Discussion:
Software Updt 3.16 Raymarine C80 with AIS
(too old to reply)
Pascal
2006-04-12 03:05:25 UTC
Permalink
Available for download at:

http://raymarine.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/raymarine.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1037

Please owners: after update report your opinions/impresions on this AIS
support for this group.

Thanks

Pascal
Pascal
2006-04-12 03:45:03 UTC
Permalink
I forget the most important part: I need to know asap and for shure,
if the SR161 is compatible with the Raymarine C series.

I read in the pre-release they talk about "compatible AIS reciever" but
do not specifies explicit what brands and models are the compatibles.

Thanks

Pascal
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-12 05:49:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pascal
I forget the most important part: I need to know asap and for shure,
if the SR161 is compatible with the Raymarine C series.
I read in the pre-release they talk about "compatible AIS reciever" but
do not specifies explicit what brands and models are the compatibles.
It might be that they mean NMEA compatible. The SR-16x are compatible, but
NASA is not. The NASA receivers produce NMEA sentences that are up to 96
characters long while the NMEA spec only allows 82 characters (lazy
programmers).

Meindert
Pascal
2006-04-12 13:07:18 UTC
Permalink
Thank You again Meindert,

Finally, I will buy my AIS receiver. I liked the SR161 becuse the leds
and the price, and more now, as it is more NMEA compatible than Nasa.
I do not remember well, but I think I had read in one of these foruns,
that the AIS receiver now sold by Nobeltec is the SR16X, wich seems
compatible with many other softwares.

I have made an inquiry with Raymarine support, about the AIS receivers
compatibility with the C series chartplotters, and if I get any
response, I will update this here.

Regards

Pascal
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-12 14:14:12 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pascal
Thank You again Meindert,
Finally, I will buy my AIS receiver. I liked the SR161 becuse the leds
and the price, and more now, as it is more NMEA compatible than Nasa.
I do not remember well, but I think I had read in one of these foruns,
that the AIS receiver now sold by Nobeltec is the SR16X, wich seems
compatible with many other softwares.
I have made an inquiry with Raymarine support, about the AIS receivers
compatibility with the C series chartplotters, and if I get any
response, I will update this here.
Talking about Raymarine, this C and E series software update will allow you
to set the speed of the NMEA port to 38400, but it will still process all
NMEA data coming in. The problem however, if you used this port for a
heading sensor or other NMEA device, you have a problem. And the
multiplexers I produced for Raymarine (E55059) cannot input a 38400 signal.

To overcome this problem, I am writing new firmware for the MiniPlex-41 to
use it together with the C and E displays in order to input standard NMEA at
4800 and AIS at 38400.

Meindert
Pascal
2006-04-12 18:13:42 UTC
Permalink
Thanks Meindert,

This is a very important information, because I had just received one
e-mail from Miltech saying that I pheraps would need the Raymarine
Multiplexor, and you are saying now that this mux does not support
38,400? I do know that this Mux was made by you.

In reality, luckly, we (my friend) does not will need any mux, I hope,
since it do not have any device in the NMEA IN of this C80. The compass
gyro needed by Radar/Marpa is input from the autopilot S1G using the
seatalk bus, I think, and the DSC radio from raymarine, has only NMEA
IN, so NMEA IN port on the C80 is free (yet).

Regards

Pascal
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-12 21:33:56 UTC
Permalink
This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.
Pascal
2006-04-13 12:54:32 UTC
Permalink
Meindert,

In summary, my situation is:
1) I have one Raymarine Chart Plotter/Radar/Gps C80, wich receives
Gyro data input from a raymarine S1G autopilot using the NMEA IN serial
port;
2) I want to install a new AIS receiver SR161 wich sends output at
38400 pbs using NMEA 183 to the C80;
3) I need a NMEA Multiplexor that can receive NMEA from these two
devices (Gyro and AIS) and pehraps more one (Radio DSC) with speeds
from 4800, 9600, 38400;
4) The NMEA multiplexor should have one serial port to the ChartPloter,
another serial port to a PC (as I want to use eventualy some other Ais
Ready chart plotter software on the laptop) and another USB port
(optional) to laptops that do not have serial port.
5) As I do not want to depend from the USB on a laptop to power the
Multiplexor, it needs to have a normal 12 V power.

Considerations:

a) As I understand, the MiniPlex-Lite supports input at 38400, but
depends on the PC/USB to power the unit;
b) The MiniPlex-41 do not support NMEA input at 38400 and do not have
USB
c) The MiniPlex-41USB do not support NMEA input at 38400

Question:

What Multiplexor I need to buy in order to have this configuration
Working?

Thanks

Pascal
John Proctor
2006-04-13 22:22:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pascal
Meindert,
1) I have one Raymarine Chart Plotter/Radar/Gps C80, wich receives
Gyro data input from a raymarine S1G autopilot using the NMEA IN serial
port;
2) I want to install a new AIS receiver SR161 wich sends output at
38400 pbs using NMEA 183 to the C80;
3) I need a NMEA Multiplexor that can receive NMEA from these two
devices (Gyro and AIS) and pehraps more one (Radio DSC) with speeds
from 4800, 9600, 38400;
4) The NMEA multiplexor should have one serial port to the ChartPloter,
another serial port to a PC (as I want to use eventualy some other Ais
Ready chart plotter software on the laptop) and another USB port
(optional) to laptops that do not have serial port.
5) As I do not want to depend from the USB on a laptop to power the
Multiplexor, it needs to have a normal 12 V power.
a) As I understand, the MiniPlex-Lite supports input at 38400, but
depends on the PC/USB to power the unit;
b) The MiniPlex-41 do not support NMEA input at 38400 and do not have
USB
c) The MiniPlex-41USB do not support NMEA input at 38400
What Multiplexor I need to buy in order to have this configuration
Working?
Thanks
Pascal
Oascal,

Maybe I missed it, if so please forgive me if I did.

But if you have the S1G as an autopilot it has 2 seatalk ports as well
as the NMEA i/o port. The C80 can get the gyro data via seatalk and you
can free up the NMEA port on the C80 for the AIS receiver. Also I
believe the NMEA i/o on the S1G is bridged to the seatalk so anything
in is repeated out the seatalk ports and visa versa. Hence you might be
able to connect the AIS receiver to the S1G NMEA if it is more
convenient.

Just a thought.
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
TomS
2006-04-13 23:16:56 UTC
Permalink
As I earlier wrote, Raymarine C and E series prefer heading data via NMEA
from the S1G's NMEA out 1
port as the NMEA data is updated 10 times a second, but if I remember
correctly the heading on the SeaTalk
bus is updated 2 times a second. This will of course affect the performance
on the overlay if you have a fast
boat and also the MARPA. If the overlay and MARPA is not a big concern
SeaTalk heading is fine.

Regards,
TomS
Post by John Proctor
Oascal,
Maybe I missed it, if so please forgive me if I did.
But if you have the S1G as an autopilot it has 2 seatalk ports as well as
the NMEA i/o port. The C80 can get the gyro data via seatalk and you can
free up the NMEA port on the C80 for the AIS receiver. Also I believe the
NMEA i/o on the S1G is bridged to the seatalk so anything in is repeated
out the seatalk ports and visa versa. Hence you might be able to connect
the AIS receiver to the S1G NMEA if it is more convenient.
Just a thought.
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
Pascal
2006-04-14 00:24:22 UTC
Permalink
Yes TomS,

You said:
"This will of course affect the performance on the overlay if you have
a fast boat and also the MARPA. If the overlay and MARPA is not a big
concern SeaTalk heading is fine."

I agree 100% with you, and if I was the owner of my friend's boat, I
would do this for shure, with no pheraps. His boat is a 36 ft
sailboat, cruizer/racer loaded with tons of gadgets, including
air-conditioning, freezer, DVD, plasma TV, generator, solar pannels
etc, so the cruizing speed is not a worry, the S1G drive very well the
boat 99% of time AND in track mode, with the Garmin 276C commanding
the troup.

As I said before, we never used MARPA, and in the rare ocasions when we
used the radar at all (here we do not have fog), was in coastal
navigation, at nigth and with some rain, and we had setup only the
standard radar alarm, and for little time, since the radar alarm from
clouds very often wich is very anoyng thing.

We never used the Radar in split-screen nor in overlay mode with the
chart/plotter, because the screen of C80 is not so big to this pay for,
and we do not care anithing about the navigation function of the C80
chart/plotter due our preferential use of the Garmin 276C, as I
explained in the preceding entry to John Proctor.

So, indeed, we can disconect the NMEA link from the S1G' Gyro to the
C80 with no worry, and install the SR161 AIS receiver in this port,
without need for multiplexes, and this is what I will sugest to my
friend.

Thank You All

Pascal

P.S. Today, Raymarine released the new versions of the Manuals of the
C-Series Displays and I have looked to the AIS setup and operations on
the new firmware of the C80 and I found that it is very simple to use,
no complications, very usefull. Download them at:


http://www.raymarine.com/raymarine/Default.asp?site=1&SECtion=3&page=1046
Pascal
2006-04-13 23:45:41 UTC
Permalink
Hi John,

We have a Garmin 276C in the NMEA port of the S1G' Course Computer, and
we do receive the wpts sent by 276C NMEA GPWPL/RTE in the C80
Chart/plotter, even if we do not care about this, because with the
276C it is much more easy to interface with computer software and make
donload/upload of routes/wpt.

The 276C drives the Autopilot in track mode very well. We do not use
the C80 for navigating, just as a simple plotter and seldon use it as a
radar. This confirms too, that what you have said is true, that is,
the transfer of information from NMEA to SeaTalk via Autopilot work.
But just because the way we setup the thing now, we can not install the
AIS in this NMEA port on SG1, wcih is already occupied by the garmin
276C gps. Pheraps, when Raymarine or Navionics release finally his
Planning PC software for the Navionics Gold charts, my friend would
assign the C80-Gps/ChartPlotter to do this duties.

Thanks anyway

Pascal
Pascal
2006-04-13 14:09:06 UTC
Permalink
I hadve received this update for my question from raymarine:

" You are correct in your understanding that Raymarine's NMEA0183
Multiplexer will not multiplex both 38400 and 4800 BAUD rates.

While Raymarine has not done any specific testing with a combined
AIS/heading input at 38400 BAUD, the C-Series display should
theoretically work as long as the MiniPlex-Lite can multiplex the 4800
BAUD data with the 38400 BAUD data."
Pascal
2006-04-13 23:48:17 UTC
Permalink
Received another answer from raymarine:

"Raymarine has no plans at this time to modify its current multiplexer
to support both 38400 and 4800 BAUD rate data."
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-14 06:09:44 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pascal
"Raymarine has no plans at this time to modify its current multiplexer
to support both 38400 and 4800 BAUD rate data."
They've asked me to investigate a modification....

Meindert
Larry
2006-04-14 02:42:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Meindert Sprang
Meindert
If I were a databox interface manufacturer, I'd want to make a box that
these AIS receivers plugged into that converted the AIS statements to NMEA
0183 statements ANY chartplotter display could read, not just the top-of-
the-line ones the chartplotter manufacturers, like Raymarine, are
integrating with it.

Our $US3600 Raymarine RL70CRC Plus has ZERO AIS support from Raymarine, as
you can see looking at ITS firmware update to 4.11. The company wants us
to just dump this overpriced piece of marine craftsmanship for a new $4600
E display to get AIS support....and that ain't gonna happen.

The guy who puts AIS data on that chartplotter, and the other unsupported
plotters from all the manufacturers with amnesia for older units, will sell
many of them, I'm sure....(c;
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-14 06:08:51 UTC
Permalink
Post by Larry
If I were a databox interface manufacturer, I'd want to make a box that
these AIS receivers plugged into that converted the AIS statements to NMEA
0183 statements ANY chartplotter display could read, not just the top-of-
the-line ones the chartplotter manufacturers, like Raymarine, are
integrating with it.
AIS sentences ARE NMEA-0183 sentences. It's just that there is so much info
in an AIS data packet, that it cannot be transferred in the normal way NMEA
sentences are built up, instead the binary AIS data is converted in 6 bit
units, represented by normal characters.

The closest "standard" NMEA sentences are the ones meant to transfer MARPA
targets. So theoretically it sould be possible to convert an AIS target into
a MARPA target, so any odd nav program/plotter can use it.

Meindert
Larry
2006-04-14 18:58:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by Meindert Sprang
The closest "standard" NMEA sentences are the ones meant to transfer
MARPA targets. So theoretically it sould be possible to convert an AIS
target into a MARPA target, so any odd nav program/plotter can use it.
Meindert
Well? What are you doing screwing around on usenet? Engineering it isn't
going to happen talking to us....(c;

A little flip switch to decode AIS into MARPA on the NMEA multiplexer would
be nice....
John Proctor
2006-04-14 10:08:46 UTC
Permalink
Post by Larry
Post by Meindert Sprang
Meindert
If I were a databox interface manufacturer, I'd want to make a box that
these AIS receivers plugged into that converted the AIS statements to
NMEA 0183 statements ANY chartplotter display could read, not just the
top-of-
the-line ones the chartplotter manufacturers, like Raymarine, are
integrating with it.
Our $US3600 Raymarine RL70CRC Plus has ZERO AIS support from Raymarine,
as you can see looking at ITS firmware update to 4.11. The company
wants us to just dump this overpriced piece of marine craftsmanship for
a new $4600 E display to get AIS support....and that ain't gonna happen.
The guy who puts AIS data on that chartplotter, and the other
unsupported plotters from all the manufacturers with amnesia for older
units, will sell many of them, I'm sure....(c;
Larry,

The difference between the RLC series and the newer C & E series is day
and night. Just look at the gyrations you need to do to update the
older stuff.

The C & E series are true computer based systems with ease of upgrade
and a plethora of interface options. As well the C & E series can be
viewed in daylight conditions where the older RLC displays are just
plain unuseable!

Once our customers see the C & E series as well as the newer Furuno
displays there is no contecst!

Technology marches on! Get over it!
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-14 10:28:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by John Proctor
The difference between the RLC series and the newer C & E series is day
and night. Just look at the gyrations you need to do to update the
older stuff.
The C & E series are true computer based systems with ease of upgrade
and a plethora of interface options.
Indeed. They even run Windows XP Embedded. I remember that on the previous
London Boatshow, someone managed to get the infamous BSOD on one of the C or
E units on display. The Ray guys were quite embarassed... :-)

Meindert
Pascal
2006-04-14 19:04:10 UTC
Permalink
Thank you all for the excellent help with my questions. To conclude, I
am posting here a summary of what I have understood about all this.

Sorry that I am trying the first time the use of the translation
function of Altavista Web Site in order to convert the text from
Portuguese to English, and could have many crazy things in this text.

Regarding the comparison of Nasa x Smart Radio receivers:

1. NASA does not possess LEDS of form to indicate the functioning of
the device, thing that MR have standard..
2. Although the two receivers to be of the type of 1 channel, of NASA
function fixed with a canal 87 or 88, defined frequencies of VHF in the
installation, or then, alternating (flip-flop) between one and another
one, but for this need an update of firmware.
3. Already the SR161 has an algorithm that keeps one scan continues
in the two frequencies, and selects dynamically , the frequency with
better reception of signal.
4. Due to limitation of only 1 serial door in the majority of the
computers, and as the necessity exists to have the data of position and
time of one gps for the functioning, both the AIS receivers possess a
multiplex easiness, combining the data of the GPS received from the
4,800 NMEA IN bauds with data AIS of NMEA OUT the 38.400.
5. NASA filters the entrance of gps and sends only the message
#$$GPRMC>, what it can cause would be limitation in the software that
it executes in the PC, therefore omits other messages that can be basic
for the perfect performance of the applicatory one.
6. Already the SR161, makes to the multiplexing, without excluding no
message coming of gps, and the user can select to want itself, the
messages that he does not desire that they are sent, in proper gps.
7. One another important question is that, in the official
specification of the AIS for the IMO/MTU, the length of the messages it
is limited to a maximum size of 82 characters, being that bigger
messages must be broken in 2 parts. That is respected for the SR161, to
put the receiver of NASA it produces messages with ties 96 characters,
what it can create incompatibility with some softwares and
ChartPlotters.

Regarding the installation of the software update of C80:


1. An interesting information that I got now has little, and that
plotters series C/E of the Raymarine, are in the reality, PC's twirling
Windows XP internally, incredible hein?
2. To install new version 3.16 of software for series C (C80) that it
includes you vary improvements including the support for AIS and
NavTex, we need:
a.Reader of cartridge CF-Card type for door USB of PC
b. Empty a CF-Card Cartridge of 32 MB or in the compatible maximum 64
MB with the C80 Plotter.
3. This cartridge and its reader, will be able later serving to
transfer waypoints and routes from/to PC/Laptop, and therefore its
justifiable cost and; besides this, Raymarine recommends the reader of
SanDisk mark, which cost around USS 20 for the research in the site of
them, therefore very cheap. I did not verify the price of the
cartridge.
4. I also discovered that this already announced, in the site of the
Navionics, the NavPlanner software that will allow to the Planning of
Routes and Waypoints in the PC, using the cartridge of letters
Navionics Gold, and that it will be sell together with a
multi-functional reader of cartridges, compatible with some devices,
also the C80 Plotter; this set (software + the hardware). This will
cost about USS 130. Therefore would be valid to wait.
5. To put, more good still, after a consultation on the NavPlanner, I
was informed by the technician of support of the Raymarine, that the
same one must now announce in May a program of planning for the letters
Navionics, based in the Raytech software, that allows the same
functions of the NavPlanner, and that he will be "freeware", that is,
free, being able to be download from the web site; and the proper CF
Card/Reader-Writer will be selled directly by Raymarine web site too.
Plus a reason to wait.

Regarding the installation of the SR161 on C80

Finally, the question of terms the Gyro of the on S1G to the C80 saw
NMEA, after you vary questions and answers in the site of support of
the Raymarine, and exchange of opinion with some understood in fórum
"recboats.eletronics of the Google, we arrive at the following
constatações: .

a. The linking of the Gyro of pilot S1G in the radar of the C80 and
recommended by Raymarine had the one that the indication of heading
(proa) of Gyro and more necessary of the one than the indication given
for GPS (Track).

b. This occurs mainly when the boat very sails slowly due the great
bar waves for example and the nose leaves very or when the boat and a
motor boat high speed making closed curves.

c. The information of the Gyro is important only when the overlapping
radar to the nautical letter is used (overlay) or when the MARPA is
used (collision avoidance function of the radar).

d. This connection can be made in two ways:
i. Binding the Gyro through the Seatalk, linking that already exists
normally, therefore is necessary for the eventual use of the C80 to
command the pilot, or
II Binding the Gyro through NMEA to the C80

e. In the linking it saw SeaTalk, the C80 receives the information
from heading of the brought up to date Gyro 2 times for second while in
the linking saw NMEA, the information and brought up to date 10 times
for second, reason for which the Raymarine recommends the use of the
connection saw NMEA, only with the objective to improve the performance
of the Overlay and the MARPA.


CONCLUSION:

After giving one looked at in new manuals brought up to date for the
new level of software 3,16 of serie C-80, in the relative part to the
AIS, I arrived the conclusion of that:

1. The support to the AIS in the C80 and good, very easy for using,
sufficiently simple and very useful and therefore, valley the penalty
to install the AIS in the C80, exactly that this causes some small loss
of performance in the MARPA and the ChartOverlay of the Radar.

2. My suggestion therefore is, to leave the Gyro-C80 connection only
using the SeaTalk, and to liberate door NMEA IN of the C80 for AIS
SR161, and with this none of multiplexors will not have necessity.
Larry
2006-04-14 18:59:57 UTC
Permalink
Post by John Proctor
Technology marches on! Get over it!
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
Are the 2KW radomes SEALED, or do they still rain inside and eat the
potmetal?
Bill Kearney
2006-04-14 22:26:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Larry
Are the 2KW radomes SEALED, or do they still rain inside and eat the
potmetal?
Gee, anyone suprised to see Larry trying to yank it off-topic so he can rant
about Raymarine... again?
Ted
2006-04-15 13:21:24 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bill Kearney
Post by Larry
Are the 2KW radomes SEALED, or do they still rain inside and eat the
potmetal?
Gee, anyone suprised to see Larry trying to yank it off-topic so he can rant
about Raymarine... again?
Gee, you would certainly know all about yanking a thread off topic so you
can rant about paper maps.
John Proctor
2006-04-15 06:30:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by John Proctor
Technology marches on! Get over it!
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
Are the 2KW radomes SEALED, or do they still rain inside and eat the potmetal?
Larry,

Old topic! The insides of the Raymarine and Furuno scanners are very
similar. In fact one of the 2KW Furuno's I installed recently had a
perforated cover over their electronics. How anout that!
--
Regards,
John D Proctor
Bill Kearney
2006-04-17 02:21:37 UTC
Permalink
http://raymarine.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/raymarine.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1037

And be sure to have a SanDisk brand CF card at hand. The update's only
about 8 megabytes so you don't need a huge card. But I tried using several
brands, of various sizes, and the only one that worked was a SanDisk 64mb.
No idea why it's finicky about the other cards, they worked just fine in the
PCs.
Pascal
2006-04-17 11:40:32 UTC
Permalink
Thank You,

I have seen in the Raymarine Support's Web Site that cards greater than
64 Mb need to be re-formated.
Bill Kearney
2006-04-17 16:30:11 UTC
Permalink
Post by Pascal
I have seen in the Raymarine Support's Web Site that cards greater than
64 Mb need to be re-formated.
Yeah well, it didn't help. Nothing other than my 64mb SanDisk card would
work. Not a 32mb Canon that came with the camera nor a Lexar 128mb. Both
were reformatted as per instructions, had the update files copied onto them
exactly as the 64mb and they still did not work. That is, when one card
didn't work, I setup the SanDisk, confirmed that it worked (didn't do the
update yet) and setup the other cards in exactly the same manner. No luck.
But fortunately I actually had a SanDisk card and the update went as
expected.

It got late so I didn't have a chance to dig into what might have changed.
It seemed to have carried over my previous route, track and waypoint data.
But it did look like it'd changed what boxes were shown on the databar.
That and there's a new AIS icon (inactive since I've not setup AIS in it
yet).

Strangely, but it may be unrelated, Coastal Explorer didn't want to see the
NMEA data through a Keyspan serial/usb interface. But I didn't have that
working on this laptop yet. Didn't have a chance to try it on the other
laptop that was known to be working with that cabling setup. The keyspan
control panel has a monitor window and it was showing NMEA data. I'll try
to work on it some later this week. So it could've been the new E-80
software or the laptop's drivers.
Pascal
2006-04-20 14:29:40 UTC
Permalink
Thank You for the explanations. What AIS receiver do you have? SR161 or
Nasa? Do yoy have bough your Keyspan adapter at Milltech?

A friend myne is going to USA next month and will buy from Milltech a
SR161 for us, along with several acesories like the Keyspan USB
adapter; we do not have a CF card nor a CF card reader. He has a
Raymarine C80 chart plotter. We are waiting for the Navionics's
NavPlanner or the new Planner software from Rraymarine, both of wich
are selled with the corresponding card readers. Another option could
be, to have a dealer here to write the 3.16 update in a Sandisk
compatible CF card and send to us my mail.
n***@zeelandnet.nl
2006-04-23 09:49:09 UTC
Permalink
For those who are interested I put this message:
Our HR 37 build 2005 is equipped with Raymarine instruments. ST 60 for
Wind, Depth and Speed, a Raynav 300 S DGPS, a ST 7001 G2 autopilot.
At the navigation table we use a laptop with SeaClear (www.sping.com)
or WinGpsPro (www.stentec.com) for navigation.
Under the spayhood a Raymarine C80 with the Navionics Gold charts is
installed.
(After downloading an upgrade to version 3.16 from www.raymarine.com
the C series can recently handle AIS and NAVTEX).

After buying a SR 162 AIS Engine with an antennasplitter from Smart
Radio (www.trueheading.se) the big question was how to get the AIS Data
with 38400 bds into the navprograms and also into the Raymarine C80
plotter. The Seatalk/NMEA interface from Raymarine can't deal with
38400 bds.

And the solution came from Brookhouses Multiplexer with USB and the
SeaTalk option.
In Setup the Baudrate at the 5th port was set at 38400.
I connected ST Red Black and Yellow at the ST port of the mux.
After cutting the standard RS 232 AIS SR 162 cable the AIS DATA OUT
(from the 10 coloured wires the green one) at pin 2 is connected with
RxD at the mux and the (violet) wire from pin 5 the GND into GND of the
mux.
After that the NMEA cable from the C 80 was connected with the mux.
DATA IN(pos) from the C80 (the white wire) was put into point A from
the RS 422 part of the mux and the DATA IN (neg) the green wire was put
into B.

With the USB from the Mux a virtual comport was created and set at
38400 Bauds. The C 80 was also set at 38400 baud and the
comportselection in the properties of the navprogram too.

After starting the ST instruments and the AIS all the data (ST and
NMEA) are going through the Brookhouse mux and are visible in SeaClear,
WinGPSPro, and Raymarines C 80. And I'm for sure that all other
navprograms working with NMEA will do the same.
Larry
2006-04-24 00:44:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by n***@zeelandnet.nl
www.trueheading.se
http://www.trueheading.se/images/Accessories/VHF%20Splitter.pdf

I can't wait to see how this cheap relay-in-a-box is going to block the
25 watt VHF transmitter on the SAME FREQUENCY BAND as the AIS receivers
front end from just eating it alive.

Hope the Swedes have good lawyers.....

If it were a full coax relay with true isolation, fine. Wanna bet it's a
regular relay with blades close together coupling the RF from the
transmitter over to the AIS receiver?

Best of luck. AIS needs a SEPARATE antenna far away from the VHF
transmit antenna, friends.....far away as possible. Vertical separation
would be best....

By the way, if the transmitter and receiver are on the same band, but
never on the same frequency, the device we used to keep the big
transmitter from destroying or desensitizing the receiver is called a
"duplexer".

Here's what a VHF duplexer looks like:

http://www.tessco.com/products/displayProducts.do?groupId=440&subgroupId=
31
(Look through the pages of expensive duplexers.)

With these multi-stage filters, you can get within about 500 Khz of the
transmitter with the receiver and have decent isolation of the receiver
from the transmitter's signal.

Notice how much money we spend on duplexers in radio systems? Wonder why
for yourselves....
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-24 05:51:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Larry
Post by n***@zeelandnet.nl
www.trueheading.se
http://www.trueheading.se/images/Accessories/VHF%20Splitter.pdf
I can't wait to see how this cheap relay-in-a-box is going to block the
25 watt VHF transmitter on the SAME FREQUENCY BAND as the AIS receivers
front end from just eating it alive.
Hope the Swedes have good lawyers.....
If it were a full coax relay with true isolation, fine. Wanna bet it's a
regular relay with blades close together coupling the RF from the
transmitter over to the AIS receiver?
Well, two schottky diodes anti-parallel across the receiver input after the
relay, would do that job just fine. What is your point here? About any
tranceiver in the world does this the same way, either by a real relay or
with switching diodes. And most VHF ham sets I've seens the guts of, didn't
even have a a coax relay.

You only need duplexers when you want/need to transmit and receive at the
same time.

Meindert
Bruce in Alaska
2006-04-24 17:51:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Meindert Sprang
Post by Larry
Post by n***@zeelandnet.nl
www.trueheading.se
http://www.trueheading.se/images/Accessories/VHF%20Splitter.pdf
I can't wait to see how this cheap relay-in-a-box is going to block the
25 watt VHF transmitter on the SAME FREQUENCY BAND as the AIS receivers
front end from just eating it alive.
Hope the Swedes have good lawyers.....
If it were a full coax relay with true isolation, fine. Wanna bet it's a
regular relay with blades close together coupling the RF from the
transmitter over to the AIS receiver?
Well, two schottky diodes anti-parallel across the receiver input after the
relay, would do that job just fine. What is your point here? About any
tranceiver in the world does this the same way, either by a real relay or
with switching diodes. And most VHF ham sets I've seens the guts of, didn't
even have a a coax relay.
You only need duplexers when you want/need to transmit and receive at the
same time.
Meindert
Meindert, what you state above is true, with one caviate. If one
encorporates a 1/4 Lambda line section with the Diodes across the
end connected to the receiver and the relay contacts are on the
other end, then Isolation will be significantly better.

Look at the T/R Switching used in the Motorola MODAR series
Marine Radios....

Bruce in alaska
--
add a <2> before @
Meindert Sprang
2006-04-24 19:06:00 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bruce in Alaska
Meindert, what you state above is true, with one caviate. If one
encorporates a 1/4 Lambda line section with the Diodes across the
end connected to the receiver and the relay contacts are on the
other end, then Isolation will be significantly better.
Look at the T/R Switching used in the Motorola MODAR series
Marine Radios....
Indeed, the same principle is used in many linears to bypass the amp for
receiving.

Meindert
b393capt
2006-05-01 00:49:09 UTC
Permalink
Raymarine web-site recommends SanDisk and has a note that the CF card
needs to be formatted as FAT16 (or just "FAT" on options list) not
FAT32. As it happens the SanDisk 64MB and smaller comes formatted as
FAT16, and larger is formated as FAT32, therefore the larger cards
won't work in a C-Series (E-series has no requirement for FAT16)

Note, if you have the larger cards, you can reformat your CF card as
FAT16
Bill Kearney
2006-05-01 10:51:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by b393capt
Raymarine web-site recommends SanDisk and has a note that the CF card
needs to be formatted as FAT16 (or just "FAT" on options list) not
FAT32. As it happens the SanDisk 64MB and smaller comes formatted as
FAT16, and larger is formated as FAT32, therefore the larger cards
won't work in a C-Series (E-series has no requirement for FAT16)
Note, if you have the larger cards, you can reformat your CF card as
FAT16
I've done the upgrade in our E-80 and it did NOT work without a SanDisk CF
card. I tried several other brands of CF card, 2 64mb and one 128mb. None
of them worked, regardless of how it was formatted. And I did try
reformatting them. Only the SanDisk 64mb worked and then ONLY when
formatted as FAT16. While this is the case probably has more to do with
handling copy protection as much as anything else, as the Navionics chips
are pinned differently.

The best solution is to scare up a small SanDisk CF card. The upgrade is
about 9mb (if I recally correctly) so don't bother getting a larger one
unless you want to reuse it for other storage.

-Bill Kearney

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