FCC License required for MMSI number

[Charlie98117]

I got a new radio with the DSC distress call feature so I tried to register for a MMSI number on the BoatUS site who issues the numbers free of charge for members. Got kicked out of that process when I answered yes to the question "Do you plan to use the radio in foreign waters" since I live in Seattle and want to be able to use the radion in Canadian waters. The prompt said I am required to carry a Ship Station License and will be assigned an appropriate MMSI by the FCC. Went to the FCC website and see the license is relatively expensive and requires annual (relatively expensive) renewals.

I know many others have gone through this before so my question is do I really need the FCC license just to visit Canadian ports? If I just got the basic version from BoatUS would I run into issues if I just didn't use the DSC distress call in Canada?

 

[capta]

I was under the impression that the fee for a vessel station license was a one time fee. Has that changed?

 

[jssailem]

Just finished this process this year. The answer is yes.
The FCC licensing is due to international agreements regarding radios. You can do the FCC license on line. They issue a document (receipt) on line and then send your formal certification. It felt quick and painless. Do not ask for "Urgent Approval". It screwed me up and delayed the application. The FCC and the Canadian systems exchange data. The US Boats system is not part of the International agreement. (Why you were kicked off.)
I know your Hunter 34 is small enough to be State registered. Is your boat Coast Guard documented or titled with Washington State. This issue is connected.
The issue of registration favors the Coast Guard documentation of the boat. I know there are cross border arrangements between Washington and Canada, but after looking into the process it was much simpler for me to document my boat with the Coast Guard when wanting to visit foreign ports. I know hard to look at our neighbor as a foreign port.

 

[Charlie98117]

Is your boat Coast Guard documented or titled with Washington State. This issue is connected.
The issue of registration favors the Coast Guard documentation of the boat. I know there are cross border arrangements between Washington and Canada, but after looking into the process it was much simpler for me to document my boat with the Coast Guard when wanting to visit foreign ports. I know hard to look at our neighbor as a foreign port.

Thanks for the response John. My boat is not documented, just registered with the state. I wasn't aware the registration was a factor when entering Canada. Don't we just need to check in to one of the marine stations?

 

[windward54]

You can apply for an FCC radio license for your vessel regardless of the registration. You just have to enter your State numbers on the form. The FCC does require a boat name though, and ask that you name your boat if it doesn't have one.

There are two licenses you will need to get. The restricted radio operator (RRO) license and the ship license. The RRO is for the individual and is good for life. Just have to pay a fee. The ship license is good for 10 years and goes with the boat.

 

[jssailem]

Yes we need to check in. You can sail to Canada and visit. Here is the Yacht World link that helped me decide. http://www.yachtworld.com/boat-content/2014/10/yacht-registration-vs-documentation/ Note My boat is from Oregon. I am a visitor in Washington. This also influenced my decision.

 

[Charlie98117]

There are two licenses you will need to get. The restricted radio operator (RRO) license and the ship license. The RRO is for the individual and is good for life. Just have to pay a fee. The ship license is good for 10 years and goes with the boat.

Hmmm, didn't see anything about the ships license. I just finished up the application and payment for the RRO with Form 605, I'll dig around the website to find out about the ships license requirement. Thanks for the info.

 

[Benny17441]

What if you change your mind and define that for the near foreseeable future you are not planning to use the boat in foreign waters. There is no deception in redefining your expectations for events that might or might not take place in the future. The requirement for the FCC MMSI assigned number rides around the need for a license to be able to operate a VHF radio in its TRANSMIT function in foreign waters. Just having a radio on board for the purpose of monitoring communications does not seem in any violation of International Treaty. Obviously in case of peril to life or limb just push that red button to activate the DSC and deal with any consequences latter, if the issue ever comes up after the rescue. They should receive your distress call, they may not have your information on the international data base but the distress call will broadcast to all within range. If you do plan to visit frequently and would like to be able to use the radio to talk with marinas or other boats then get the appropriate licenses. I believe that prior to 911 they were thinking of dropping the requirement for pleasure boats but then it all got pushed back.

 

[Charlie98117]

Benny, I agree. That was my deliberation weighing what would be the consequences if I did press the red button but I decided wtf, Canada is my back yard so to speak and we plan to go there often so might as well be legal. If there is a situation that warrants the red button while I'm in Canada I'd like to be confident it will work. They hide lots of rocks up in the Gulf Islands.

 

[windward54]

Think of the RRO as a permit for an individual to operate a radio. It is the ship radio station license that assigns the call sign and the MMSI number to a specific vessel. I know a lot of people that don't bother with the RRO, and I've never been asked for it, but both are required. There is supposed to be one person with an RRO on the vessel when the radio is transmitting.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

When I got my boat last April - it was already documented - it was easy to just re-document, and I wouldn't have ugly numbers on the side of the boat. The state tax sticker goes on the mast. I also chose to go thru FCC for two reasons - 1) the radio which was in the boat didn't have any registration, no call letters, nothing - Like you I plan on enjoying the Canadian San Juans and Gulf Islands. My biggest complaint is all the dang user names passwords and obscure websites you need to navigate thru. I know folks who wont put the MMSI number in the radio because it ruins the resale value (its one time shot then back to the factory), this seems penny wise but potentially disastrous in an emergency. The MMSI must be in my radio before it will transmit a DSC alert.

While I probably could get by with the free MMSI - I wanted to be legal. and not worry about potential fines and lawyers fees down the road...

Les

 

[Benny17441]

Benny, I agree. I'd like to be confident it will work. They hide lots of rocks up in the Gulf Islands.

The signal is line of sight, obstructions might be there just as well as the rocks.

 

[dlochner]

This is really pretty simple.

If you have a VHF, AIS, or SSB on board and you intend to operate the radio in international waters or in a foreign country then to be perfectly legal under international law and treaties you must have a FCC issued station license for the boat and at least one person onboard needs to have a Restricted Radio Operators license. The Station License is good for 10 years, the RRO license is good for the life of the license holder.

If you have a Station License then you can get an international MMSI, instead of the Boat/US issued US only MMSI. What's the difference? Information about vessels with US only issued numbers are not available to other countries. The MMSI number has important information associated with it, such as vessel description and next of kin.

Why might this be important? Let's say you are in a foreign country, Canada for example, and you hit the panic button on your VHF. The Canadian authorities will get the panic message and your location (if connected to a gps), but they won't know what kind of boat they are looking for nor who to call when they find you dead. If you have an international number, then they will know who to call when they find your body and they will know what kind of boat they are looking for.

While both Canada and the US do not require licenses for their respective citizens to use VHF in their own countries, the treaties still bind us to have FCC licenses to operate VHFs in foreign waters. Whether any one is enforcing this is an entirely different matter.

The long and the short of this is that if you have the required licenses there is one less thing any authority on either side of the border can harass you about. All in all the cost is pretty cheap, under $30 a year over the 10 year period, the same as the cost of a couple of 12 packs of craft beer a year.

 

[Brian D]

dlochner has said it best. The key on this issue is being correctly and fully documented. And I do not mean the boat, but the radio operator. Do not give cause for a foreign power to seize you vessel for lack of a silly little piece of paper that allow you to operate a radio.

 

[dziedzicmj]

. There is supposed to be one person with an RRO on the vessel when the radio is transmitting.

Actually, not entirely true. If you have a radio, (transmitting, receiving, on or off, does not matter), you are required to have a licence. It used to be that you needed it only if the radio was on (again, it did not matter if receiving or transmitting), but this has changed a few years ago, quite possibly, after 9/11.
When I got my licence, I was told that this is checked reasonably frequently by the US Coast Guard, at least, on Lake Ontario (if you enter US from Canada). There is a steep fine associated with it, as well ($500?).

 

[dziedzicmj]

The MMSI must be in my radio before it will transmit a DSC alert.

The MMSI has to be programmed to operate as DSC radio. Not only for alerts.

 

[Gunni]

Forget DSC for international response. Get a SARSAT EPIRB / PLB.

 

[dziedzicmj]

Forget DSC for international response. Get a SARSAT EPIRB / PLB.

one does not replace the other. E.g. in a Pam-pam scenario, you won't probably deploy EPIRB. And you may want to be able to talk to other vessels, if you need assistance. Not to mention that you might be the one rendering assistance. Etc...

 

[Gunni]

Yeah, in a Pan-Pan, I TALK to other boaters on my VHF radio. I get an immediate, positive and affirmative response no MMSI nonsense necessary.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I would not necessarily call it nonsense...
But you are correct that DSC, more than likely, would not help in such conversation