GPS antenna for Yeoman Plotter

[Tim O]

Hi...I want to set up my Yeoman with an independent GPS antenna so it can operate independently if the main GPS antenna which goes to my lowrance chartplotter goes down

What's the simplest and cheapest option?

I do also have an old Garmin 128 GPS but the output cable of that currently goes to a cockpit repeater....could I tap into that unit and still maintain the repeater function?

I'm a technophobe so I like plug and play stuff, though I can join the odd wire or two if they are colour coded!!!

 

[bitbaltic]

Yes, you can connect both yeoman and repeater to the output of the Garmin. I have a 128 driving three devices (a VHF, multiplexer and a yeoman) it will not be a problem.

 

[jimmyk]

i have my old garmin 12xl plugged into mine. works perfectly

 

[Tim O]

Yes, you can connect both yeoman and repeater to the output of the Garmin. I have a 128 driving three devices (a VHF, multiplexer and a yeoman) it will not be a problem.

How would I go about doing that physically?

 

[bitbaltic]

How would I go about doing that physically?

Firstly trace all the wires.

(I have a Yeoman Compact, so the following is based on the assumption that other types use the same colour coding for the wiring):

There will be several coloured wires coming out of the back of the garmin, one of which will be blue. This is the NMEA output. It will somewhere be connected to another wire (the colour of which I do not know- it doesn't matter) which takes the NMEA data to the repeater. You need to connect these two wires together with the white wire coming out of the Yeoman (this is the Yeoman's NMEA input). Most people would cut the Garmin > Repeater wire anywhere convenient along its run, and then use a crimp to join the two ends together with the end of the white wire from the Yeoman.

I assume you have not yet wired power into the Yeoman. To do this you need to connect the red wire to the ship's +ve (via suitable fuse) and connect the thin black and the blue wires TOGETHER and then thus to the ship's power -ve (ground). Optionally, you can also connect the thick black wire to -ve as it acts as a screen (i.e., connect the two black and the blue Yeoman wires all together, then connect the lot to the battery negative).

This does require the GPS and Yeoman to be connected to the same battery or bank of batteries to work (99% of installations are, but I mention it just in case).

Below are the connection diagrams for a) the 128 and b) the Yeoman. Manuals help- those for both are easily found online or send a PM if you want them.





Hope this helps.

 

[Tim O]

That's brilliant.....thanks for taking the time to explain in so much detail

I think somewhere if I tear the house apart i have the original Yeoman manual which from memory does have a wiring diagram like that you have shown.

Presume I could wire the Yeoman power supply wires to a "cigarette lighter" plug and hence to an existing socket which I have which conveniently is very close to the back of the Garmin?

 

[bitbaltic]

Presume I could wire the Yeoman power supply wires to a "cigarette lighter" plug and hence to an existing socket which I have which conveniently is very close to the back of the Garmin?

Off the top of my head I can't think of any good reason why that wouldn't work, (as long as the fag lighter socket you use is fused), although the blue wire from the Yeoman (which is bundled up with the negative black wire(s)) is actually the negative part of your NMEA data circuit. It doesn't seem right to trust a data connection to a fag lighter socket but I can't come up with a reason not to at the moment. Maybe someone else can comment, or you can just try it and if it works then that's a win. Personally, and if your Yeoman already has the DIN-type plug on the power wire which allows you to unplug the thing itself anyway, I would wire it in conventionally.

 

[Tim O]

At the moment my yeoman just has a bundle of bare coloured wires which connected which I connected using plastic terminal blocks to the wires coming out of my old GPs on my other boat.....I removed the yeoman to my new boat, so I guess I'm doing the same just hacking into the output cable going to the repeater?!

 

[bitbaltic]

Depends on whether the GPS on your old boat had a two-wire NMEA output or a single wire output, like the GPS128 (properly called a 'common ground'). If you previously had a two-wire NMEA output you will have wired the Yeoman's blue wire to the GPS TX negative and not, as in my earlier post, to the power negative (the 'common ground'). So it may not be exactly the same installation as your previous boat but yes, the crux of fitting it is the 'hacking into' the GPS to repeater cable bit

Plastic terminal blocks will do for checking it works. Buy a good crimping tool and some crimps to make permanent connections. Choc blocks might corrode and wires always come loose at the worst possible moments. However now we are getting into the forum favourite "how should I make electrical connections" debate, so expect thread drift.

FWIW: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/heavy-duty-ratchet-crimping-tool-a39qw and http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-insulated-crimp-terminal-butt-splice-red-jh79l are (IMHO) what you need to do a proper permanent job.

 

[Tim O]

Great, sounds good.

I found this in the manual for my old GPs, though from memory I think it wasn't as straightforward as it sounds from this table. I'm sure with your instructions and the manuals for the Garmin and the Yeoman I'll work it out!

 

[earlybird]

If it's any help, the Yeoman manual, which can be downloaded, has a connection diagram specific to the Garmin 128 and other models.

 

[Tim O]

Cheers!....I managed to find my Yeoman manual after a good search today, so will take a look soon......gotta make the most of this weather first and get some epoxy done and a coat of antifoul on!