Are GPS antennas interchangeable between brands?

[bitbaltic]

To confuse things, an antenna with a pre-amp in it is also commonly called an 'active antenna'.
These will have a co-ax output.

Indeed that was exactly what I understood the term to mean.

I have always thought of an all-in-one NMEA type as something else entirely.

 

[snowbird30ds]

For complete cheapskate mode you can buy gps modules for as little a tenner (or less) off ebay that run from 5V, with a 7805 voltage regulator and a few capacitors you can drop 12-32v to a good smooth 5v supply easy enough, the output will be standard nmea sentences usually at 4800 baud rate which will work for 99% of older plotters.
I have just such a gps module in the clocks on my bike that feed to an aftermarket fuel gauge replacement that gives lots of extra functions and it's only about 1" square by 1/4" thick.
The RX in & TXout says it needs nmea input not just an amplified antenna.

 

[fredrussell]

Ok then.

I can get a 12v to 5v converter for a couple of quid. Ublox gps antenna (3v - 5v) is a tenner or so. Baud rate on chartplotter is selectable to 300, 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600 so should be ok.

I'll order those parts and see if I can work it out. Time to read up on NMEA basics me thinks.

 

[Birdseye]

Nope .... as long as it is outputting a format that the chartplotter can read, NMEA0183, NMEA2000, Seatalk, whatever.

Richard

Not quite that simple as I discovered when I sold a Raymarine antenna and subseqeuntly bought another brand. The Raymarine used to do the averaging bit in the aerial software, the later model assumed it would be done in the plotter. When the sea is flat there is no different but when its lumpy my reported speed varies wildly.