Raymarine C80 - Wont acknowledge "Stop Goto"

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PurpleKate

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Hoped someone might give me a clue to this problem my plotter has developed. If I put in a WPT eg Goto Cursor. The boat will happily acknowledge this and provide course details. However if I change my mind and try "Stop Goto" it brings up a screen with OK and Cancel option and whatever I press it wont stop the goto. The WPT still appears as a red box with an N in it with the little dotty line from the boat. Its then annoying as it doesnt allow to goto a new WPT unless I reboot the plotter. Also has the issue if I put in a Multi WPT route when the boat arrives at the WPT it then doesnt follow to the next one. Routes only work if I "Advance WPT" before the boat gets there. Plotter is 8 years old. Thanks for any ideas
 
I can tell you what that is as I've suffered from it. :(

The red N stands for a waypoint that is being generated by NMEA by a loop. This means you have a data loop and NMEA data is going around the system and looping back on itself and you are not able to cancel it.

If the system worked fine before you must presumably have added an AIS unit or new DSC or re-wired the system in some way?

Richard
 
Thanks Richard I have a relatively new (18mths old) AIS unit added. I didn't notice the error when first installed, though I think the AIS does rather overwhelm the plotter with data and has caused it to run slower. I had to switch the plotter from 4800 to 38,400 and whilst it works it struggles a bit.
 
PurpleKate said:
Thanks Richard I have a relatively new (18mths old) AIS unit added. I didn't notice the error when first installed, though I think the AIS does rather overwhelm the plotter with data and has caused it to run slower. I had to switch the plotter from 4800 to 38,400 and whilst it works it struggles a bit.
Click to expand...

OK. I'm certain it will be the AIS which is causing the data loop. The change in port speed in itself will not cause the loop.

Is it an AIS receiver or transceiver and which model exactly?

Where did/does your GPS position data for the plotter come from? Is it an RS125 or similar mushroom connected into the Seatalk port of the C80 or something else?

Richard
 
Its definitely caused by the data loop. I have exactly the same symptom, with my plotter wired to my Seatalk1 bus via a E8001 NMEA interface box. Raymarine recognise as much on their forums. Unfortunately just following their advice (which is to disconnect the bus from the plotter) removes heading data from the plotter.
The problem is that the plotter can filter sentences being sent out, but not ones being sent in.
I've solved it by inserting a small Arduino-based box between the output of the NMEA box and the plotter. This interrogates the NMEA stream and passes it on, unless it sees APB, BWC, BWR, RMB or RMC sentences, when it just ignores them. Only costs a few quid and sorts the issue. I power it from the Seatalk bus so wiring is easy.
 
pandroid said:
Its definitely caused by the data loop. I have exactly the same symptom, with my plotter wired to my Seatalk1 bus via a E8001 NMEA interface box. Raymarine recognise as much on their forums. Unfortunately just following their advice (which is to disconnect the bus from the plotter) removes heading data from the plotter.
The problem is that the plotter can filter sentences being sent out, but not ones being sent in.
I've solved it by inserting a small Arduino-based box between the output of the NMEA box and the plotter. This interrogates the NMEA stream and passes it on, unless it sees APB, BWC, BWR, RMB or RMC sentences, when it just ignores them. Only costs a few quid and sorts the issue. I power it from the Seatalk bus so wiring is easy.
Click to expand...

Did you make this Arduino based box yourself? If so could you post the instructions, if not could you say where you bought it.

Andrew
 
Yes, I made it myself. Its based on an Arduino Nano clone for a couple of quid off ebay and a MAX488.
Currently its running on a bit of Veroboard but I'm in the process of doing a bespoke PCB for it. As I have a minimum order for the PCB there may be some spares. PM me if you want more info.
I'm using it at the standard speed of 4800 baud, and it works fine. I've not tested it at 38400 - there may be some timing issues at that speed.
 
Thanks guys this sounds interesting but I have to say maybe a bit beyond my own PBO skills. Your skills never cease to amaze me.
AIS is a transceiver , Brand is EasyTrx which runs with an internal GPS and Splitter
Plotter gets its GPS from an external mushroom
Its interesting you mention heading. I also have issues that the plotter gets the wrong heading data from time to time, It happens when for example I tack. the Fluxgate and Autopilot show the right heading but the plotter is left behind showing the old heading. COG is always correct. Someone suggested I change the GPS battery in the mushroom and I thought that had fixed it, its certainly better, but still odes from time to time. Dont ask me where the plotter gets its heading data from coz I dont actually know. I would like to tell it to just take it from the fluxgate but have been though every menu option and cant find out how to do that.
 
You don't say what plotter you have, but if its a C80 Classic, it has a Seatalk connector so your shouldn't get NMEA data loops. One way you might be getting this is through the AIS if the AIS has NMEA data going *into* it. You should be able to disconnect this without any problem and the issue may go away (You only need data coming out of the AIS, but it will 'reflect' any data going into it onto the bus. You don't need this).
The plotter should be getting its heading from the Autopilot via the Seatalk connection, but if this is missing , some plotters can work out a heading from the GPS COG. Given that this is an average and when you tack it changes, this may be your situation.
 
Don't worry about the heading problems ..... it's also caused by the same data loop.

I'm pretty certain that the GPS mushroom will be sending its position data to the C70 through Seatalk. The heading data will also be via Seatalk.

You should find that if you don't turn on your AIS transceiver then everything is back to normal again. Do you have the software to access the settings of the transceiver? If so you might be able to choose the data which is being sent over NMEA to the plotter. The first thing to try is to select only AIS data i.e. select the options to stop GPS position data and any other data except AIS being sent to the plotter.

This might well be all you need to do but if it doesn't solve the problem do you know whether the NMEA port on the C80 port has all 4 NMEA wires connected into the AIS? If so you might need to disconnect the NMEA output wires from the C80 to ensure that any data is not being looped back into the AIS. With the normal Raymarine cable the output wires are Brown and Yellow so if you can find a terminal block near the C80 these will be the two wires to be temporarily disconnected.

Do you have a DSC VHF ... the sort with the red distress button on the front? If so, then try testing the system with the radio switched off. It's unlikely to be the VHF since you presumably had this before the AIS but depending upon how the VHF is connected into the system it might have been re-wired to cope with the change in data speed needed by the AIS unit so might be causing an issue.

I'm assuming that you haven't had to install a multiplexer to deal with the VHF as that might also be causing an issue.

It's all rather hit and miss I'm afraid but I'm sure that as you try different things you will hit upon the source of the loop.

Richard
 
As the Easy ais has its own GPS and transmits its output on nmea along with the ais signals, can't you break the loop by removing the Seatalk GPS? The plotter will retransmit the GPS info on Seatalk for the other instruments.
 
Plevier said:
As the Easy ais has its own GPS and transmits its output on nmea along with the ais signals, can't you break the loop by removing the Seatalk GPS? The plotter will retransmit the GPS info on Seatalk for the other instruments.
Click to expand...
AIS units don't normally transmit their own GPS onto the bus for that reason. You normally have to enable it to do so. But in this case it's not the GPS data that's causing the OPs loop. It's bearing/waypoint data generated by the plotter which it's getting back a few seconds after it has cancelled it.
 
Thanks a lot for the ideas. I do have the software to get into the AIS unit and change settings. Ive recently enabled its Wifi function which effectively turns my tablet into a second plotter. Would that be disabled if I turned off its NMEA transmit function? All in all its reassuring to know the fault is not the plotter on its last legs and about to die , and rebooting is not the end of the world. I will have a go to fix later in the season, big race next weekend and I dont want to risk messing up the plotter .
 
See Page 81 of the AIS manual. You need to disconnect the cables associated with NMEA in. (2,3,10,11). Just take these out and try it.
The WiFi shouldn't be affected by the NMEA stuff.
 
pandroid said:
You should be able to disconnect this without any problem and the issue may go away (You only need data coming out of the AIS, but it will 'reflect' any data going into it onto the bus. You don't need this).
Click to expand...

I thought an AIS was supposed to get heading data in order to transmit that to other ships.
 
Angele said:
I thought an AIS was supposed to get heading data in order to transmit that to other ships.
Click to expand...

An AIS transceiver needs position data which it gets from its dedicated GPS unit which is then transmitted to receiving boats. The transceiver doesn't need to receive anything from the host boat system unless it's a wifi-enabled transceiver when it can then be set-up to broadcast the boat system data to other devices. However, this is where the data loop problems can start to arise. :(

The OP's system was probably fine until she connected-up and enabled the wifi function.

Richard
 
RichardS said:
An AIS transceiver needs position data which it gets from its dedicated GPS unit which is then transmitted to receiving boats. The transceiver doesn't need to receive anything from the host boat system unless it's a wifi-enabled transceiver when it can then be set-up to broadcast the boat system data to other devices. However, this is where the data loop problems can start to arise. :(

The OP's system was probably fine until she connected-up and enabled the wifi function.

Richard
Click to expand...

Agreed, but the Vesper unit you and I have (and with which I am becoming increasingly knowledgeable thanks to your help and others) also has an input for heading, as distinct from position.

I think prv had answered - it probably ought to, but it isn't essential.
 
prv said:
I believe a Class B transmitter is allowed not to, if it doesn't have the data available to it. It can of course transmit COG from its GPS.

Pete
Click to expand...

From Wiki, describing Class B: "Although the data output format supports heading information, in general units are not interfaced to a compass, so this data is seldom transmitted"

Also, I'll bet the OPs issues are nothing to do with the WiFi. But at least thats simple to prove.
 
Angele said:
Agreed, but the Vesper unit you and I have (and with which I am becoming increasingly knowledgeable thanks to your help and others) also has an input for heading, as distinct from position.

I think prv had answered - it probably ought to, but it isn't essential.
Click to expand...

I'd always assumed that the diagram of the NMEA input ports showing Heading Data being input was just an example of the data that the XB8000 can broadcast over wifi ..... but perhaps not? Not having Heading data doesn't seem to make any difference as to how the XB8000 actually works in the host boat but presumably it makes a difference to what receiving ships can see on their screen?

Richard
 
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