AIS licensing and MMSI

Prior to using this product for the first time, please check your national requirements for both operator and equipment licensing.

LicensingRequirementMMSI

Licensing

In many countries, the licensing for the use of AIS equipment is included in the Ship Station license and Operator's license issued for VHF radios.

However, even if you already have a Ship Station license and Operator's license for a VHF radio, some countries may require a separate license for AIS equipment use.

Important

It is your responsibility to determine whether a license is required in your area before operating this equipment.

MMSI

An MMSI is a 9 digit number which is sent over a radio frequency channel in order to identify the originating vessel / station. Before commencing installation ensure you have obtained an MMSI number for your vessel. This is a mandatory requirement. If your vessel already has an MMSI number (used for a VHF DSC radio, for example), then the same MMSI number must be used to program your AIS equipment.

Important

In some areas, a radio operator licence is required before an MMSI number will be issued. If an MMSI number is not entered, your product can only be used in Silent Mode and will operate as a receiver only.

In the United States of America (USA), the MMSI and Static Data must be entered only by a Raymarine® dealer or other appropriately qualified installer of marine communications equipment for marine vessels.In the USA, the user is NOT authorized to do this.

In Europe and other parts of the world outside of the United States of America, the MMSI and Static data can be set up by the user.

Important

Once the MMSI number has been entered using the ProAIS2 software and the configuration saved (via the “Write Configuration” option), the MMSI number cannot be subsequently changed, without returning the unit to an authorized Raymarine dealer for reprogramming. Always check the MMSI number before saving the configuration.

For a list of issuing authorities for licences and MMSI numbers in each region, refer to: Licensing and MMSI issuing authorities