• Can ships fitted for Sea Area A1 meet GMDSS carriage requirements if they stay within 20 nm of the U.S.shore? Can ships fitted for Sea Area A2 meet the requirements of they stay within 70-100 nm of the U.S. shore?   Is the Gulf of Mexico a Sea Area A2?
• Do commercial fishing vessels have to fit GMDSS equipment?
• Do small passenger vessels have to carry GMDSS equipment?
• Can the radio direction finder apparatus (RDFA) be removed once GMDSS equipment is installed?
• With the GMDSS, will there be any employment opportunities for radio officers now that the GMDSS has come into effect?
• I just purchased a VHF marine radio equipped with digital selective calling. Will the U.S. Coast Guard receive my DSC distress alert? If not, who will?
• How can I obtain Coast Guard approval for my GMDSS training course?
• How can I have a say in the way GMDSS decisions are made?
• I just bought a DSC-equipped VHF marine radio and was told I need to get an MMSI number before I can use it.  As arecreational boater, I don't need an FCC license.  How do I get my MMSI assignment?
• I sent a request to the FCC for an MMSI number (DSC number) for my DSC radio and was sent back a note advising that the FCC was not assigning MMSI numbers, but instead assigning Ship Station Identity numbers which are 12 characters long. The number they assigned is 366123450000. Should I assume that I should program in all numbers except the last 3 "0's" (366123450)?
• I own a small fleet of boats, each equipped with DSC-equipped VHF radios.  I have already programmed each with an individual MMSI number.  These radios also allow programming with a vessel group MMSI, which I need for calling all of my vessels.   How do I obtain a vessel group MMSI assignment?
• GMDSS ships will be allowed to cease guarding VHF channel 16 on February 1, 2005, and have already ceased watchkeeping on 2182 kHz.  Is that safe?  How will ships not equipped with GMDSS (i.e. digital selective calling) be able to contact such ships in an emergency?
• Is it necessary to take an approved GMDSS course?  If so, what is the deadline?
• Is there a list of suppliers or manufacturers of GMDSS equipment?
• To whom does the STCW Convention apply in the US?  Have implementing regulations been promulgated?

Can ships fitted for Sea Area A1 meet GMDSS carriage requirements if they stay within 20 nm of the U.S. shore?  Can ships fitted for Sea Area A2 meet the requirements of they stay within 70-100 nm of the U.S. shore?   Is the Gulf of Mexico a Sea Area A2?

No.  GMDSS Sea Areas A1 and A2 are defined by shore radio coverage, not by distance offshore.  The Gulf of Mexico should never be a Sea Area A2 because of 2 MHz propagation limitations.  Except for some very limited MF DSC coverage around our Communications Stations, the U.S. currently has no operational Sea Areas A1 or A2.  Until these areas are in place, ships must fit for GMDSS Area A3, or request a waiver from the FCC.  We plan to publish expected Sea Area A2 coverage charts by summer 2001.  For more information, see the GMDSS Area webpage.

Do commercial fishing vessels have to fit GMDSS equipment?

The GMDSS does not apply to most commercial fishing vessels. However, the Communications Act as implemented by FCC regulations does require U.S. fishing vessels 300 gross tons or heavier to carry GMDSS equipment. The temporary waiver for certain GMDSS equipment in effect since 1998 no longer applies. Unless the ship always remains within VHF and 2 MHz range of USCG coast stations, US fishing vessels 300 gross tons and heavier will now have to comply with the GMDSS for Sea Area A3. This change is a result of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) WT Docket No. 00-48, FCC No. 02-102 adopted 27 March 2002, released 9 April 2002, and in force effective 5 November 2003.
See http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-102A1.pdf

Do small passenger vessels have to carry GMDSS equipment?

The GMDSS does not apply to U.S. passenger ships which carry six persons or less.  Passenger ships on international voyages required to carry SOLAS certification have to carry GMDSS equipment, regardless of size.  The FCC, in an order released November 20, 1998, has temporarily waived the requirement for certain GMDSS equipment to be carried on small passenger vessels less than 100 gross tons subject to FCC regulation 47 CFR 80.933.  This waiver will be terminated once the Coast Guard has notified the Commission that Sea Area A1 and A2 is established, at which time, small passenger vessels will be required to fully comply with the Commission's FCC rules.  The Commission intends to provide at least six months notice before terminating this waiver.

Can the radio direction finder apparatus (RDFA) be removed once GMDSS equipment is installed?

No, since the RDFA is required for navigation (SOLAS V) as well as distress (SOLAS IV) purposes. However, as a result of discussions between the USCG and FCC, the FCC will grant RDFA SOLAS waivers to GMDSS-equipped vessels that carry GPS or similar radionavigation equipment. The FCC does not have legislative authority to waive RDFA carriage on Communications Act-regulated vessels.

With the GMDSS, will there be any employment opportunities for radio officers now that the GMDSS has come into effect?

There probably will not be a requirement for Morse telegraphy skills onboard ship after the full implementation of the GMDSS.  GMDSS regulations allow ships carry redundant communications equipment and having shoreside maintenance arrangements not to carry a dedicated GMDSS operator/maintainer.  Employment of a radio officer or GMDSS operator/maintainer will likely depend upon contract arrangements with the shipowner.  However, there should be a demand for persons skilled in electronics maintenance and computer networks, and there are opportunities for persons with a GMDSS operator maintainer license for doing shipboard GMDSS inspections.   For more information on privatized ship inspections, see the FCC Order or the FCC CIB webpage.

I just purchased a VHF marine radio equipped with digital selective calling. Will the U.S. Coast Guard receive my DSC distress alert? If not, who will?

No. Until the Coast Guard is able to upgrade its VHF National Distress System (expected by about 2006) or install this equipment on its own cutters, the Coast Guard has no means of receiving a VHF DSC distress alert. Rescue agencies in Europe and others providing a GMDSS Sea Area A1 service can however receive an alert. Seagoing cargo and passenger vessels should also be capable of receiving an alert. The Coast Guard can however receive a distress alert from a DSC-equipped HF marine radio.

How can I obtain Coast Guard approval for my GMDSS training course?

See the information in the Coast Guard's webpage regarding training and certification policy and guidance.  If more information than is contained in these webpages is needed, contact Perry Stutman to discuss theprocedures for having a course approved. He can be reached at (202) 493-1024.

How can I have a say in the way GMDSS decisions are made?

Most GMDSS decisions are made by two international organizations, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Radiocommunications and Search & Rescue Subcommittee (COMSAR), and the International Telecommunications Union Sector for Radiocommunications (ITU-R) Working Party 8B.  COMSAR meets approximately every 12-16 months, and ITU-R meets approximately every 6 - 18 months.  Any U.S. citizen can attend federal advisory committees established to prepare U.S. positions at either of these conferences.  Those who cannot attend meetings in Washington DC can participate by mail in the ITU-R Working party 8B advisory committee, by email in the GMDSS Task Force, or by Internet in IMO COMSAR's advisory committee.  For information concerning ITU-R WP8B, contact Mr. Richard Swanson of the FCC.  For information concerning the GMDSS Task Force, contact Capt Fuechsel.  For information concerning IMO COMSAR, see the USCG Navigation Center's IMO webpage.

I just bought a DSC-equipped VHF marine radio and was told I need to get an MMSI number before I can use it.  As arecreational boater, I don't need an FCC license.  How do I get my MMSI assignment?

If you are recreational boater who operates only within U.S. waters, you can obtain an MMSI from BOAT US. Other organizations will soon be authorized to provide MMSI's to boaters as well. For more information, see the Coast Guard's MMSI Webpage.

I sent a request to the FCC for an MMSI number (DSC number) for my DSC radio and was sent back a note advising that the FCC was not assigning MMSI numbers, but instead assigning Ship Station Identity numbers which are 12 characters long. The number they assigned is 366123450000. Should I assume that I should program in all numbers except the last 3 "0's" (366123450)?

Yes.

I own a small fleet of boats, each equipped with DSC-equipped VHF radios.  I have already programmed each with an individual MMSI number.  These radios also allow programming with a vessel group MMSI, which I need for calling all of my vessels.   How do I obtain a vessel group MMSI assignment?

Your individual MMSI assigned by the FCC should end in a zero.  To obtain a vessel group identity, take any one of your individual MMSI numbers, remove the zero at the end of the number, and add a zero at the beginning.  That new number will be your vessel group identity.  For example, if your individual identity is 366123450, your vessel group identity is 036612345.  If your individual identity does not end in a zero, you will need to obtain a group identity from the FCC or the agency which assigned you your individual identity.  See the MMSI Webpage.

GMDSS ships will be allowed to cease guarding VHF channel 16 on February 1, 2005, and have already ceased watchkeeping on 2182 kHz.  Is that safe?  How will ships not equipped with GMDSS (i.e. digital selective calling) be able to contact such ships in an emergency?

That question was raised at the International Maritime Organization.  It was to prevent this interoperability problem that the date GMDSS ships may cease to guard VHF channel 16 was deferred six years, until 2005.  DSC should be common on new radios, and presumably, on ships not subject to GMDSS, by that date.  2182 kHz watchkeeping is another matter.  In that case, an interoperability problem already exists.  Most SOLAS-regulated ships guarding 2182kHz do so using an autoalarm receiver, which can only be triggered by an autoalarm signal transmitted on 2182 kHz.  Autoalarm receivers and signal generators are not new;SOLAS-regulated ships have been using them for decades.  Since few ships not subject to GMDSS carry an autoalarm generator, they could not initiate contact on 2182 kHz with most SOLAS ships.  Extending the 2182 kHz watchkeeping date on those ships would benefit no one.   For that reason IMO decided to allow GMDSS-regulated ships to discontinue watchkeeping on 2182 kHz on February 1, 1999, as originally scheduled.  The U.S. Coast Guard will, of course, continue a listening watch, with a live watchstander, on both VHF channel 16 and 2182 kHz. 

Is it necessary to take an approved GMDSS course?  If so, what is the deadline?

Attendance at a GMDSS school is recommended, but not mandatory, for obtaining a GMDSS license.  Your FCC License as GMDSS operator is good until 1 Feb 2002. At that time masters and mates must have the Coast Guard's STCW-95 Certification which requires completion of a Coast Guard approved 70 hour course and completion of certain other STCW requirements. 

Is there a list of suppliers or manufacturers of GMDSS equipment?

We know of no list of GMDSS suppliers.  However, the FCC has made their database of type accepted equipment, including GMDSS equipment, available by Internet. The FCC OET Generic Search Report provides a listing of GMDSS-approved and other marine electronics equipment.  To obtain this list, search on Equipment Class.

To whom does the STCW Convention apply in the US?  Have implementing regulations been promulgated?

STCW applies to all seagoing ships.  The USCG defines"seagoing" as operating beyond the boundary line as defined in 46 CFR 7.  We have provided generous relief for smaller ships (i.e. less than 200 grt) operating on domestic voyages.  USCG implementing regulations were published as an interim rule on June 26, 1997, and came into force on July 28 (62 FR 34506.  The interim rule is now incorporated in 46 CFR 10, 12 and 15.  The specific provisions requiring masters/mates to be trained/certified in GMDSS can be found at 46 CFR 10.205(n) for GMDSS operators; 46 CFR 12.12.25-45 for GMDSS at-sea maintainers; and 46 CFR 15.1103(e) and (f) for the "manning" requirements.

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