SCX-20 on (mostly) B&G network

[Nekaj]

Hi all,

I’ve added a Furuno SCX-20 GPS compass to my primarily B&G NMEA2000 network.

The system includes: Zeus 3, Triton 2 displays, Triton Edge processor, NAC-3 autopilot, Halo 20+ radar, and a Precision-9 compass (which I plan to keep as a hot backup).

The SCX-20 is detected on the network, but it is not recognised as a compass.
Only “heel” and “trim angle” data appear from the SCX-20. And looking at device details of SCX-20 all the data is there including course over graund etc.
COG (Course Over Ground) and ROT (Rate of Turn) always default to the Precision-9, and there’s no option to select the SCX-20 as a heading source.

Interestingly, if I connect my older Furuno HS60 GPS compass, it is correctly recognised as a heading source and can be selected instead of the Precision-9.

Any ideas what could be wrong and how to fix this?
Is there a known compatibility issue between Furuno SCX-20 and B&G gear?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Moderators: apologies for my earlier uninformed question regarding sales/transactions in my previous post — I understand the rules now.

 

[TheReaper]

The Precision 9 compass and the SCX20 are putting out some of the same information. They need to have different device instances to deconflict them on the NMEA2000 network. If there is anything else that you've listed that puts out the same information on the NMEA2000 network, then they will also need different device instances.

 

[Nekaj]

The Precision 9 compass and the SCX20 are putting out some of the same information. They need to have different device instances to deconflict them on the NMEA2000 network. If there is anything else that you've listed that puts out the same information on the NMEA2000 network, then they will also need different device instances.

Thank you for suggestion.

I've already tried that: assigned device instance 0 to SCX-20 and 1 to Precision 9. No difference.
I'll aslo check what is going on with Zeus 3 and 2 which both also have GPS integrated in them. I did not think abut that before, so thenk you for the insight.

Next time on the boat I'll disconnect Precision 9 from network and test that setup.

Actisense NGT-1 is also on the way and hopefully on Thursday I'll be able to connect and configure SCX20 as well.

 

[Nekaj]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share an update and say thanks – I’ve resolved the issue with the SCX-20 not being recognized on the B&G NMEA2000/simnet network.

• As someone on another forum (sailinganarchy) pointed out, it was indeed just a matter of waiting long enough. In my earlier attempts, I had only waited a couple of minutes, which wasn’t sufficient for the SCX20 to start sending heading data. Patience pays off!
• I also followed guidance from the same forum on how to reduce network “noise” by reconfiguring the SCX-20’s PGN output (as per one older post with screenshot of configuration) – network load is now below 40%, which looks much good.

A few notes that might help others in a similar situation:

• I don’t have a Furuno MDF, so I had to find another way to connect and configure the SCX-20.
• I used an Actisense NGT-1-USB – it works out of the box. It does take a few minutes to initialize, but after that, it performs as expected.
• My setup: MacBook Pro (Intel) running Windows 11 in VMware.
• For now, I’ve left the instance IDs at their default values (only changed Precision 9 to "1") – everything seems to work fine. I’ll revisit this later if I run into issues or see increased network load.

A couple of important compatibility notes:

• The Actisense NGT-1-USB is an end-of-life product, according to Actisense and several EU distributors. The replacement is the NGX-1-USB.
• However, the NGX-1-USB is not supported for SCX-20 configuration. I tried it – it doesn’t work. This has been reported to Furuno (see above and other thread), but there’s no ETA on when (or if) their configuration software will support it.
• If you’re on an Apple Silicon Mac with Windows in VMware, Actisense devices are not recognized (likely due to driver issues? maybe Arm version of Windows is not complete). I haven’t found a solution yet, but I’ll share any updates if I do – I’d definitely prefer to use a single newer laptop instead of keeping my old Intel Mac around just for this.

Thanks again to everyone who helped – much appreciated!