MMSI's

[PaulGooch]

I have a Standard Horizon GX3000S and it's pretty easy to add an MMSI. It's not like you have to add the number every time you want to use it, so i can't see a problem if it takes a little while anyway, unless you have millions of mates with boats.

Initiating an MMSI call is easy, press the call button, select the person you want to call and press the button. It's also handy for sending/receiving position coordinates, especially when out fishing and your mate is catching plenty of fish and you aren't

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I've never initiated an MMSI call. I'd need to get the manual out as it's unintuitive, and therefore I just can't be bothered.

I've never received an MMSI call either, bar the general ones.

If I'm going out of mobile phone range with other boats we just agree a working channel before we go and listen out on that. Why complicate things?

+1

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Trundlebug]

I tried using MMSI a couple of years ago.

Once I had programmed it in it was generally very convenient, and quick.

The problem was that with turning off the power to it for a certain amount of time (over the winter I think) it seemed to lose all the numbers.

That's why I don't use it now - the MMSI numbers are really long, and I don't like having to reprogramme them every time I've switched the power off! If it stored the numbers permanently, like a mobile phone, it would be a lot more user friendly.

I can't imagine mobile phone users being too happy if they had to re-enter all their numbers every time the battery went flat!

 

[oceanfroggie]

Imho, DSC for routine calls is rather limited. Open call in ch16 is just easier. Anyway most folks just use their cell phones, or if on a CIC use a working channel for continuous ship to ship comms with a group of boats travelling together. The only advantage is the privacy of making the initial call, but there's no privacy one using voice on a working channel. DSC is so a 1970s techology, it was obsolete before it was even launched.

Only advantage is the DISTRESS function as it transmits lat/long and MMSI no in an instant, and for that reason DSC is useful, but not for ship to ship.

PS: In my experience many skippers and even more crew are not aware that the Red DSC Distress button must be pressed and HELD down for FIVE consequitive seconds, otherwise a distress call is not issued. Too many folk think it just needs to be pressed!

 

[DAKA]

There seems to be a number of people who cruise together. I was wondering if they had put the MMSI numbers in their directories. In fact, do any of you have your "mates" MMSI numbers? If not, why not?

yes I have in the past called my mates on MMSI, exciting the first time but irritating the second time.

I once used it to search for a mate when we were meeting from 100nm apart.

In my opinion there are two ways of checking where your mates are

AIS ( loads of raggies have this but not many mobos yet)

The best way is to broadcast your where abouts to your mates is on the VHF disguised as a Radio check on ch 16

Solent Coast guard this is Daka........Daka, heading to Yarmouth, radio check please over

or if you havent decided where you are going just do a radio check and see if any mates call you up afterwards

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Give it a couple more years when many boats have AIS B and the ability to add the MMSI number from that, or maybe the ability to add the number when the station calls you, and it could grow is my guess. Let's face it most people will add the phone number from a text message or 'phone call rather than enter it in digit by digit if they possibly can.

Just by the conversations you can hear (all too clearly) at Studland on a busy weekend, many people just use a mobile 'phone to call their mates and find where they are. It's a shame that radio skills are dwindling but people spend so much time saying nothing (me included) perhaps we should be grateful they aren't using them so much.

 

[Geoffs]

Solent Coast guard this is Daka........Daka, heading to Yarmouth, radio check please over

Suspect if you tried that on Ch16 you'd get a mouthful from Solent.

'DAKA, you are weak and unreadable, in future radio checks on CH67!'

As to DSC, I find it more trouble that it's worth. My phone has a QWERTY keyboard so is easy to make entries. Have to scroll up and down on VHF to find required characters.

Tried to make a DSC call once, no response. Call up on CH16 and got the reply 'Wondered what that 'orrible noise was!'

 

[elton]

Tried to make a DSC call once, no response. Call up on CH16 and got the reply 'Wondered what that 'orrible noise was!'

So what was the "'orrible noise"?

 

[Geoffs]

So what was the "'orrible noise"?

Must have been the bleeping of the radio from DSC call.

 

[jfm]

I've never initiated an MMSI call. I'd need to get the manual out as it's unintuitive, and therefore I just can't be bothered.

I've never received an MMSI call either, bar the general ones.

If I'm going out of mobile phone range with other boats we just agree a working channel before we go and listen out on that. Why complicate things?

Me too.

It's unintuitive and life is way too short to figure out how to input DSC numbers. And I'd hate to be called on DSC because (at least on my Raymarine sets; I'm about to go Garmin) it sounds like a fire alarm going off. Much better to call mates on cellphone

Mind you, I might be a luddite because I've never stored a route or waypoint in my plotter's memory either

Someone mentioned above that in a few years we will all have AIS transmitters. When that happens we'll all end up turning AIS off because our plotter screens in busy places (eg Solent) will be so full of triangles that we can't navigate. I already have that problem in SofF, so I fitted an AIS off swithc to both dashboards and I only use AIS on passages away from busy ports