Standard Horizon and NMEA 0183

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Honey Trap

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As a newcomer to the world of marine radios and chartplotters I am in need of advice regarding the connectivity using NMEA 0183 as against NMEA 2000.

Basically I am in the market for a SH300i plotter as well as a GX2100E VHF with integral AIS. I have checked the manuals for both on the Standard Horizon website and see that they can be easily connected using NMEA 0183, the AIS data then being displayed on the chartplotter. I like the convenience of radio/AIS to chartplotter particularly because of the space saved at the chart table. The boat is a Jeanneau SO 32.2 - not much space for electronics.

I know there are other brands such as Garmin that use NMEA 2000 but at a considerably higher price. My question is do I run the risk of having obsolete equipment, lacking product support if I buy SH or should I go for something that uses the more modern NMEA 2000 and just put up with the fact that I will have a seperate AIS, radio and chartplotter plus the additional cables and less money?

Many thanks,

Frank
 
In my opinion SH is great equipment at a sensible price. I have the 300 in the cockpit and GX1500 at the chart table. I use a standalone AIS engine. Fantastic kit and great support from SH UK. Buy with confidence.
 
Nmea 0183 will probably be around for many years to come but realistically you'd probably upgrade all electronics at once anyway. It's not often something new comes along like AIS that changes the requirements so don't worry too much.

The one to avoid is sea talk which is a proprietary system and costly to integrate with the other systems.
 
NMEA 0183 is old technology but there is a really big user base of equipment out there and my guess is that it will be 8 to 10 years before it becomes 'unservicable' at the very least.

New boats may well be fitting Nmea 2000 but with the current climate there are not a lot of existing users rushing out to buy a new electronics suite just because it's the latest thing.

NMea 0183 is simple to interface and work with. You can get things going by simply twisting wires together With 2000 you need matched lines with terminators and connectors.

Progress isn't always what its made out to be.
 
It's also worth noting that NMEA 2000 is based on very outdated networking technology. I would not be surprised to see a new spec arrive which uses more modern (probably Cat5 Ethernet) technology which will replace NMEA 2000 before NMEA0183 dies off.
 
lustyd said:
It's also worth noting that NMEA 2000 is based on very outdated networking technology. I would not be surprised to see a new spec arrive which uses more modern (probably Cat5 Ethernet) technology which will replace NMEA 2000 before NMEA0183 dies off.
Click to expand...

Good point. I'd not be surprised to see wireless technology take over completely, after all what better way to do away with wires, fibres, connectors, special tools, corrosion etc.

Just take a piece of kit aboard, power it up and press a button to pair it to the boats existing environment.
 
Connect like this (wire colours are correct, the .... is white)

Wiring.JPG


GPS/AIS/DSC will be transferred between the Plotter and VHF.

Routes/Waypoints can be uploaded by the PC to the chart plotter.
AIS info can also be displayed on the PC.

Ensure the Plotter ports are configured correctly in the advanced settings menu. AIS is 38400 baud, everything else 4800. You can also set which messages are sent from the plotter on which port.

Simple wiring diagram if you don't need any other gear is here ...

http://www.standardhorizon.com/down...atrix AIS.pdf&FileContentType=application/pdf

Browse this page of the US site, they have far more interesting stuff than U.K.

http://www.standardhorizon.com/?cmd=showMarineManuals&DivisionID=3

Have fun, should be good for many years. There are also plenty of gateways/multiplexers around to add new kit as you require it. :)

I just bought what you suggest, beware of flush mounting the CP300i, the antenna sticks out the back at the top ... if you intend to flush mount then CP300 External would be better. Cheapest place in Europe I could find was http://www.marinechandlery.com/ as of 2 weeks ago, even given exchange rate, postage was also reasonable.
 
Last edited:
Thanks again

Due to poor weather it unlikely we will visit the boat this weekend but come rain or shine I'll go there next Thursday and re-assess the space available, cabling routing etc.

I'll then order on-line from this company in the Netherlands www.georgekniest.nl. (sorry can't copy it as a link) simply because the prices are competitive and in euros. I have checked prices on the sites of a number of UK based chandleries. In some cases they also give the euro price but the exchange rate is well hedged in favour of the dealer and I can't blame them for that given the volatility of the markets.

As an aside, if the quality of the SH products is the same as the quality of their websites and manuals I don't think I'll have anything to complain about.

Best regards

Frank
 
Last edited:
Every silver lining.......

has a cloud:)

I'd forgotten that little detail about payment in the Netherlands - credit is against their religion, debit card or cash only.

So "having better luck in Brussels" probably means a 2 hour drive to Almere. Thankfully I'm semi-retired and have time on my hands so it won't inconvenience me too much. My wife will be on hols next week so we can a make it a day out and then head for the boat and get to work installing our new toys.

Thanks again Baggywrinkle

Frank
 
Honey Trap said:
I'll then order on-line from this company in the Netherlands www.georgekniest.nl. (sorry can't copy it as a link) simply because the prices are competitive and in euros. I have checked prices on the sites of a number of UK based chandleries. In some cases they also give the euro price but the exchange rate is well hedged in favour of the dealer and I can't blame them for that given the volatility of the markets.
Click to expand...

Can't you just ignore the euro price and pay in GBP, and let your bank do the conversion to charge your account in euros? For example, the CP300i is only £519.95 at Gael Force, plus £17.50 for shipping to Belgium, total £537.45. The Kniest price without shipping is €695, so your bank would have to charge an outrageous conversion rate to get the price as high as the Kniest price.
 
I just now checked on XEcom, the currency converter, and at the mid-market rate of 1 euro = 0.79 pence the Gael Force price is 671.25 including postage. I doubt that the bank won't give me that rate but you do however make a very good point.

I'll have a look into your suggestion and see where it takes me.

Thanks pvb

Frank
 
Oh, and if you want to buy a GX2100E as well as the CP300i, you might be able to do an even better deal if you phone them and ask nicely.
 
Baggywrinkle,

I don't think you need worry about me getting a better price unless the euro makes a recovery of Lazarus proportions. And as McFrame said the schematic in your post is excellent.

McFrame,

Although I didn't mention it earlier a cockpit mike is also on my list. There was previously one at the steering console - the socket is still there- so at least I might have a roadmap to follow for wiring the mike lead. Not sure if the old cable is still in place - we'll see next weekend.

Best regards

Frank
 
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