EPIRB Registration

[fvn]

I am facing with dude.
I own a boat registered in Gibraltar and I am actually in USA (I am not American) ready to set sail for the Caribbean. I bought a new EPIRB from a local vendor (West Marine). Now I have been told by the registering company of my boat that I must send the EPIRB to a local service station in order to re-program the EPIRB with a Gibraltar MMSI (Kind of code?) and subsequently they (the registering company) can register the EPIRB with local authority.

As anyone gone through that?
Thanks
Flavio

[goboatingnow]

ignore that , register your EPRIRB with the US authorites, irrespective of the flag state, its simple it works and they do it for free, no matter where they are from. where this technically conflicts with local licensing laws, The US registration will use the Hex serial number of the eprib so you dont have to get it reprogrammed.

The MRCC;sall over the world have the databases online and will interchange the data

Dave

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

ignore that , register your EPRIRB with the US authorites, irrespective of the flag state, its simple it works and they do it for free, no matter where they are from. where this technically conflicts with local licensing laws, The US registration will use the Hex serial number of the eprib so you dont have to get it reprogrammed.

The MRCC;sall over the world have the databases online and will interchange the data

Dave

Well.. Not Quite.

For example, all ACR EPIRBs sold in the US are default programmed by the manufacturer and coded for registration in the U.S.A. with NOAA.

For all International Customers, NOAA recommends registration of a 406 MHz EPIRBs in the country of residence and / or country where the designated emergency contacts reside to avoid a potential language barrier problem.

The ACR EPIRB Int'l. Code Programming Service re-programs the code registered for and transmitted by the devise to that of the country of intended registration. A device not coded with the matching country code may not be registered in that country.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

The ACR EPIRB Int'l. Code Programming Service re-programs the code registered for and transmitted by the devise to that of the country of intended registration. A device not coded with the matching country code may not be registered in that country.

My ACR is registered in the USA as the Australians want $30 to reprogram it. So they can shove it where the sun dont shine.

The registralion says I am an australian vessel etc... and all adresses/phone numbers are australian

[Zanshin]

I concur with Dave, just register it in the USA. The important part is the contact person - if the EPIRB goes off they will contact whomever you've entered to confirm that the boat is supposed to be in the general vicinity of where they see the signal.


The MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) is the unique device number, and consist of 9 digits where the first digit is 0 for a group of coast stations or ship group, or 2-7 for MIDs
2 - Europe
3 - North and Central America and Caribbean
4 - Asia
5 - Oceana
6 - Africa
7 - South America

The problem for you is that registering the EPIRB in Gibraltar would need to have the MMSI start with a 2 instead of the current 3 - and EPIRB MMSI's are not user-programmable.

[goboatingnow]

For all International Customers, NOAA recommends registration of a 406 MHz EPIRBs in the country of residence and / or country where the designated emergency contacts reside to avoid a potential language barrier problem.

They may reccomend it , but you can register yoru Eprib and they send you the sticker, all my details registered are international , no problems, no matter what when the signal goes off theyll come looking for you anyway.

dave

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

My ACR is registered in the USA as the Australians want $30 to reprogram it. So they can shove it where the sun dont shine.

The registralion says I am an australian vessel etc... and all adresses/phone numbers are australian

Mark--

The point of my previous note was that, by intenational agreement, one cannot register a device in a country other than that for which it has been coded. That does not preclude a foreign vessel from registering in the country where the device was purchased nor does it have anything to do with where where one's contacts might be located although a part of the intent of the registry agreement was to ensure that there would not be a language problem when/if RCC authorities attempt to reach contacts. (If I recall correctly, Ozzies do, fortunately, speak a decipherable form of English, so four you that is not an issue, yes?)

Further to the original post, the OP has no need to have his/her vessel documentation service "register" his device on his behalf although if his ship station radio license is issued by his home country; and, is to include his EPIRB, in theory it must be registered in the home country. Whether one chooses to do so is another matter. (Frankly, I don't think many authorities are cancerned about whether Ship Station Licenses include EPIRB's but there daze who knows?)

FWIW...

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

. That does not preclude a foreign vessel from registering in the country where the device was purchased ....


If I recall correctly, Ozzies do, fortunately, speak a decipherable form of English, so four you that is not an issue, yes?)

Further to the original post, the OP has no need to have his/her vessel documentation service "register" his device on his behalf although ..

OK, "registering company of my boat" - ''He who pays for another to do his paperwork will have the paperwork done in the most expensive way' - Confusus 3,000 BC

I get your point.

To make the finest (irrelevant) detail, mine was not bought in the USA but the Dutch Antilles, not the USA. It can only be recoded IN australia. A place which I am not.

Fortunately our 'lil American friends are the register 'of last resort' i.e. if all else fails NOAA will do it. See their site: https://beaconregistration.noaa.gov/rgdb/



Its lovely if all this admin stuff works, but it must be a pain for sailors in the smaller countries that get one cruiser per year doing this.

I am still trying to get an MMSI number for my boat (for a new AIS and to add to the EPIRB rego) and can only do it by snail mail... and they will only snail mail the number to me LOL It makes it time consuming when in the 3rd World (Europe).

Mark
PS Not all Aussies speak decipherably and none can spell it

[goboatingnow]

again , you can buy an unprogrammed easily on the net or via a walk-in, there s no requirement for it to be programmed before its bought.

As Mark said the US is a register of last resort, despite all the theorectical objections, it works and works well.

Dave