display and radar compatibility

[gmartin97]

Hi !
I am new to the forum and to the nautical world
I am considering the purchase of a marine radar with a display.
Do I need to buy the pair from the same manufacturer or all radars can work with all screens regardless of the manufacturer.
For example if I buy the radar from Lowrance and the screen from Raymarine, will they be compatible?

I've read about NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 but I am not sure if it's use for radar...
Can anyone explain to me how it's working?

Thank you in advance for your answers and your time
Regards,
Guillaume

[BlueH2Obound]

I don't have the answer, but am lurking to hear what people say as I'm in a similar predicament . . .

[gmartin97]

[BillKny]

Radar data does not come over NMEA busses. Most manufacturers use Ethernet. If you want to display the radar data on your chart plotter, you will need to stay with one brand, and still check model numbers to be sure of compatibility.

In short you can not plug a Raymarine Radome into a B&G/Simrad/Lowrance display and expect it to work. Simrad/B&G/Lowrance are all the same parent company, so they are comparable.

It is not a requirement in all cases, but if you are an “average” boater and not an instrument geek it is far better to just stay with the same brand all the way up and down the line. It does make things easier.

[tkeithlu]

I'm betting that the answer is "Not a prayer," with not even the cables connecting, but I stay away from NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 networks.

[tkeithlu]

Told you so.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by gmartin97

...............Do I need to buy the pair from the same manufacturer or all radars can work with all screens regardless of the manufacturer?.............screen from Raymarine, will they be compatible?..........

Welcome to the forum!!

I do not know but I have always installed the same manufacture for radar, depth, wind, autopilot and navigation display instruments...........Garmin or Raymarine. My last and current sailboat and powerboat had/have Raymarine radar and navigation display with NEMA 2000.

[hlev00]

There are radar units that function as standalone and have their own display. In a large'ish wheel house with enough space, this approach could have some advantages in terms of redundancy. However one big plus of having the MFD to include radar is the ability to superimpose the radar returns on the chart to help with situational awareness. Some people go the route of building their own MFD using opencpn.org software running on a variety of platforms. There is a separate opencpn forum here that you might want to poke around in if that interests you. But since you are new to this world I think keeping things simple is your best route, one vendor supplied solution that you can get support for.



Harry

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

I'm betting that the answer is "Not a prayer," with not even the cables connecting, but I stay away from NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 networks.

Care to share your reason for avoiding NMEA?

[guyrj33]

yes, you have to buy both display and radar from same manufacture and even then you have to check compatibility. Since you're new to this I suggest buying the parts as a package.

[gmartin97]

Originally Posted by hlev00

There are radar units that function as standalone and have their own display. In a large'ish wheel house with enough space, this approach could have some advantages in terms of redundancy. However one big plus of having the MFD to include radar is the ability to superimpose the radar returns on the chart to help with situational awareness. Some people go the route of building their own MFD using opencpn.org software running on a variety of platforms. There is a separate opencpn forum here that you might want to poke around in if that interests you. But since you are new to this world I think keeping things simple is your best route, one vendor supplied solution that you can get support for.



Harry

Thank you for the answer !

If I understand correctly from a rapid overview of opencpn : some software are allowing to plug some radars from Navico or Garmin directly to computer without purchasing a dedicated display?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by BillKny

Radar data does not come over NMEA busses. Most manufacturers use Ethernet. If you want to display the radar data on your chart plotter, you will need to stay with one brand, and still check model numbers to be sure of compatibility.

In short you can not plug a Raymarine Radome into a B&G/Simrad/Lowrance display and expect it to work. Simrad/B&G/Lowrance are all the same parent company, so they are comparable.

It is not a requirement in all cases, but if you are an “average” boater and not an instrument geek it is far better to just stay with the same brand all the way up and down the line. It does make things easier.

This is exactly my experience. Even within brands different displays and transmitters don't all work together and across brands, no way.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Minggat

Care to share your reason for avoiding NMEA?

I am curious as well. I did not want nor intend to install an NMEA network but all the new electronics I purchased came with the capability. So I figured why not give it a try, hooked them all up and was quite happy with the results.

One benefit, my old Raymarine Seatalk speed and depth transducers with a dim, barely legible display I was able to network to the Garmin MFD at the helm and now can see speed and depth in large, bright clear number right there. Saved a heap of money and time not buying and installing new transducers.

[garychurch]

NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 are marine bus networks to carry or route selected data from sensors to devices or from one device to another.

NMEA0183 is an old standard that has multiple wire connections, NMEA2000 is a newer system with more data standards and is plug and play cabling. There are devices available that allow a mix of both on the same network.

For sensors or devices that do not communicate the NMEA data standards, other communication methods need to be used, such as Ethernet.

[tkeithlu]

Actually, what I avoid is integrated glass cockpit systems, not the codes, and for the same redundancy reasons hlev00 mentions. But, I have two advantages there. First, I don't have any difficulty integrating radar, chartplotter, and AIS in my head, which some people do find difficult, and second I've got a lot of space for separate screens in my wheelhouse. Someone who has only one screen at the cockpit helm really benefits from integration, and does not have the choice.

One consequence of my approach has been that I've replaced individual units as I've gone along, each time with what seemed best at the time. While I generally like Garmin, my panel has become a hodge-podge, with Icom radios, Matsutec AIS, Furuno radar, Garmin back-up GPS and depth, and Lenovo tablet for OpenCPN. The only problem I've found with that is not service. It's that the engineers for different companies given the units different personalities - location of the power switch, design of the menu, does it pause before turning off, and that sort of thing.