Nmea

[jeffstevens763@g]

need clarification please.
just bought a standard horizonn GX1200E DSC fixed radio wiring up to a lowrance elite 7 combo.both bought this year

radio diagram
GPS +VE INPUT TO NMEA +VE OUT
GPS - VE INPUT TO NMEA - VE OUT

DSC + VE OUTPUT TO NMEA + VE IN
DSC + VE OUTPUT TO NMEA + VE IN

chartplotter marked up as +VE & -VE TX & RX
DOES TX GO TO GPS INPUT +/+ & -/-
RX TO DSC +/+ & -/-
reason for asking lowrance have sent me a diagram with GPS to VHF
-ve green DSC RX-ve
=ve yellow GPS TX +ve.
any help much appriciated

cheers

[9D280]

Jeff,

TX on a given machone is "transmit", "RX" is "receive".

So, Based on what you have written there, your "GPS" + & - o nthe radio need to go tot the TX + & - on the plotter.

Nowm, assuming your Lowrance is like my somewhat older one, the NMEA (O183) uses the common -ve. I have my Icom " NMEA in" -ve plumbed straight to the same place as the radio's -ve power.

Again, assuming I;m reading what you wrote right, You would then need to connect your yellow wire to the NMEA in +ve on the radio.

Hope that helps......

[jeffstevens763@g]

9D280

thanks for the reply having never done one before not sure, the radio book says GPS & DSC + & - coupled to NMEA out GPS & NMEA in to DSC 4 wires.
on the NMEA0183 installation guide it shows TX + & - & RX + & - 4 wires so my thinking was TX to input radio and RX to output radio 4 wires.
not being sure i contacted lowrance they came back with the two wires system couple one to the dsc & one to the GPS RX -VE & TX +VE so it looks like the RX & TX split to accomadate AIS if required sort of the DSC & GPS in series if that makes sence.so GPS position from chartplotter to radio through DSC to transmition.
not my strong point by any means thought it might be a plug and play WRONG!

cheers

[DavidMarten]

Hi Jeff,
Assuming you are using NMEA0183. Plotter TX+ ( should be yellow on Garmin) & TX - ( blue ) go to the NMEA in (may say RX ) + & - on the radio, Don't forget to ground the negative at one end or the other. This is how I wired my elite 7m to a Simrad rs 12 & it functions fine. Hope this helps. Regards Dave Marten.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by DavidMarten

Hi Jeff,
Assuming you are using NMEA0183. Plotter TX+ ( should be yellow on Garmin) & TX - ( blue ) go to the NMEA in (may say RX ) + & - on the radio, Don't forget to ground the negative at one end or the other. This is how I wired my elite 7m to a Simrad rs 12 & it functions fine. Hope this helps. Regards Dave Marten.

I may be wrong but using a ground connection on the - wire is not always the correct answer. Some implementations of NMEA only send dat on the + wire and negative is a true ground, others send data via both + and - wire. To confuse people even more some don't have the minus wire because they use the GND instead...

Provided both instruments are grounded to the same ground (i.e. running off the same 12v battery) you may not actually need the GND or -ve wire at all, but on other implementations you may!

I think 2000 is intended to be "plug n play" but I gather from what I've read its on par with Windows 95 Plug n Play. i.e. it was more plug n fiddle!)

[DavidMarten]

Hi Shiny, You may be right, I'm just talking from my own experience about 0183,which incidentally works fine for me, if it ain't broke ect.
Shame manufacturers can't use a standard color and configuration with the wiring on their equipment!

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by DavidMarten

Hi Shiny, You may be right, I'm just talking from my own experience about 0183,which incidentally works fine for me, if it ain't broke ect.
Shame manufacturers can't use a standard color and configuration with the wiring on their equipment!

They don't even manage within their own kit! So getting cross industry agreement is a LONG way off...

[Chris]

You may need to set the communication speed to the correct setting on the GPS as well. there are normally several options and its a case of testing which one works.

[jeffstevens763@g]

gents

thanks very much for the input.
had a shufftie through old threads last night and saw one by darren moon similer to my prediciment.long story short PMed darren he got straight back sent me a few pics then went to his boat stripped back the loom and gave me the coulour conections he has and works TOP BLOKE, THE result is for any one with standard horizon radio to lowrance elite chartplotter.
radio blue + to yellow + tx plotter
green - to blue - tx

grey + to orange + rx
brown - to green - rx

output baud set to 4800 on the plotter lowrance elite 7
radios standard horizon gx1200e i think his a 1700e

cheers

[9D280]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

I think 2000 is intended to be "plug n play" but I gather from what I've read its on par with Windows 95 Plug n Play. i.e. it was more plug n fiddle!)

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

output baud set to 4800 on the plotter

4800 seems to be a good place to start. Most Serial interface issues I have had got solved by forcing one end of the conversation to 4800.......

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

not being sure i contacted lowrance they came back with the two wires system couple one to the dsc & one to the GPS RX -VE & TX +VE so it looks like the RX & TX split to accomadate AIS if required

aye, you'll need two wires if the radio also squirts out AIS info - one to tell the radio where you are and the other to let the plotter know what other boat positions the radio is picking up on channel 70something.... if you don't have an AIS receiving radio only 1 (2 if you need to connect the NMEA 0813 -ve)

did that make sense?

[ShinyShoe]

if you don't have an AIS receiving radio only 1 (2 if you need to connect the NMEA 0813 -ve)

1 pair and 2 pairs. But its not JUST AIS. If you have a DSC radio it *may* have the ability to send position request replies or DSC alerts to the plotter.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Gents

All sorted wired up & tested all good, thanks for the replys.

Cheers