and installed alongside the fuse blocks. If so, then it will be easy to access and see the display indicators etc. The NMEA 2000 backbone is fully accessible once that wooden panel is opened, so connecting the AIS 800 to the NMEA backbone and getting power to it should be a snap.

 

[Submariner]

Subject: Obtaining boat's MMSI as early as possible?

I'm thinking all I need is to have the boat's Hull Number (HIN) and the boat's hailing Name in order to secure an MMSI from FCC. A Ship's Station License from the FCC will provide an MMSI number that is valid for international cruising. To obtain a Ship's Station License from the FCC, I can visit the Ship Radio Stations page or call 877-480-3201 presumably.

I just did this a year ago. To get an MMSI number you need your WA state registration number or your USCG Documentation number. On a brand new boat that you're going to USCG Document, WA State will not issue you any registration numbers. Your WA state registration will show up with "Registration number" field blank. Several months later, the USCG will mail you your documentation number. Then you can go get your MMSI number. You won't be able to get an MMSI number without state registration number or a USCG documentation number that I am aware of.

The next year when you go to renew your WA state registration you will have to go in to a DMV office, bring your USCG registration certificate. They will input your USCG documentation number into the WA State Registration field on your registration. Once that's complete, then you can renew your boat registration annually, online, without having to go into their office.

 

[SJI Sailor]

@gregc We chose the Garmin 800 for a few reasons: it has a built in splitter for the antenna, so no new VHF antenna needed or extra splitter; I liked the simplicity of keeping everything Garmin (it updates at the same time as the chartplotter, for example); I didn't want the extra apps & features of some other systems (more to manage or break); it has built in GPS and easy GPS antenna so it seemed likely to work with no additional holes (which was true for us, but did have to add the small GPS antenna, coiled up next to it); and the price was good. Overall it has delivered on all of that, and no negatives.

For those who want things like WiFi, integrated radio, or anchor alarms built into AIS, the several competitors sound great, too.

FWIW on the WiFi front, I later added a YachtDevices wifi gateway, which shares the GPS and other NMEA data with AquaMaps (etc) and other apps on an iPad. It is a little dongle that plugs into a NMEA port. That has been nice to have, and I actually used AquaMaps for "emergency" navigation once when the chartplotter bombed. (Specifically, was coming into harbor and chartplotter started showing no depth contours or any other detail -- no reason why, and it worked OK after a reboot later. It was never dangerous since visibility was fine, but it was nice to switch over seamlessly to the iPad for reference. Also a good practice drill!)

 

[RobMcClain]

We took delivery of our new C-30 Sedan in mid December. We wanted the boat documented so started that process concurrent with taking delivery. We also wanted to get an MMSI thru the FCC so we could properly use our radio when cruising in Canada. While the documentation process takes several months before you get the official paperwork, you can check on the status of your application after several weeks and when doing so will you see your officially assigned documentation number. On the USCG documentation page is a check status button and about 3 weeks after our package was submitted we were able to log in with the hull number and see that the package had been received and was processing. Also visible was the new officially assigned documentation number. We verified that this number will not change and can be used to start other things. So with that number in hand we then filed electronically thru the FCC for the ships station license and MMSI, and within 36 hours of submitting the electronic form we had both. I’ve also purchased our documentation numbers plaque for permanent mounting on the hull when we return to the boat. We still don’t have the official Documentation certificate from the USCG and suspect it might take another month or two, but that’s ok. We have the proper evidence that it is processing so we can do local cruising accordingly.

Rob