AIS Unit for Raymarine Chartplotter System

[-OvO-]

How permanent are those PROMs? Are they actually intended to be tamperproof, or is the permanence just a side effect of using a cheaper part not designed to be erased?

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by -OvO-

How permanent are those PROMs? Are they actually intended to be tamperproof, or is the permanence just a side effect of using a cheaper part not designed to be erased?

I doubt that anyone here can answer this question. You would have to call the manufacturer. Be prepared to tell them why you want to know this.

[BarryL]

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

In general, DSC radios can only be sold with your boat. To activate a DSC radio (with our without AIS), you must register a MMSI for your vessel, and then enter the MMSI into the radio's permanent flash ROM. Once you have done that, the is radio permanently paired with the vessel. You can pass the MMSI to another owner (when you sell the vessel), but you cannot move the MMSI to another boat, and you cannot erase or change the MMSI once it's entered into the radio.

It is important that owners of DSC radios do not assume that they can resell the radios to offset the cost of purchasing a new radio. It is doubly important that potential purchasers of used DSC radios not get duped into buying a used radio that is permanently registered to someone else's vessel.

My advice is to NEVER buy a second-hand DSC radio (fixed mount or handheld), otherwise you won't be able to register it. Non-DSC handhelds are OK to buy second-hand (since there's no MMSI registration). Since DSC has been a requirement for all fixed-mount radios made for the last 10+ years, non-DSC fixed mount radios are all too obsolete to be worth buying on the used market.

I don't know where you got this information but I do not believe it to be true. I know that an owner can reprogram the MMSI number on a Standard Horizon radio. I checked an ICOM (the M304) and a user can enter the MMSI number and then change it once. I checked a Raymarine, the Ray 49, and the user manual states that the owner can enter the MMSI number once. The dealer or distributor can change it if required. I tried to find out about Garmin, but the owners manual wasn't on line.

I suppose it may be true, but it is not always true.

Barry

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by BarryL

I don't know where you got this information but I do not believe it to be true. I know that an owner can reprogram the MMSI number on a Standard Horizon radio...

It is in my Standard Horizon manual - the part where it says

WARNING

A user MMSI can be inputted only once. Therefore please be careful not to input the incorrect MMSI number. If you need to change the MMSI number after it has been entered, the radio will have to be returned to Factory Service...

It's nice that some other brands will let you change it one additional time. However, my suggestion is still not to buy a used DSC radio. Even if it's one of the brands that lets you change it once, how do you know that the previous owner (or multiple previous owners) have not already changed it the maximum number of times? If you're buying from a good friend who would refund your money or cover shipping and out of warranty costs to reset it, go ahead and buy that used radio. But if you're looking on ebay or CL, buyer beware.

[mukilteomaniac]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I ended up purchasing a ACR Nauticast Class A and B Receiver. I bought it for $110 at Hodges Marine. I also installed a Milltech Antenna splitter and connected it all to my Icom VHF and Raymarine C80. They work great. The only issue was that the Raymarine NEMA cable color coding of the small wires was wrong relative to what my Raymarine installation manual stated. Don't believe everything you read. For about $220, both units work well together.

Thanks for the help as I didn't even get one response from my C320IA owners association.

Dave
S/V Emily Ann
2007 Catalina 320 MK II
Mukilteo, WA

[RhythmDoctor]

ACR Nauticast looks like a real nice choice for someone (like you) who already has an up to date radio. The built in multiplexer looks like a really nice feature, especially for people who only have one input on their chart plotter.

[Pamlicotraveler]

Originally Posted by RhythmDoctor

It is doubly important that potential purchasers of used DSC radios not get duped into buying a used radio that is permanently registered to someone else's vessel.

My advice is to NEVER buy a second-hand DSC radio (fixed mount or handheld), otherwise you won't be able to register it.

You can have the MMSI reset by the manufacturer. Not sure it's worth it since VHF radios are pretty cheap, but you can do it.