AIS name transfer

[thomaslong]

We are the happy owners of a 2000 CB 32+2, formerly named Island Waters and in the process of being renamed Idyll. We have received a new MMSI number and now we need to have the new name programmed into the AIS on the boat. I have heard that it can only be done by a technician working directly on the hardware and can only be changed once. Anyone know the simplest way to do that?

[Tree]

Usually the unit will come with software and you would connect it to a PC to fill in the details. I know my Raymarine AIS unit did. So far as I know, once the mmsi is entered, it’s for the life of the system.

[WillieC]

I researched this recently and discovered that for some 50-75 bucks I needed to send my Horizon Standard radio back to an address they specify and they can change the number. The difficulty is that the MMSI number can only be entered once, as it is written into...well magic computer stuff that can only be entered once. Hard memory.

Upshot is, my radio was old, so instead of throwing that money away, I put it towards a new radio with its own gps and digital select calling and has an AIS receiver. It also has a speaker in the mic, nice for hearing over the old Volvo Penta, and can serve multiple stations on the boat. All stuff I had to mickey mouse around with before. And the new radio will output the AIS to my laptop where I have all my digital charts. I am using SeaClearII and haven't hooked up the computer yet, (I screwed up my first cable, my error.)

Now if you have a nice new radio with all the bells and whistles you want, the service charge is cheap. Some models, like Tree mentioned, can be done by the owner or somebody smart in these matters. Contact your manufacturer.

Boat radio.jpg

[thomaslong]

I installed that same radio in my 28TE, then sold the boat less than six months later. It's a great device with GPS and AIS. My new CB 32+2 came with a much more sophisticated AIS transponder installed. I have already transferred the MMSI for the radio, but I need to change the name that the Garmin AIS transponder sends out to the new name of the boat. From what I have read online, it looks like this may be beyond user-changeable.