Chartplotter and Stand Alone GPS Connections

[jon358]

I've just bought a Standard Horizon 180i Chartplotter but already have a Garmin 152 and Nasa cockpit repeater. When I fit the Chartplotter should I connect it with the 152 or would you advise keeping the 2 systems seperate?

I have a Standard Horizon DSC VHF so will connect that to the chartplotter to enable distress posioning info on the plotter.

 

[Ariadne]

We use the 152 with our Raymarine E80 no problem, its also NEMA into the DSC/VHF and the auto pilot.
To get the best from your chartplotter you have to have GPS input.

 

[Richard10002]

Doesnt the 'i' mean it has an internal aerial, so doesnt need a GPS input?

 

[stav]

I have a single pole double throw switch (1 row of three connetions) and feed the cp180 plotter to one side and my furuno gps to the other then the centre connection connects with the other nmea wires. Then I can switch the nmea signal via a buzz bar with the various things connected: autohelm, repeater, radar and vhf. Seems to work so far but could well be 'wrong ' as far as nmea systems go. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[jon358]

Yes the i does mean an internal aerial therefore I have 2 active GPS receivers, hence the question, can I connect them together. The idea of a simple switch is interesting and simple to fit, has your system been in place very long? Thanks for all the help.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

That's what I thought Richard. I have a SH 175 which has a seperate GPS aerial to my Garmin GPS. I do have the SH radio attached to the nmea of the plotter too.
I really like the 175. Not too big in a small yacht yet big enough and it has the quick release shoe base. I can release the plotter from it in a second and take it off the boat or hide it away out of site if required. I have also bought a seperate shoe to wire up from the first so I can fit this inside the spray hood making it easy to see and accessible in the cockpit. More convenient if single handed to see and if I have all the washboards in and the companionway hatch shut in a sea.

 

[matelot]

Dunno - this is a funny one. If you connect both the plotter (with its internal gps) and the Garmin, then you will have duplicate but different sets of NMEA sentences whizzing round your wiring. Will this cause confusion with say the Garmin hopping from one position to the other every second or so? I dont know but my guess would be that each unit would give priority to its own internal signal. Let us know the answer if you find out - my situation is similar to yours

Having said that I cant see what you can achieve by having two sources of the same info. So my inclination would be to wire up everything else to receive the signal from the most modern bit of kit, the plotter but leaving the ability to quickly connect up the garmin should the plotter fail

 

[pvb]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes the i does mean an internal aerial therefore I have 2 active GPS receivers, hence the question, can I connect them together. The idea of a simple switch is interesting and simple to fit, has your system been in place very long? Thanks for all the help.

[/ QUOTE ]No, you shouldn't connect them together. There's no reason to, and it won't work. By all means keep the Garmin as a standby in case the plotter fails, but it would make most sense to feed the VHF and the Nasa repeater from the plotter.

 

[Refueler]

Why ?

But yes you can but you need to then decide which is talking and which is listening. I've done it with my Lowrance + eTrex. I told Lowrance to stop transmitting NMEA data and left eTrex to do it. Lowrance was happy to either be set to use own NMEA2000 antena or be told to use eTrex NMEA0183. But I could not use both data sets at same time.
IMHO - if you set to a switch system as another has - then you can have redundancy built in for DSC etc. But then again a plug and socket is good enough for NMEA.

 

[Richard10002]

"why" was the word that crossed my mind.

If the plotter fails, then you could just use the other GPS position and plot on the chart.

The switch thing seems to make most sense.

 

[Refueler]

I asked Why because most gear now reliability is not a questionable matter.

But I did sort out a NMEA connection for my eTrex to my Lowrance just in case I lost the remote antena gps or it developed a fault. Then I could plug in the eTrex and continue on. Have I used it other than test in the years I've had them ? Nope.