Network question

[KenMcCulloch]

Thinking of upgrading my VHF to one with built in AIS. The particular model I’m considering also has built in GPS, and I wonder if there’s any problem with having two sources of position data. The Raymarine MFD accepts GPS data from an external antenna on the STng network but the radio would be connected by the NMEA port.

 

[adwuk]

Usually no problem. My VHF has a source selection menu for position info, and I can pick from 3 devices on my NMEA network. Same goes for most of the devices in fact.

 

[lpdsn]

Exactly. If you have two GPS data sources on the N2K network, which is what STng effectively is, you can choose which one to use.

Does the radio transmit on the N2K network? Or is it NMEA0183?

Edit: I presume you're concerned about the VHF transmitting position data.

 

[pvb]

The VHF will use its own GPS for DSC messages. The plotter can be set to use whichever GPS data source you choose.