FCC approves 1st Class B, now what?
A reader (thanks, Dan!) tipped me to this FCC approval issued last Thursday for Software Radio Technology’s Class B AIS transponder. Does that mean units using SRT’s circuit board can now be sold here, or do they need additional approval for their particular configurations? Will units from ACR, Shine Micro, Furuno, and Simrad be close behind (I don’t see applications in the FCC database, but I may not be looking in the right place). And what did the FCC decide about the MMSI numbers needed to activate a transponder; can boats in U.S. waters use the free ones easy to get—or already gotten for DSC radios—from BoatUS, SeaTow, and others, or will a user need to get an FCC license? Will a user be able to program a transponder with his MMSI number, or must a “qualified technician” do it? Inquiring minds want to know!
PS 4/12: So why does the “FCC approval” link now yield: “This application currently is not in final status”? Apparently the Government temporarily pulled SRT’s approval! My source says that this unusual move is only because the FCC accidently issued the certificate before publishing its own rules about Class B. Both rules and approval(s) should be out in a few weeks…for real.
The folks fron ACR stopped by our store in Seattle today with their new Class B transponder. They are still awaiting FCC approval so it was operating in ‘stealth mode’ (not broadcasting). The software that comes with it is pretty user friendly and customers will input their own MMSI numbers. If input wrong, the unit will have to be shipped back to ACR to re-flash the EPROM. It is a slick package overall and comes with VHF and GPS antennas.
Hi all,
The one I bought from True Heading (SRTｴs) was only programmed by the dealer in Spain. When I asked for it, they asked me my MMSI (the same than DSCｴs) and the other data that it sends.