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Reprogramming the Radio

NOTICE

Operating a radio transmitter with an MMSI number that is assigned to a different vessel may lead to penalties from your country's telecommunications authorities.

If you need to clear or change the MMSI number and vessel information that has been programmed into the radio, you must contact your Garmin® dealer to obtain a new programming file. You do not need to bring the radio to your dealer or remove it from your vessel.

  1. Contact your Garmin dealer and request to clear the programming on your radio, or reprogram it with new vessel information.

    You must provide information to the dealer, including your Garmin account email address, and your device serial number and unit ID (Viewing Device Information). If you already have new vessel information to program into the radio, you can provide it to the dealer at the same time.

    The dealer enters the information into Garmin servers.

  2. Check your inbox for an email notification from Garmin.

    The email notification is sent with a programming file attached as a backup. This file is also delivered and applied to the radio automatically through the ActiveCaptain® app.

    TIP: In case you run into internet connectivity issues and need to load the programming file manually, you should save a copy of it to your mobile device or computer.
  3. Open the ActiveCaptain app.

    The ActiveCaptain app downloads the programming file over the internet and stores it. The app applies the programming file to the radio automatically, as soon as the radio turns on and connects to the app.

    NOTE: If you do not have access to the internet on your mobile device, you can manually load the programming file that was attached to the email notification by opening it or sharing it to the ActiveCaptain app. If you are unable to use the ActiveCaptain app, you can use a computer to load the programming file directly onto the radio (Reprogramming the Radio Using a Computer).

If you provided your new vessel information and MMSI number to the dealer, the radio is programmed and ready to use on the new vessel. If you did not provide new information, the previous programming is cleared. The radio cannot transmit until you program it again with your new vessel information and MMSI number.

The steps for programming the radio with new vessel information after clearing it are the same as when the radio was programmed the first time (Programming the Radio Using the ActiveCaptain App).

Reprogramming the Radio Using a Computer

  1. If necessary, enable the Wi‑Fi® network on the radio (Configuring the Wi‑Fi Network).
  2. Select an option:

    • If the radio is connected to a compatible Garmin chartplotter over the Garmin BlueNet™ network, select Menu icon > Settings > Garmin Marine Network.

    • If the radio is not connected to a compatible Garmin chartplotter, select Menu icon > Settings > Wi-Fi.

  3. Note the address shown in the IP Address field.

    This is the IP address you can use to access the radio over Wi‑Fi, using a web browser.

  4. On the computer, connect to the Wi‑Fi network.

    If the radio is connected to a Garmin chartplotter over the Garmin BlueNet network, you must connect to the chartplotter Wi‑Fi network.

  5. Open a web browser, and enter the radio's IP address, as noted in the previous step, into the address bar.
  6. Select Secure programming.
  7. Select Browse, and locate the programming file that was attached to the email notification from Garmin.
  8. Select Upload.
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May 2026
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