Nautilus Lifeline Radio

[Dan]

That number 972696005 decodes as follows:
Man overboard DSC and/or AIS devices (972yyzzzz)
yy = 69 = (presumably Icarus Aviation Limited)
ZZZZ = 6006 = sequence number chosen by the manufacturer, in your case the numbers appended to your S/N.

It is a number that functions under the MMSI system, but is not actually an MMSI as they were originally intended to be used, because there are too many.

My MMSI for my Gen 1 is 338131687, which decodes to:
338 = US (intended to be for a ship)
131687 = no meaning other than this is me

So you have a unique identifier that allows you to be searched for and hopefully found!

I don't know why Nautilus calls your number a NMS, but it probably means something like Nautilus Maritime Service.

Thanks. That clear things a bit.

Where does it say NMS? My iPhone may not take a good picture, but the letter before 972696005 is MMSI, not NMS.

 

[Dan]

Well, I should have read steps 1-3 instead of jumping straight to step 4, which details what to fill in for the form for the MMSI request! Steps 1-3 says I do have to create a new account and then request an MMSI. Following the all the directions, it was straight-forward to get an MMSI immediately. As soon as the form is submitted, a certificate is issued.

The security is a bit weird on the usps.org site. There's no encryption when you enter your details nor is the password obscured in anyway. You see it as you type it in and it's in plain text when you look at your profile. Further, after registration, you get an email with your password in the body!

MMSI obtained.

Nautilus replied to my battery inquiry and said the battery was replaced September 2017. Great!

My buddy forwarded his MMSI Site Registration email from mmsi@hq.uspu.org to me and the content does show his registration name and password. So, no encryption and it’s consistent to the email you received from them. I guess there’s no need for encryption for such thing as getting MMSI code.

 

[tursiops]

Thanks. That clear things a bit.

Where does it say NMS? My iPhone may not take a good picture, but the letter before 972696005 is MMSI, not NMS.

My bad. On second reading, it does indeed say MMSI.

 

[Snoweman]

I just came back from skiing in Utah with it. Knock on wood, nothing bad happened. There were runs near the top of the mountain in Alta without any phone signal & it was a cold day of -3F (-20C). Imagine that I get into an accident, buried in snow (it’s been a good season this year, up to 83” of snow) without being seen by anyone & without PLB1 to send out SOS.

I checked on this before going skiing. The frequency is only for maritime radios. It would not find you in Utah, unless someone notified the authorities to search a maritime frequency.

 

[divinh]

My buddy forwarded his MMSI Site Registration email from mmsi@hq.uspu.org to me and the content does show his registration name and password. So, no encryption and it’s consistent to the email you received from them. I guess there’s no need for encryption for such thing as getting MMSI code.

It feels like there should be some security measures... You are entering your name, address and phone number and if someone gained access to your account, they can lay claim to the registration. I guess claiming ownership of the MMSI number doesn't necessarily prove that you own the boat and radio.

Bottom of certificate:

"WARNING: If you sell or trade this boat and radio with the above number programmed into it, please be sure to transfer this registration to the new buyer. You can pass on login and password details or contact 1-888-FOR-USPS for assistance.

Do not use the above number with a new boat and radio as it is still tied to the one you have sold! Instead, you will need to register for a new MMSI number for the new radio."

 

[divinh]

I checked on this before going skiing. The frequency is only for maritime radios. It would not find you in Utah, unless someone notified the authorities to search a maritime frequency.

I think Dan_T is referring to his PLB1, which uses satellites.

 

[Dan]

I checked on this before going skiing. The frequency is only for maritime radios. It would not find you in Utah, unless someone notified the authorities to search a maritime frequency.

I was referring to Personal Locator Beacon, PLB1 - Ocean Signal

 

[Snoweman]

I was referring to Personal Locator Beacon, PLB1 - Ocean Signal

My bad.

 

[Dan]

@Dogbowl
Curious what others decided to do for Nautilus settings. I'm US based but dive in Caribbean. Next two trips are Turk & Caicos for spring break then Grand Cayman this summer. When I look at Nautilus app, there's two choices:
1) International or AIS + DSC (not clear to me what the difference is; they seem the same)
2) The next screen on the app then asks for Ship MMSI which I'm not planning to enter. However, you still have a choice of (a) "leave it blank to keep MMSI unchanged" or (b) "Enter 000000000 to clear MMSI". I've never entered an MMSI since I bought the unit and this choice of "leaving it unchanged" or "clear MMSI" is confusing to me.

I choose (a) for now until I have a good reason to enter a boat MMSI. The captain of the boat needs to convince me first that it will be helpful to enter his / her boat's MMSI or just leave it as is. The first step to me is having the boat crew aware that I have this gizmo and then we discuss the best option.

 

[CWK]

I just wished Nautilus would make a PLB that is good for 100m.