April 12, 2006 07:35
Just a 'things that work great' note here.
Last weekend I finally got everything working with a bit of help from gpsnavx. What I have is:
MacENC (of course)
MiniplexBT (wireless version)
Raymarine ST40 wind/depth/log instruments talking Seatalk
JRC 1800 Radar/GPS/Plotter
Garmin GPS76
Icom 403 with DSC
The Seatalk is wired directly to the Miniplex without any Raymarine NMEA convertor. If you have more than one instrument you probably have surplus power cables and they work great for this. Connect the red to Port 4a, and the yellow to Port 4b, and clip off the black. Then use GPSNavx's nifty config utility to toggle on the Seatalk option. On the power cable the yellow is clipped off, but if you strip off a bit of the cover you'll find it. Note the Seatalk wiring is not documented anywhere I've found.
[color:red]The Wireless Miniplex is fantastic[/color]. It ties everything together, sending my position to the Icom (for the DSC), and all to MacENC. Haven't yet tried uploading a route to the GPS or Plotter but will soon. It's really cool with the wireless because I don't have my Mac tied to the Nav station right below the companionway - a very precarious place for a piece of electronics that doesn't tollerate water well. I can sit and work wirelessly in the bunk or at the table, much safer (and more comfortable) locations. It's also really great having access to the GPS and instrument information on my Mac screen. The Miniplex was also very simple to wire up.
Unfortunately my Radar (which was purchased for my old boat before I went back to Macs) doesn't put out much NMEA data; otherwise that would be even better.
Finally, you'll note I have two GPS's tied in. I generally like the GPS76 in the cockpit primarily as a compass (COG) and speed (SOG) and have used it that way for several years. I have a traditional mechanical compass but seldom use it. The MiniPlex config utility allows me to prioritize which GPS data is sent to the other electronics - if I happen to have the radar/plotter on it will use that; otherwise it will use the GPS76, but not clog up the data stream with both. Again, really cool.
Now, if I could just get an AIS wirelessly into the system all would be perfect!
Scot
Ingrid 38 "Jaga"
Port Hadlock, WA
Last weekend I finally got everything working with a bit of help from gpsnavx. What I have is:
MacENC (of course)
MiniplexBT (wireless version)
Raymarine ST40 wind/depth/log instruments talking Seatalk
JRC 1800 Radar/GPS/Plotter
Garmin GPS76
Icom 403 with DSC
The Seatalk is wired directly to the Miniplex without any Raymarine NMEA convertor. If you have more than one instrument you probably have surplus power cables and they work great for this. Connect the red to Port 4a, and the yellow to Port 4b, and clip off the black. Then use GPSNavx's nifty config utility to toggle on the Seatalk option. On the power cable the yellow is clipped off, but if you strip off a bit of the cover you'll find it. Note the Seatalk wiring is not documented anywhere I've found.
[color:red]The Wireless Miniplex is fantastic[/color]. It ties everything together, sending my position to the Icom (for the DSC), and all to MacENC. Haven't yet tried uploading a route to the GPS or Plotter but will soon. It's really cool with the wireless because I don't have my Mac tied to the Nav station right below the companionway - a very precarious place for a piece of electronics that doesn't tollerate water well. I can sit and work wirelessly in the bunk or at the table, much safer (and more comfortable) locations. It's also really great having access to the GPS and instrument information on my Mac screen. The Miniplex was also very simple to wire up.
Unfortunately my Radar (which was purchased for my old boat before I went back to Macs) doesn't put out much NMEA data; otherwise that would be even better.
Finally, you'll note I have two GPS's tied in. I generally like the GPS76 in the cockpit primarily as a compass (COG) and speed (SOG) and have used it that way for several years. I have a traditional mechanical compass but seldom use it. The MiniPlex config utility allows me to prioritize which GPS data is sent to the other electronics - if I happen to have the radar/plotter on it will use that; otherwise it will use the GPS76, but not clog up the data stream with both. Again, really cool.
Now, if I could just get an AIS wirelessly into the system all would be perfect!
Scot
Ingrid 38 "Jaga"
Port Hadlock, WA