Good morning, my dad wanted to have AIS on his chart plotter this season and I happened to run across a good deal on a COMAR CSB200 that I picked up so he could have a transceiver instead of just a receiver. This is my first time messing with marine electronics, but I'm pretty decent with computers so I think I have a handle on it but wanted to run it by you in order to make sure I have my ducks in a row before going to do the installation (its a 3 hour drive). I would appreciate input on my plan of attack and if I am missing anything or could do something differently.
Chartplotter/Radar: Furuno 1824C VX2 (Unsure of software version but will update)
Radio: ICOM IC-M422 (NMEA 2.0 and 3.1, 4800 baud)
Autopilot: Raymarine ST4000+ (4800 baud NMEA0183 input)
Wind: Raymarine ST60
Tridata: Raymarine ST60
AIS: Comar CSB200 (38400 baud)
GPS Antenna: Furuno 310/320B (Not sure which)
Currently, the Icom should be hooked to Port 2 on the plotter for DSC calling location, however I have not verified this with not being at the boat. I believe the NMEA0183 on the Raymarine ST4000+ Autopilot should be fed off this port as well, however I'm not sure if they have been linked or not but I would like to do this while I'm working on the system. As best as I can find both the Raymarine AP and the Icom require 4800 baud. GPS antenna should be on Port 1. Port 3 should be a heading sensor for the plotter and I don't believe Port 4 is utilized.
Plan: Port 2 must be utilized for AIS due to a 38400 baud so CSB 200 will go to Port 2 NMEA Input. Comar outputs VDM, VDO, RMC, ACA, ACS, ALR, TXT, ACK, however when operating on 38400 AIS mode I have read that port 2 only accepts VDO and VDM sentences, is that correct? I have read that when hooked to AIS the NMEA out of port 2 is not available, and I have also read that it is limited to RMC, ZDA, and HDT. Could you please confirm which is correct? If it does output these sentences it really wouldn't be useful for anything in my case because all my other listeners are at 4800 correct?
Now that port 2 is utilized for 38400 baud communications and AIS only, the radio and autopilot NMEA connection must be moved to port 4, the only available data port. However port for is RS232 protocol and NMEA is RS422 so I will need to install an RS232 to RS422 converter. Port will need to be configured at 4800 baud rate and sentences turned on in Furuno unit.
ICOM takes RMC, GGA, GNS, GLL and it outputs DSC and DSE. Will the Furuno unit accept DSC and DSE sentences or is there no sense in hooking up the NMEA out of the ICOM? ICOM would have to receive data from converter however if Furuno will accept ICOM nmea output data is it preferable for it to go through the converter or go directly to the NMEA input pins on Port 4?
Raymarine ST4000+ will accept a number of different NMEA sentences however all I really need to be sent to it from the Furuno unit is waypoints for my course and crosstrack error. According to the Raymarine manual I would need to turn the following on in Furuno unit:
Cross Track Error-APB, APA, RMB, XTE
Bearing To Waypoint-APA, APB, BWR, BWC, RMB
Distance To Waypoint-BWR, BWC, RMB (Not sure that it would need this for course following but these sentences would already be turned on for other functions?)
Waypoint Number-APB, APA, BWR, BWC, RMB
All other data to the autopilot (wind angle etc.) should be being fed through the Seatalk protocol between the Raymarine instruments. Is there some benefit I am missing from feeding Seatalk data into the Furuno unit or would that be a wasted expense for the converter?
After quite a bit of reading I believe this should all work but would like to get your input before tearing into the system. One other piece of information that I'm not sure is useful or not is that the COMAR CSB200 unit seems to have a multiplexer built into it and will take input NMEA at 4800 baud and output it at 38400 baud, would this be usefull for anything in my installation? I didn't think it would be since according to what I read port 2 will only accept VDO and VDM.
I sure appreciate any input anyone can give and if it seems I'm understanding how everything functions and talks to each other correctly.
Thanks again!
Christian
Chartplotter/Radar: Furuno 1824C VX2 (Unsure of software version but will update)
Radio: ICOM IC-M422 (NMEA 2.0 and 3.1, 4800 baud)
Autopilot: Raymarine ST4000+ (4800 baud NMEA0183 input)
Wind: Raymarine ST60
Tridata: Raymarine ST60
AIS: Comar CSB200 (38400 baud)
GPS Antenna: Furuno 310/320B (Not sure which)
Currently, the Icom should be hooked to Port 2 on the plotter for DSC calling location, however I have not verified this with not being at the boat. I believe the NMEA0183 on the Raymarine ST4000+ Autopilot should be fed off this port as well, however I'm not sure if they have been linked or not but I would like to do this while I'm working on the system. As best as I can find both the Raymarine AP and the Icom require 4800 baud. GPS antenna should be on Port 1. Port 3 should be a heading sensor for the plotter and I don't believe Port 4 is utilized.
Plan: Port 2 must be utilized for AIS due to a 38400 baud so CSB 200 will go to Port 2 NMEA Input. Comar outputs VDM, VDO, RMC, ACA, ACS, ALR, TXT, ACK, however when operating on 38400 AIS mode I have read that port 2 only accepts VDO and VDM sentences, is that correct? I have read that when hooked to AIS the NMEA out of port 2 is not available, and I have also read that it is limited to RMC, ZDA, and HDT. Could you please confirm which is correct? If it does output these sentences it really wouldn't be useful for anything in my case because all my other listeners are at 4800 correct?
Now that port 2 is utilized for 38400 baud communications and AIS only, the radio and autopilot NMEA connection must be moved to port 4, the only available data port. However port for is RS232 protocol and NMEA is RS422 so I will need to install an RS232 to RS422 converter. Port will need to be configured at 4800 baud rate and sentences turned on in Furuno unit.
ICOM takes RMC, GGA, GNS, GLL and it outputs DSC and DSE. Will the Furuno unit accept DSC and DSE sentences or is there no sense in hooking up the NMEA out of the ICOM? ICOM would have to receive data from converter however if Furuno will accept ICOM nmea output data is it preferable for it to go through the converter or go directly to the NMEA input pins on Port 4?
Raymarine ST4000+ will accept a number of different NMEA sentences however all I really need to be sent to it from the Furuno unit is waypoints for my course and crosstrack error. According to the Raymarine manual I would need to turn the following on in Furuno unit:
Cross Track Error-APB, APA, RMB, XTE
Bearing To Waypoint-APA, APB, BWR, BWC, RMB
Distance To Waypoint-BWR, BWC, RMB (Not sure that it would need this for course following but these sentences would already be turned on for other functions?)
Waypoint Number-APB, APA, BWR, BWC, RMB
All other data to the autopilot (wind angle etc.) should be being fed through the Seatalk protocol between the Raymarine instruments. Is there some benefit I am missing from feeding Seatalk data into the Furuno unit or would that be a wasted expense for the converter?
After quite a bit of reading I believe this should all work but would like to get your input before tearing into the system. One other piece of information that I'm not sure is useful or not is that the COMAR CSB200 unit seems to have a multiplexer built into it and will take input NMEA at 4800 baud and output it at 38400 baud, would this be usefull for anything in my installation? I didn't think it would be since according to what I read port 2 will only accept VDO and VDM.
I sure appreciate any input anyone can give and if it seems I'm understanding how everything functions and talks to each other correctly.
Thanks again!
Christian
