Sailors are increasingly investing in personal AIS units to assist in locating and rescuing them should they fall overboard. A popular choice is the Ocean Signal RescueME MOB1 but, as with all safety equipment, it only works if worn and set upcorrectly.
To maximise the effectiveness of your MOB1, it’s strongly recommended that you programme your vessel’s MMSI number to your MOB1. This will enable the MOB1 to send details of a man overboard incident directly to your vessel’s DSC enabled radio and sound the alarm.
Programming your vessel’s MMSI into the MOB1 is achieved using a computer-based application and its display screen. This configuration software can be downloaded from Ocean Signal’s website and there are Windows PC, Mac and Android versions. Once you’ve downloaded the version applicable to your technology, save the file to your computer/device and open it to run the installer.
But make sure you’ve got your vessel’s MMSI number to hand before you start!
When you open the application, a MOB1 configuration screen will appear, complete with a box for your vessel’s nine-digit MMSI. Once you’ve entered the MMSI in the box provided, click on the Update Device button.
You’ll be taken to a new screen with a set of instructions on how to prepare your MOB1 device for programming. In essence, you need to slide the Arming Slide down to the armed position and fit the Programming Adaptor (this comes in the box with your MOB1 when purchased) so that the Push Button is over the TEST/OFF Key and the aperture is over the clear indicator window – so the light can flash through.
You now press the TEST/OFF key for at least 15 seconds to put the MOB1 into programming mode – you’ll know when you’ve done this as the LED light will start flashing green through the aperture.
Release the key on the MOB1 and, when ready, press the Yes Key on your computer/iPad/Smart device screen where the display will now change to the programming mode with a white box showing.
Making sure your display screen it set to full brightness, place the MOB1 over the screen so that the clear STROBE indicator window is over, and facing, the white box before pressing the F10 key on your keyboard to start the programming.
The screen will change when the programming is complete. You can now remove the MOB1, checking that the LED has started to flash green. Turn the MOB1 off by pressing the TEST/OFF Key for one second, the LED will blink red twice, indicating you can now press he F12 Key on your keyboard to exit the programming mode.
With the programming complete, you can return the arming tab to the locked position and your MOB1 is now ready for fitting to your lifejacket.
If, for whatever reason, the programming fails, the LED light will start flashing red after a short while. Not to worry though, just turn the unit off by pressing the TEST/OFF Key and try again.