raymarine NMEA outputs

[timevans2000]

I have a Raytheon st7000 auto-pilot, a furuno radar, garmin gps, NASA DSC radio and now a Raymarine wind instrument. I bought the Raymarine wind instrument because I thought it would be easier to interface it with the Auto-pilot than if I bought another companies unit.

The wind instrument will interface with the auto pilot, but you cant get any wind information to repeat on the NMEA bus.

I find it amazing that all these diffent units interface together but the really expensive Raymarine wind instrument that I paid through the nose for because I thought it would be better wont provide an output.
I have done some digging around and spoken to a Ray marine dealer. He advises me that the problem is the Raymarine seatalk system. When you see this advertised as a feature of Raymarine you wrongly assume that it is some all singing all dancing enhancement on standard NMEA! wrong! it is a truncated version of NMEA that doesnt have the same functionality of boring old NMEA. So be warned.

Also, I dont know if this is common practise, but to get true wind speed on the Raymarine wind instrument you need to buy their log as it uses the speed through the water to convert the apparent wind to true wind. So I cant have that either as I dont have a Raymarine log. I wrongly assumes you could use the GPS speed function. The steer to wind fuction of the Ray marine insruments is hopelessly crude! You cant even tell you have it. It seems no better than steering to the compass!!

All in all, I wish I had saved my money and bought any cheaper NMEA compatible wind instrument.

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[Moose]

You don't need a Raymarine log to get True Wind, you just need to take the NMEA output from ANY log and input it directly to the Course computer (or if you have one a "multi" gauge, because that has a NMEA in/out as well)
What do you mean by the Wind "won't provide an output"



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L' Moose

 

[timevans2000]

My log does not have NMEA output. Wronglt assumed the gps speed output would work.

The wind instrument only connects to the course computer. The course computer wont give a wind output to NMEA

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[Moose]

Our Course computer gives a wind output (Type 100) but we don't use it. I know, it is odd that you need the Log speed because SOG would give you the True "True" wind, there will be an error using the Log because obviously you could be going against a 5kt tide and have the True wind under reading by 5kt's!
Our wind system is on a MoBo so obviously we are only intrested in the True wind.
Anyway, sounds like your stuck with it until you get an NMEA log/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
What instrument is yours ST40/60/80?

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L' Moose

 

[timevans2000]

instrument is an ST60. I am not really that impressed with the factory settings either. It seems hugely over damped. Wind direction occationally seems 90 degrees different to obvious wind direction but when I check the alignment it always appears to be correct.

When you go through the handbook to adjust the calibration it doesnt tell you which way to adjust the settings to achieve desired results. Needs loads of trial and error!! Not very good for one of the most expensive units on the market.

Generally, I am impressed with the quality of the build, but not the software or the manual

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[Chris_Stannard]

The problem you have regretably is one of system compatibility. According to our local Marine Electronics workshop Furuno radars often will not talk to anything else, and that includes other Furuno devices. The NMEA structure in Garmin, can be different and of course if you have an old Garmin, using NMEA1 it is not compatible with more modern devices using NMEA2, to say nothing of both not working with the new high speed NMEA standard. This is also true of your log.

Next you have to be aware that the chances are that your ST7000 will receive NMEA2, it should have an input for that but you may have to set up the sentences that it will accept, and it will not necessarily accept all of them. It will then make that data available to Seatalk, but the wind instrument will be expecting a log reading not a GPS SOG reading.

It is enough of a minefield getting a complete system to work when it is all from one manufacturer.

Best of luck

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[timevans2000]

The furuno radar talks to the garmin gps without problem. Both are relatively new.

The st7000 recieves NMEA from the Garmin gps, again, without problem.

How do you set the st7000 sentences??

The Furuno radar is set up to display wind info as a repeater. Cant work out why st7000 will not send this info as NMEA. After all, it recieves it from the st60 wind instrument via seatalk. The type 100 course computer is wired for seatalk, nmea in and out?

The Raymarine dealer says the st7000 wont give the wind output to nmea??


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[Moose]

Ah, perhaps you need the Seatalk to NMEA box from Raymarine for the ST7000 so you can input the wind data as NMEA.
We have been through all of this and it took nearly a week including nearly blowing up my course computer <font color=red>(DON'T TOUCH THE YELLOW SEATALK WIRE AND THE SHIELD!!!!, IT WILL COST YOU DEARLY!!!)</font color=red>

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L' Moose

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Sorry to raise your hopes, I just called your course computer up on the web and it does not output wind data, in fact the data it outputs is very limited. You should be able to take NMEA 0183 speed data if that is what the log produces, either by interfacing it into the ST7000 or the course computer which ever is the most convenient.

If you really need the wind on the radar I guess you will have to get the Raymarine Seatalk/NMEA interface, about £250 I think, but make sure that you are going to get the data both ways that you will need, the Raymarine handbooks are on their website www.raymarine.co.uk in the support section.

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[Oldhand]

I questioned Raymarine on their "True" wind speed calculation and was advised that it only took SOG information into account when SOG was greater than 2 knots. I still haven't noticed any step function in displayed True wind speed when SOG passes through 2 knots when battling against the tide through Hurst, so I don't believe them. This would explain why you need "log" speed and can't use SOG from a GPS, I don't belive they do display proper True wind speed.

Even If the 2 knot SOG statement is true, then it appears Raymarine have never designed for accurate GPS without Selective Availability and/or Differential or WAAS.

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