GPS from ICOM M424G to Furuno Radar

[Truce]

I have a ICOM M424G VHF and a Furuno 1715 radar.

I would like to feed the GPS signal from the radio to the Radar. Has anyone fed a GPS signal from an ICOM M424G VHF to a Furuno radar.

Interested to know if anyone has done this and how.

[sailormed]

If you look up the interface documentation of both devises and post your info here you could get an answer. As it stands now I do not have any useful information. I do not think it is up to the forum members to look up information that you have readily available.

[ian5142]

Read the Icom Instruction Manual from here: M424G Downloads - Icom America


Menu item needed to be changed: p.82

Connections on: p.84


Furuno 1715 Operater's manual: https://furunousa.com/en/support/1715
Wiring: p.34, you will need a special 7-pin connector.


Wiring for the connector is in the service manual, see attached. P.36


Why do you want GPS data to the radar? It will not give you ARPA, only heading to it will.

[Truce]

Ian5142, thanks for your helpful input. I had sort of figured out the way to go as you suggest. The need for a seven pin connector noted. Just wondered if anyone had actually connected those two particular units together.

I am not concerned about using the radar for ARPA, the screen size isn’t really big enough anyway. The way I am set up in the cockpit it would be good to have a navigation readout on the radar on the starboard side as my GPS/AIS is on the port side.

Anyway, it’s a couple more months before I am sailing again – I should have it figured out by then.

[ian5142]

I have never used GPS data from a radio, only to a radio. I also have never seen a 1715, only its nearly identical little brother, 1623.



I have the non G version of the 424.


I used to sell & install marine electronics.



Check NMEA 0183 versions on both devices.

[TBear60]

Reading this thread I see an apples/oranges disconnect here.

The Furuno unit is only a Radar capable unit. It does not display any GPS or chart data. The head unit can only display data from a Radar antenna, not a GPS antenna. Two different kinds of information.

The Icom 424G has onboard GPS antenna and receiver. The GPS information (Lat/Lon) can be transmitted to a chart plotter through NMEA 0183.

Why would I want GPS data on a radio?

All VHF radios sold in the US must have the DSC (digital selective calling) switch. This switch allows the user to post a VHF "mayday" that all other radios will "hear". If the boater needs to focus attention onboard during an emergency and doesn't have an extra "hand" to make a Mayday call, DSC will do this.

However, the bulk of recreational VHF radios sold today do not have onboard GPS, so they must get their GPS signal from a Chartplotter. The DSC signal is supposed to carry position data so the responding authorities, ie. Coast Guard, can locate the vessel in trouble. Estimates are that at least half of all DSC calls received by USCG do not have position data. So the Coasties know that "John" is in trouble, but they don't know where he is!

The majority of DSC equipped radios sold today use NMEA 0183 technology to get the position data from the ChartPlotter. Most CP's today do not have NMEA 0183 capability; Garmin is the only one I know of that can connect to a VHF using NMEA 0183.

So, how to get the most out of DSC?

Two ways:
1. Buy a NMEA 2000 VHF and connect it to a Chartplotter. Icom and Std Horizon both sell this radio. Cost about $250 and up.
2. Buy a VHF with onboard GPS like the Icom 424G (Standard Horizon also sells a GPS equipped radio) These run about $200 retail today.

Another reason to have GPS on your VHF:

If the GPS antenna on the chartplotter fails, you then have a back up source of position data. Also, you can input waypoints on the radio which you can use a backup for go-to course, if your CP goes on the fritz.

Hope this helps. Sorry for being windy.

Note: I work in retail marine and am a little frustrated by VHF manufacturers dragging their feet by not including NMEA 2000 on EVERY radio they sell. They don't, but they should. Not that much more $$. Most radios we've sold in the past 5 years (since GPS on cell phones has become commoner than dirt) are what I call Inland Radios; that should only be used land-locked lakes (not the Great Lakes) where there is no USCG! They are NMEA 0183 radios and almost all chartplotters sold cannot be connected to these radios(except Garmin).

Fair winds and happy sailing!

PS. I just read through the Furuno 1715 data sheet and I stand corrected. This unit will display GPS data using NMEA 0183.

Please don't flood me with emails!!!! Arrrrrghhhh. I'm sorry. Today is a good day. I learned something new!

[ian5142]

I do stand by your statement about NEMA 2000 or ethernet though. I personally want to see everything ethernet based. Way more bandwidth available then NEMA 2000 (~256kb/s - ~1MB/s) vs (100MB-1GB/s). If NEMA designed a standard for UDP and TCP connections using the standard ethernet connector, way easier. PoE is an option, etc.


Don't worry it is all just wishful thinking.


In my time doing installs, I saw some new boats with NEMA 2000 it was mainly for the autopilot computer, head and heading sensor. That was it. One boat I was on had more on the bus. Not very well adopted by commercial fishermen. Most had 2 x Icom M506 radios, without NEMA 2000 though. NEMA 2000 is an option for that model.

[TBear60]

ian5142... from what I can tell, VHF radios only have NMEA to communicate with other units. The data is all "bits and bytes" so its fairly simple. My understanding of NMEA 2000 vs 0183 is that with the former the setup is automatic while 01830 has to be programmed on both ends. This is part of requirement of USCG for their seaboard vessel inspections of commercial vessels on the high seas. They simply plug in and are able to retrieve recorded onboard data. As concerns recreational boating, NMEA 2000 should be more common than it is and I suspect over the next few years, we'll see it more as a standard offering instead of having to pay and order extra. In my neck of the woods, more and more recreational boaters are getting NMEA 2000 put on their boats and builders of new recreational vessels are having this installed on their new boats. I think this is very promising for everyone. I see it as the industry finally recognizing this as a Standard for onboard unit-to-unit communication. When it comes to Ethernet, it's really only necessary when having to transmit "pictures" like sonar and radar from one unit to another. Larger CP's have the capacity to incorporate multiple E-net and NMEA plugs since larger units have more real estate on the back! More recreational boaters are upgrading to larger CP's; for instance popular units were once 5 inch, then 7 inch and now 9 inch is the most common. We are seeing much more 12 inch units sold every day!