Hello,
I'm considering a purchase of iNavX to replace a really old Garmin chartplotter. It looks like I'll need to be connecting to my instruments via TCP/IP, but the iNavX docs only seem to mention this, but don't give a step-by-step how-to.
Their website shows a cable that they say connects via USB, but the cable end is definitely not USB.
Thanks for any help,
Charlie Magee
Need a bit more info to assist you. What brand/model instruments do you want to interface with?
Typically the iNavX TCP/IP interface is used when one has a laptop aboard running marine navigation software such as MacENC or Coastal Explorer. Step by step instructions ..
http://www.gpsnavx.com/iNavX/help/macenc.htm
http://www.gpsnavx.com/iNavX/help/ce.htm
The other option is just to use the GPS receiver built into iPhone 3G[s]/4 or iPad 3G.
Thanks for responding so quickly!
I think I have a basic misunderstanding of what iNavX is.
I have a Tridata ST50, a Garmin GPSMAP 215, and an Autohelm ST2000. All of which are pretty old, as far as electronics goes these days.
The Garmin is really slow to find satellites and the charts that are on it are really primitive.
I had thought that with iNavX and my iPhone 3GS and some cables, I'd be able to drop the Garmin out the system without having to put up much bigger bucks for a newer Garmin chartplotter.
So I need MacEnc and my laptop on the boat for the solution I'm envisioning? I take it that iNavX is a mini-standalone chartplotter?
Thanks again,
Charlie Magee
You cannot use iPhone or iPad as a GPS replacement in the sense that it would provide NMEA data (position, speed, course) to your existing instrumentation system. The devices 30 pin connector is not compatible with external marine instrumentation.
iNavX works in two different modes:
- Using the iPhone 3G/3Gs/4 or iPad 3G GPS to provide real-time plotting on a chart. Much like a handheld Garmin chart plotter.
- Using NMEA data from an external source via WiFi to provide real-time plotting on a chart. Much like a wireless repeater. The external source can be MacENC, Coastal Explorer, or other software that broadcasts NMEA data.
Question is, can iNavX transmit over TCP/IP position, speed, course for the Mac running MacENC to use for navigation.
iNavX can only be a TCP/IP NMEA client (In addition to using the device built in Location Services). It cannot act as a server of NMEA data like MacENC can.
The reason is, any time iNavX would be exited (i.e check email, pick another song, take a call) the NMEA data would stop being served to any clients (i.e. MacENC) and a disconnect would occur. As such iNavX works much better as a client to a NMEA data server such as MacENC or Coastal Explorer.