Fancy creating a permanent GPS feed on board instead of from plotter ?

Refueler

Refueler

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I'm probably like a number of others who does not mount their plotter permanently on board. I actually use mine on other boats as well. So its based on a plug in system.

For some years I have played with GPS on drones and various other stuff ... and have thought about creating a permanent GPS feed to my DSC radio that is independent of plotter etc.

Over recent years the range of GPS modules has expanded to such a level and prices dropped to levels that are mind boggling.

I have a Beitan BN-880 GPS module that is less than half the size of a matchbox ... but has not only GPS .. but GLONASS as well. It can also be flashed to receive Galileo. It has compass in it as well ... but we'll ignore that for a bit ... later I will see if its possible to produce a digital display on that ....

The module is actually designed to feed into On Screen Display .... basically a tablet or HUD Goggles ..... along with camera .....

The bottom line in the video is the GPS Lat / Long


The Module is capable of various output sentences as well as NMEA 0183 .... but can only accept 5V ...

No worries ... for princely sum of about 5 Euros ... a BEC can be used to provide stable 5V from the 12v radio power line ...
The module can with a JST plug and cable provide NMEA to the radio ... double side tape where convenient out of sight ...

Beitian BN-880 Flight Control GPS Module Dual Module Compass With Cable for RC Drone FPV Racing RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

There are even cheaper versions than this without Compass .... such as BN-180 ... BN -220 etc.

I know I can buy a radio with GPS already in it ... but I have a non GPS radio and the above items at hand .. thought it might interest others ....
 
These inexpensive modules have become well affordable in recent years. Our DSC Raymarine VHF radio has a venerable but perfectly functional Garmin GPS35-HVS supplying position info - totally stand alone from the main plotter. It powers up along with the radio and works without any fuss whatsoever. Easy 4 wire connection !
 
You can get them as cheap as 5 or 6 euros ... just takes a bit of wiring and done.

It brings home really what mark-up radio co's are making when you compare a GPS DSC to a non GPS DSC radio ...

I started on this basically because I have a 450 Drone with a duff motor which sits doing nothing for months ... so wondered about using the GPS module ....
It also has VTX and OSD capability ... so I could if adventurous set up an Android system to have speed ... position ... compass course and a view ahead .... all in the cabin !!
 
Just to put it into perspective, it costs in the region of £50k to get a single, basic VHF model through EMC and CE marking in order to be able to sell it in the EU. That also gets absorbed into the price of a relatively low volume, low cost product that "might" sell 4-5,000 units over a 3-4 year product life cycle. Nobody gets rich on £199 GPS enabled VHF's! A £800 iPhone is much cheaper to build due to vast numbers.

The Beitian does look interesting though!
 
yachtbits said:
Just to put it into perspective, it costs in the region of £50k to get a single, basic VHF model through EMC and CE marking in order to be able to sell it in the EU. That also gets absorbed into the price of a relatively low volume, low cost product that "might" sell 4-5,000 units over a 3-4 year product life cycle. Nobody gets rich on £199 GPS enabled VHF's! A £800 iPhone is much cheaper to build due to vast numbers.

The Beitian does look interesting though!
Click to expand...

It strikes me as unlikely that the electronics are actually any different, given the cost of getting different hardware made and certified, so surely it's just a case of goldilocks pricing?

AIS is in the middle of this, transponders are a right rip off. Being less complicated than a pair of handheld VHF's and yet more than twice the price.
 
Guys ... CE and similar like UL are actually a bit of a subject as there are many items on the market supposedly certified but in fact are not. Even though they carry stickers.

But lets get back to in hand ...

I've been looking into my BN 880 and it does NMEA - but its not default as I thought. It needs to be configured from UBX to NMEA.
Another of the Beltian units is actually better as its NMEA by default and cheaper ... the BN-180 ......

Beitian Smallest Mini Dual GLONASS+GPS BN-180 Micro Double GPS Antenna Module UART TTL For CC3D F3 RC Drone Airplane RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

Simple to wire up ... the only concern is the 5V power side ... and that is sorted by something like this :

DC-DC Converter Step Down Module UBEC 3A 5V / 12V BEC For RC Airplane FPV for RC Drone FPV Racing RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

The 12V supply coming from the power into the radio ....

Once I get sorted and order the parts ... I will then update with a description of installation.
 
Daydream believer said:
Am i the only one on this forum who never has a clue what these guys are talking about.?
Is it some secret Chinese code or what?? :unsure:
Click to expand...

Instead of being ***** ... if you hung on a bit - I would provide a simple enough diagram of how to do it that even YOU can understand.

As I said - I am sure there are many like me who have bought a DSC radio without built in GPS.

The forum here is PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER .... not Cheque Book Boat Owner .... so my thread offering a solution that costs about 13 euros ... provides a full sat solution ... may not be in your 'book' but others may appreciate.

Just out of curiosity - have you fitted or replaced your DSC VHF radio ? Did you sort out the wiring to do it ? If the answer is yes - then what I am proposing is little more than what you did then.
 
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Refueler said:
Guys ... CE and similar like UL are actually a bit of a subject as there are many items on the market supposedly certified but in fact are not. Even though they carry stickers.

But lets get back to in hand ...

I've been looking into my BN 880 and it does NMEA - but its not default as I thought. It needs to be configured from UBX to NMEA.
Another of the Beltian units is actually better as its NMEA by default and cheaper ... the BN-180 ......

Beitian Smallest Mini Dual GLONASS+GPS BN-180 Micro Double GPS Antenna Module UART TTL For CC3D F3 RC Drone Airplane RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

Simple to wire up ... the only concern is the 5V power side ... and that is sorted by something like this :

DC-DC Converter Step Down Module UBEC 3A 5V / 12V BEC For RC Airplane FPV for RC Drone FPV Racing RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

The 12V supply coming from the power into the radio ....

Once I get sorted and order the parts ... I will then update with a description of installation.
Click to expand...
The 3A buck converter looks a little OTT?
I used the U-Blox GPS modules in some products, but we're talking about nearly 10 years ago now.
One of the things which had to be sorted out was the GPS antenna being off-tuned by having the wrong amount of plastic above it.
I've got a few of those magnetic gps aerials somewhere, they work well, but need a minimum of about 6 inch diameter groundplane under them IIRC.
 
Refueler said:
Guys ... CE and similar like UL are actually a bit of a subject as there are many items on the market supposedly certified but in fact are not. Even though they carry stickers.

But lets get back to in hand ...

I've been looking into my BN 880 and it does NMEA - but its not default as I thought. It needs to be configured from UBX to NMEA.
Another of the Beltian units is actually better as its NMEA by default and cheaper ... the BN-180 ......

Beitian Smallest Mini Dual GLONASS+GPS BN-180 Micro Double GPS Antenna Module UART TTL For CC3D F3 RC Drone Airplane RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

Simple to wire up ... the only concern is the 5V power side ... and that is sorted by something like this :

DC-DC Converter Step Down Module UBEC 3A 5V / 12V BEC For RC Airplane FPV for RC Drone FPV Racing RC Parts from Toys Hobbies and Robot on banggood.com

The 12V supply coming from the power into the radio ....

Once I get sorted and order the parts ... I will then update with a description of installation.
Click to expand...
The only real hassle with the Beltian modules is that they default to NMEA at 9600 Baud, which is not what most radios expect. It is possible to re-programme them using SIRFLive (free from the underlying manufacturer) but it's not that simple. Most radios look for 4800 Baud NMEA data - which with 1 sec updates is perfectly adequate for sailing. You could put something like a micro Arduino in between to cure the speed shift, but that's getting into overkill!!
 
lw395 said:
The 3A buck converter looks a little OTT?
I used the U-Blox GPS modules in some products, but we're talking about nearly 10 years ago now.
One of the things which had to be sorted out was the GPS antenna being off-tuned by having the wrong amount of plastic above it.
I've got a few of those magnetic gps aerials somewhere, they work well, but need a minimum of about 6 inch diameter groundplane under them IIRC.
Click to expand...


The BEC is capable of taking any voltage from 7V up to 17V ... so will not care about whether its bare battery or being fed from alternator. Its switch mode - so its steady at 5V. The amp rating is purely because we in RC have some high amp loads from servos etc. and need to know capability.

These modules require nothing else once the 5V is sorted .... you can 3D print little cases if you want ...

The modules are designed to be mounted on very small quad drones.
 
pagoda said:
The only real hassle with the Beltian modules is that they default to NMEA at 9600 Baud, which is not what most radios expect. It is possible to re-programme them using SIRFLive (free from the underlying manufacturer) but it's not that simple. Most radios look for 4800 Baud NMEA data - which with 1 sec updates is perfectly adequate for sailing. You could put something like a micro Arduino in between to cure the speed shift, but that's getting into overkill!!
Click to expand...

In fact the config of these is simple and SIRFLive is not required. The app to use is uBlox Config and takes very little to do. IF NEEDED at all ...

I will update all this once I have the 180 item in hand as I decided to leave my 880 on the drone.
 
prv said:
Probably not, but on this thread at least you appear to be the only one who’s proud of his ignorance and seeks to denigrate what he doesn’t understand.

Pete
Click to expand...


I'm not bothered ... I accept that its not everyone's cup of tea ... maybe when I post the final installation and how easy it is - even for the least tech savvy - he'll appreciate then.

I'm even thinking of creating a display for the 880 which uses both the GPS and Compass functions ....

It could even go as far as a true wireless HUD that helmsman could wear .... but lets stick with the simple bit first ... DSC radio GPS.
 
Refueler said:
Instead of being ***** ... if you hung on a bit - I would provide a simple enough diagram of how to do it that even YOU can understand.

As I said - I am sure there are many like me who have bought a DSC radio without built in GPS.

The forum here is PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER .... not Cheque Book Boat Owner .... so my thread offering a solution that costs about 13 euros ... provides a full sat solution ... may not be in your 'book' but others may appreciate.

Just out of curiosity - have you fitted or replaced your DSC VHF radio ? Did you sort out the wiring to do it ? If the answer is yes - then what I am proposing is little more than what you did then.
Click to expand...
Please-- I am not objecting or criticising your post in any way whatsoever.
I fly model aeroplanes & the helicopter guys in my club totally loose me, sitting with laptops tuning their helicopters. With gyros GPS etc etc
I have really tried to get a handle on it all.
As for the DSC radio & GPS- I had it fitted when I bought the boat as an "extra" & has worked perfectly for the last 16 years.
I have no intention of buying dodgy gadgets from ebay to fix it. When there is a problem I will just get it sorted.
But carry on. There are those on the forum who will appreciate your advice. But i just made the admission that you lost me in the first post.
Perhaps I am not the only one either.
I have already given up trying to link my new Garmin chart plotter to my Ipad & PC with WIFI :unsure:
 
I must admit that the Heli and Drone racing guys with SimonK Firmware stuff lose me as well ... I have Helis and other RC stuff - I tend to be fit and forget !! Apart from flashing my Tx's to latest FW.

Its just that your post came over very dismissive ....

As to 'dodgy' gear ???? If you fly RC - you will most likely know that the guys would never consider putting dodgy gear into the air - the results could kill !
 
I for one am waiting with baited breath for this as it is something that I have been wanting to do for years.
I‘ve got a 5v supply and a usb gps module which outputs 0183 but still to try it.
 
ctva said:
I for one am waiting with baited breath for this as it is something that I have been wanting to do for years.
I‘ve got a 5v supply and a usb gps module which outputs 0183 but still to try it.
Click to expand...

A USB module ..... you would need to get a pin diagram of the USB plug ... so you know what wires to connect. This is not so easy as a module as I propose.

I would suggest keep the USB module for use with your computer ... and for approx 10 euros get a module with JST plug as I suggested. This then only needs 3 wires connected. The diagram here is provisional but gives basic idea.

Beitian to DSC radio.jpg
 
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