"Rick" wrote
Jack Painter wrote:

Unfortunately, the entire database maintained by BoatUS/West etc turned
out
to be useless. It was a great idea and encouraged boaters to be
instantly
registered with an MMSI. But that database went nowhere and is of no use
to
a Rescue Coordination Center. I do not know what went wrong with that
plan,
but only the FCC issued MMSI are considered international, and we
certainly
can't maintain dual-systems. If a boater already has a BoatUS MMSI they
should apply to the FCC for a new one.

It must have seemed like a good idea to someone (in WM marketing
probably) but I agree that unless the info is maintained by one
governmental entity it is difficult to see how the system can work
properly.

GMDSS has been a bit of a mess since day one in many ways but I cannot
fault the FCC for making the issuance of an MMSI part of the vessel
station license.

It seems like many users do not bother to license a voluntary ship
station so perhaps the manufacturer should preprogram the MMSI in each
unit and the seller would then mail in a card with the purchaser's
information to the FCC.

That's the best idea I agree. And it's so simple that it must confuse the
FCC. Along with that, should be a preventer to retain that MMSI in the
radio, changeable only if the radio was no longer on that registered vessel.
At least a maintainer could be required to seal and date his entry into the
unit, and log why he was there. That might discourage some of the
unauthorized mods to a transmitted MMSI.

It is a common trick for ships to alter the number (for whatever reason we
do not know) and inundate the HF distress frequencies with safety tests (and
USCG reply requested) using all zeroes or 23456789 etc as their ID. If
pleasure boaters on VHF behave anywhere near as badly as professionals have
on HF, then the GMDSS system may be doomed.

Jack