How to retrieve mmsi number

[johnmwalsh]

Hello everyone! I purchased a sailboat that was from Great Britain, built in Africa that has an older vhf radio with no dsc button. The boat has a SSB radio. I am installing AIS and need to know if and how I can retrieve the old mmsi # to register the new AIS or do I need to apply for a new number? Thank you for all of your help.

[Calif.Ted]

Unless the previous owner has "surrendered" his MMSI# for the SSB you cannot use the old number and must apply for a new number. Very few people seem to surrender the MMSI when they sell. The SSB may or may not HAVE an MMSI depending on previous owner. Is there evidence of a "station license" for the radios and what country is that license from?
Attached is FCC page regarding transfer of MMSI.
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-...aritime-mobile

[Kijit]

If the vessel/radio is licensed in the UK, then you would have to check with their procedures and rules for MMSI/license transfer. You can find the MMSI of any vessel licensed by their respective administration at:

https://www.itu.int/mmsapp/ShipStation/list

Type in the vessel name and it should appear. Note that vessels that have an MMSI issued in the US by BoatUS or anything other than the FCC will not appear in the international database.

[wholybee]

The boat was from the UK, where are you registering it now?

The process will vary by country. You will need to obtain a new radio license from whatever country the boat is now registered. If it is staying registered as a UK vessel, the callsign and MMSI will not change, but you will still need a new license.

If moving to a new country, follow that countries rules, and you will get a new callsign and MMSI for that country.

[johnmwalsh]

Thank you for all of your help! I could not find any records from the link you sent, so maybe the previous owner did not register his SSB radio?

[Gudgeon]

How old is the SSB? It may not have an MMSI #.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by johnmwalsh

Thank you for all of your help! I could not find any records from the link you sent, so maybe the previous owner did not register his SSB radio?

Radios are not registered per se. The boat needs to have a license to use a radio. This would usually include any radio: SSB, VHF, sometimes radar, and sometimes even satellite comms. When you get the license, you are issued an MMSI number. Even if the old VHF and SSB don't have DSC, a new license would have an MMSI number.

I can't say what the old owner did or did not do. Maybe they never got a license and were operating the radios illegally. If you did know what the MMSI was, you can't just continue to use it. You MUST get a license in your name. So you need to follow those rules for whatever country the boat is now flagged. If you don't have or know the previous MMSI, just assume that it never had one, and get issued a new one. If you are changing the flag country you need to do that anyway, because the MMSI number is different for different countries.

[johnmwalsh]

Thank you everyone for the help! The boat will be registered in the US, I want to set up the AIS and was not sure if I need to use the original mmsi # that is attached to the SSB radio if it had one. I checked the site that you guys provided and the boat name doesn’t show up so I can only think that he didn’t register the Ssb radio. Thanks again for all of your help.

[Kijit]

If the boat was from the UK and is now going to be registered in the US, the MMSI number, whatever it was, will change, so what it was before is irrelevant at this point. When you get the FCC license for the vessel, they will issue the vessel a MMSI. The MMSI is associated with the vessel, not the radio. However, most radios will only allow a MMSI to be programmed once or twice before needing an authorized service center to reset it so that it can be reprogrammed.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by johnmwalsh

Thank you everyone for the help! The boat will be registered in the US, I want to set up the AIS and was not sure if I need to use the original mmsi # that is attached to the SSB radio if it had one. I checked the site that you guys provided and the boat name doesn’t show up so I can only think that he didn’t register the Ssb radio. Thanks again for all of your help.

You now need to get an MMSI from the FCC. The MMSI is part of the Ship Radio Station License, which is required anyway if you intend to ever leave the US, which I assume is the case. First you need to go to fcc.gov and get an FRN number. The FRN number is an ID number used for all FCC transactions. Then, fill out forms 605 and 159. I forget the cost, it is a couple hundred dollars. You wil get an email in a day or so with the license and MMSI number.

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-...radio-stations