DSC connection

[alistairh]

How do you connect a XM DSC radio to a lowrance gps unit, can't tell you the name right at the moment. From the gps there is a green,white, brown,blue and bare wire as well as the positive and negative battery wires, from the VHF there is a yellow (+) and green (-) wire. Has anyone got anything similar to this, what connects to what and what do i need to do to the gps and dsc units for it to work.

 

[duncan]

want to have a rought guess at the Lowrance unit designation?

Global Map range?

Generally Lowrance use the yellow as Com out +ve(transmit) and ground as -ve

 

[Malcb]

If you haven't got the manual for the GPS then try Here

All you have to do is connect the two wires from the radio to the correctly identified ones from the GPS. If you get them the wrong way round just change them over.

It may be that there is also a sub menu setting in the GPS to 'switch on' the transfer of NMEA data. The manual should give you all the info.

 

[billcowan]

Throw XM radio overboard.
I have one.
It is crap.

 

[alistairh]

iv tried connecting the green to green and white to yellow but it wont work is there something i have to do to the unit settings, ie setting the version and other stuff.

 

[alistairh]

its a global map 310

 

[Malcb]

Suspect you mean it's GlobalNav 310.

Download the manual. You have to turn NMEA on in the settings, rounD about page 44-46. Then test. You have the right colour wires connected, but it could be that they are the wrong way round. You won't damage either of the units if you connect the NMEA wires wrongly, providing they are properly identified as the NMEA wires. I know, I was doing this last week with and Icom Radio and a Garmin plotter.

 

[alistairh]

i have done all that but i read in a different post that you need to enter your mmsi first.

 

[pvb]

Surely the wires aren\'t correct...

[ QUOTE ]
You have the right colour wires connected, but it could be that they are the wrong way round.

[/ QUOTE ]I'm not sure he has the right wires connected. Certainly the white wire on the GPS (NMEA out) should connect to the yellow wire on the radio. But he says he's connected the green wire from the GPS to the green wire on the radio - this isn't correct. The green wire on the radio is the NMEA- and will connect to the black wire of the GPS (ie to 12V -ve).

And, as you've said, he needs to switch the NMEA output on and select the right sentences.

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
i have done all that but i read in a different post that you need to enter your mmsi first.

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't need the MMSI number to connect the GPS to the radio, you only need the MMSI number if you want to make a DSC call.

I connected a DSC VHF to a Gamin GPS last week, no MMSI number yet, but the VHF was showing the position.

 

[Malcb]

Re: Surely the wires aren\'t correct...

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You have the right colour wires connected, but it could be that they are the wrong way round.

[/ QUOTE ]I'm not sure he has the right wires connected. Certainly the white wire on the GPS (NMEA out) should connect to the yellow wire on the radio. But he says he's connected the green wire from the GPS to the green wire on the radio - this isn't correct. The green wire on the radio is the NMEA- and will connect to the black wire of the GPS (ie to 12V -ve).

And, as you've said, he needs to switch the NMEA output on and select the right sentences.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or could the green wire from the radio need to go to the bare wire from the GPS, which would be the ground wire?

 

[duncan]

Re: Surely the wires aren\'t correct...

[ QUOTE ]
Or could the green wire from the radio need to go to the bare wire from the GPS, which would be the ground wire?

[/ QUOTE ]

tis would be my approach

not sure about the xm but for most DSC VHF units you will need to enter your MMSI number in order for it to display position on the vhf screen - ie for you to know the connections are correct and working!