DSC Radio Stolen - Please watch out for it secondhand, and routine call my MMSI...

Jimbo · 28 August 2006, 23:26

About an hour ago I was awakened by a phone call on my mobile - picked up and it was Solent Coastguard calling to say they were getting DSC Urgency Alerts from Greyhound's MMSI, and could I shed any light on the situation. Rapidly getting dressed I told them that to the best of my knowledge she was locked in a yard in Old Portsmouth, and that I'd get down there post haste.

Visions of Greyhound missing, and floating around out in the solent propelled me to Old Portsmouth rocket speed, where I found in the yard everything quiet, the cover secure on Greyhound, as I'd left it, and nothing seemingly amiss. Before calling the CG back, I looked under the cover, and where my radio used to be, there is but a hole!

I told the CG the good news, and asked them not to rescue the culprits unless they gave the radio back, and they kindly called the police for me. While waiting for the police I discovered nothing else missing (GPS, Flare Pack, Toolkit etc) however, the VHF Arial, it's mounting bracket, and all the cabling was also gone. No signs of any damage (bearing in mind it was dark).

The Police could do nothing more than give me an incident number, and the CG said the signal was too weak for direction finding, but that they've alerted every other CG to the fact the set is stolen, and are sending them repeated DSC alerts to try and make contact.

What I am asking you to do for me is to keep an eye out for any Standard Horizon Vertex's with Vitronix Raider Arials hitting the market (these guys were good - they even unscrewed the microphone clip!).

Also, if out and about on the water, please do position requests via DSC to MMSI 235035618, and if you get anything back, please let me know!

If you are a marine dealer, please look out for any Standard Vertex sets with that MMSI, and if you get any in for re-programming, hold onto it, and report it to the police as stolen property.

Cheers guys!

Jimbo · 28 August 2006, 23:43

For reference, it looks like this:

Nos4r2 · 29 August 2006, 00:03

They weren't that good-they were sending urgency alerts with it...

Bastards. Hope you get it back.

daveh · 29 August 2006, 08:41

Jimbo,
Sorry to hear about your problems, last night was one of those nights.

For info the serial number of your set was 5L130076.

I have notified the manufacturer and they will call if the set goes in for an mmsi change apparently all sets have to go back there to be reset.

Hope that helps,

Dave

Jon Brooks · 29 August 2006, 09:41

Hi Jim

As with David I passed you mail on to my contact at Yaesu they will inform all of their dealers with programming kit.
They will also contact you re a replacement radio!!

Sorry to hear of the agro though.

Best wishes

Tim M · 29 August 2006, 09:58

Bastards. Sorry to hear that Jimbo; I know how you feel after I got robbed last year.

Edit: You should tell the radio licencing people too. Whilst they say call signs and MMSIs are non-transferable if you buy a boat with an MMSI they will normally trasfer it to the new owner, and there is a box for the old mmsi in the registration form. This would be a way of getting round having it re-programed.....

Biggles · 29 August 2006, 11:16

Jimbo,

Sorry to hear that. I hope the b.........s who took it are sinking.

Hightower · 29 August 2006, 11:46

You say secure yard. Was this broken into? Are there any other RIBs/boats in the compound? I ask because when I was looking for a spot to keep my boat in I had a look around a local fishing club lock-up. After I asked a guy that was working on his fishing boat how secure it all was he replied "stuff gets stolen all the time, not by thieves breaking into the compound but by fellow club members"!

ian mcconnell · 29 August 2006, 15:21

I am sorry to here that jimbo

Any newcomers to this forum including me will be impressed with how complete strangers from all over can come togeather to help fellow ribber's.

This is quite a family, well done for the chaps notifying the manufactures and the like.

Jon Brooks · 29 August 2006, 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by ian mcconnell

Any newcomers to this forum including me will be impressed with how complete strangers from all over can come togeather to help fellow ribber's.

And they don't get much stanger than our Jim

Sorry mate could not resist.

Best regards

Jimbo · 30 August 2006, 12:46

Nos4r2 - Cheers, yes I agree with your assessment of them, I hope that my actions have now rendered the radio useless, as they hopefully will never be able to change the MMSI.

Dave - Thanks for that, are you sure you didn't steal it just so I had to buy another one from Boat Care?

Brooksy - Thanks as well, maybe I'll now buy an Icom

. I'll see you at the boat show (Stalking you as ever!!!) may even try and bring the rib down.

Tim - Yes, told Ofcom. They say they won't issue me a new MMSI, I'm in discussion with them.

Biggles - Yup - at least if they're sinking and they put out a Distress Alert it will contain their position!

Hightower - The yard belongs to a local Sailing Club, all of whose members are highly respectable pillars of the community! No signs of forced entry, however it is relatively easy to get in from the sea facing flood wall. The members of the sailing club all know about the theft, and many are making a point of visiting the yard as often as they can (especially if returning late at night) to increase the presence there.

Ian - Yes, RibNet is cracking. You just know that if any RibNetter had a boat stolen, others would certainly put themselves out to keep it in sight if they saw it on the water. It can be a big family, but no Rogue Wave, you can't be my daddy...

Since my post when I got back from the Rib I've been down to it in Daylight. It turns out they did take the GPS, and the GPS antenna (but not the depth transducer - perhaps they knew it was broken???) a handheld radio, and a couple of lifejackets. Bit of a bummer really. The Insurance company are being quite helpful, however it's quite hard to value a Lowrance LCX-M15 Sounder/Plotter as it is no longer available. We'll see what the resolution is, and what my increased premiums etc are.

Cheers all for your support!

Jon Brooks · 30 August 2006, 12:57

Jim

Be good to see you as always, just don't bring that dodgy bloke with you, you know the one who does the boat cleaning!!

I hope you get it sorted soon.
I think a nice new M505 would look great on your boat

Lets hope the feckers are dumb enough to try and get it re-progged and they get caught.

Best regards

Doug Stormforce · 30 August 2006, 16:02

Jimbo

Your supposed to take all of the electronic kit of, sink the boat and claim insurance not the other way round.

Jimbo · 30 August 2006, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Stormforce

Jimbo

Your supposed to take all of the electronic kit of, sink the boat and claim insurance not the other way round.

I'll bear that in mind next time!

Is it a pre requisite to only sink the boat if you bought it full of holes??!?

Rogue Wave · 30 August 2006, 21:23

do you know what some rotten low life btard has done to Nav 3?

They have stolen the Fkkn Knobs of the Icom radio,, If I ever find em they are in for a horrible punishment!

Jimbo · 30 August 2006, 21:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

do you know what some rotten low life btard has done to Nav 3?

They have stolen the Fkkn Knobs of the Icom radio,, If I ever find em they are in for a horrible punishment!

Surely there's so many knobs around your yard you could just retrofit?

Rogue Wave · 30 August 2006, 22:40

That's no way to talk about my friends from boatmad!

Jon Brooks · 31 August 2006, 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

do you know what some rotten low life btard has done to Nav 3?

They have stolen the Fkkn Knobs of the Icom radio,, If I ever find em they are in for a horrible punishment!

Telll me which radio and which knobs and I will pop some in the post or you

Best regards

Andy · 01 September 2006, 00:20

Jimbo, what an arse the world if full of c*#ts.... however why did you leave all that loose kit in the boat? Especially in Portsmouth!!

Have you searched eBay for the missing stuff?