Is your radio call sign unique? Check!!!

JerryHawkins

JerryHawkins

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Just happened to check my entry in the ITU MARS database the other day and saw that my call sign was missing (showing as ....). Did another lookup on call sign (instead of vessel name) and my call sign was now associated with another vessel.

Checked my license details on-line at Ofcom just to make sure I had remembered correctly (!) and yes, it was definately my call sign with another boat.

Phoned Ofcom and spoke to a very helpful lady who took some details and promised to investigate and get back to me. She phoned a couple of hours later saying that a letter had been sent to this "other" vessel owner revoking his license (only temporarily whilst they sorted things out). My call sign was indeed what I thought it should be. Seems that the the other vessel's call sign and mine were the same apart from the second and third characters were transposed - so a typo at some point!

She told me that this incident was being treated very seriously as in an emergency situation (where perhaps only call sign was transmitted - unlikely I know), the coastguard would look up the Ofcom database and find two boats with the same call sign. This would lead to some initial confusion which may potentially lead to a delay in deploying rescue services.

I'm amazed that Ofcom's database allows duplicate call signs to even be entered!

Anyway - check that all your details are correct. You should login to Ofcom (register if you haven't) and check your license details online, see here: https://services.ofcom.org.uk/
The MARS database can be checked here: http://www.itu.int/cgi-bin/htsh/mars/ship_search.sh
 
They're in a complete mess. Quite few people including me recently had letters informing them that Ofcoms's information was thet their boats had been sold so could they cancel the licences. It turned out, I, like many had documentation for one licence but another existed in the Ofcom system which I didn't know about. This according to Ofcom was the real one.
 
On a related note.

Yesterday I applied online for a license for a boat that I have recently bought. All went smoothly, but...

The MMSI programmed into the radio is different from the one that Ofcom have for the boat. The diffenrence is just the last digit which is '0' on the radio and '1' in the Ofcom records.

This looks to me like finger trouble when the previous owner installed the radio. The manual for the radio (a Silva S15 with Navtex) says that you can only program the MMSI once. So I appear to be stuck with the wrong MMSI - thus making the DSC capability useless!

Is anyone aware of a way of resetting the S15 so that I can enter the MMSI again? Having spent many years programming embedded software I'm sure that I would have put in some sort of back-door to make this possible.
 
Yes there is!

I'll try and find the info; must be on the boat somewhere. Its a hold-keys and power on type thing, which resets everything to factory defaults.
 
[ QUOTE ]
check that all your details are correct

[/ QUOTE ] Oh what a mess.
I checked the ITU database by entering the boat name. Nothing there. It was there last time I looked but for some reason they had me listed with just a portable but now that's gone!

Entered the callsign. Nothing there either execept for one with an extra numeral.

Checked my licence on the Ofcom site, thats there but there is no callsign on it and it has a recent issue date!

I vaguely remeber altering some minor detail, forget what, recently. I must have stuffed it up then.

I also have "T" licence but that sems OK.

Have to get on the phone I suppose.
 
[ QUOTE ]
there are a dozen boats with the same name

[/ QUOTE ] No others on the ITU data base with the same name as mine!

Anyway my problems are all sorted, but they had to cancel my licence and issue a new one to rectify the trouble so I now have to download and print that. Old call-sign but new licence number.

They explained that it takes a while to update the ITU database but that the Coastguard's information should be up to date straightaway. Interesting, I thought the Coastguard simply used the ITU database but apparently not.
 
Well I've just checked mine and something else made me wonder. My licence which I updated 3 or 4 months ago has an MMSI number on it but I only purchased a DSC radio this week! It's been programmed into the radio already but now I'm wondering if it's the right number after all. All my details on the ITU page are correct except there is no MMSI number. Has anyone else been assigned an MMSI number before registering a DSC radio?
 
Ooo-er.
If I search on my boat name, it does not find it.
If I search on my MMSI, someone else has it.
If I search on my callsign, yet another boat has it.
My license details at Ofcom are OK except the callsign has disappeared.
I think I'll phone the CG and ask them what they think!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think I'll phone the CG and ask them what they think!

[/ QUOTE ] What the hell for.
Phone Ofcom on 020 7981 3131 They are the only ones who can sort it out. Which they did for me no trouble. 1st class service on the phone.

They CG simply have the info available that Ofcom provides
 
I've pushed the notify moderator button on this thread to please have the reprogramming info deleted. In future please do this over the PM channel, then the thugs won't be able to sell YOUR vhf so easily at the spring jumble..
 
What the hell for?
Because they will be the people who look at the info in an emergency, not OFCOM, and because I am a CG CRO and it's easy for me to ask them.
I have now asked them, and they confirmed that the info is duff.
And what's more they said it's a common problem.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have now asked them, and they confirmed that the info is duff.


[/ QUOTE ] You knew it was duff.
You've achieved nothing.
Youve still got to contact Ofcom to sort it out.
I did that without wasting the Coastguard's time.
 
What's up with you this evening?!
I rang my MRCC. They were pleased to speak to me, and to help.
Maybe I would have found out something (I did - I found out that this is a common problem, something that ought to be of interest to all readers of this thread).
Maybe I could have eased my mind before phoning Ofcom tomorrow. I didn't.
Kindly get off my cloud.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Kindly get off my cloud

[/ QUOTE ] Sorry i did not realise it was your personal cloud. You can go back to playing your harp now.
 
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