RS-232 or RS-422?

[scotte]

The OP never mentioned linking in a computer or AIS as far as I can tell, how did this get so off topic? *SIGH*

[s/v Jedi]

Bewitched,

The brown and green are the data GPS->course computer. You also need to connect the red & black to supply power to the GPS, plus the "gray" shield wire.

Now listen here: I don't know which GPS this is nor what it's default settings are. But if you ever need to change things inside the GPS sensor, you will need the blue and white wires too. Make sure you buy something that works out of the box without needing to change settings because that will be a frustrating experience.

cheers,
Nick.

[bewitched]

The product is an Evermore 920 smart antenna

EverMore Technology

[s/v Jedi]

I think that Evermore will work. But I also wonder on which criteria you selected that product? I can only imagine price and/or local availability.

I just spent a lot of time researching all kind of smart sensors and would suggest you look at this page: Airmar|Weatherstations GPS | Blue Heron Marine Electronics

I think those are much better but also $200 plus a special cable.

If price is an issue, I would go for this Garmin sensor: Garmin GPS 17x HVS NMEA 0183 GPS Antenna | Blue Heron Marine Electronics

cheers,
Nick.

[bewitched]

Thanks for the tips Jedi

I'm sure that your recommendations are much better quality, but even the Garmin is nearly double what I'm paying. In about a year and a half (my next trip) I will be upgrading a lot of my nav/comms equipment and I will bear you advice in mind.

Right now I need a quick, cheap fix. The Evermore does this, and will probably become my backup gps in the future

[s/v Jedi]

Yes, $100 is hard to beat. It is the missing specs that worry me, like the cold acquisition time. It does mention an internal rechargeable battery for a quick "warm" acquisition but nothing about what happens when there is no previous info stored.

Make sure you buy it locally and install it right there so you can go back to the shop in case of trouble. Or let them hook it up in the shop and show you that the unit you walk out the shop with does work.

I always think about my old garmin 12 which doesn't know where it is during cold start. I have to help it a bit by entering rough lat/long before it catches on. My old Raytheon sensors were the same but without displays and a keypad, this becomes a nightmare. I am suspicious when they leave out the cold acquisition time, but this is a 20-channel unit indicating modern technology so just go for it.

cheers,
Nick.

[Pblais]

Update:

For decent USB to Serial port connections the old pfranc dongles are no more. Got an email from Larry that they quit selling them (they do still sell Garmin cables). Seems they don't support 64 bits. The new ones to watch for are based on the Prolific chip. That would include the new Belkins and others. They do have 64 bit drivers and claim a higher transfer rate that clearly is well beyond NMEA. Lots of really crappy serial port USB devices are out there but you can still get a great one for under $20.

While I loath RS232C serial ports, if you need an interface you still need it.

I just picked up a cheap Garmin GPS V on ebay for $60. You can disable all the vehicle navigation features and reconfigure for the water pretty well. The In vehicle features by todays standards suck but it makes a nice GPS for uploading way points and routes. I used to like the Garmin 128 but the prices are so high now they are not worth the $100 they seem to be selling for. Even West Marine has eTrex handhelds for under $100 (just).

[bewitched]

Hooked up the Evermore product at the weekend. Cold start was virtually instanteneous. All working fine so far