Installing Radio in TomCat

[ricka]

I am working on the install of a Standard Horizon GX2200 in our new Tom Cat. I have also installed a Garmin 1242 XSV plus and 18HD Radar
I thought the GX2200 would be plug into the NEMA backbone but that doesn't seem to be the case. It looks like it needs to tie into the NMEA 0183 port on the Garmin.
Have any members have experience with wiring these items and is it even worth messing with it since the radio has its own GPS built in?

Thanks
Rick

[colbysmith]

Rick, I believe that radio has an AIS receiver, so in that regard, if you want to see AIS targets on your chartplotter, then yes it's worth tying it in. It can get kind of tricky to figure out which wire is which with those tiny ones, but if you read the operators manual on both the chartplotter and the radio, you should be able to figure out which wire goes where. Since the 2200 has the GPS built in, you probably don't need to run the wire that would otherwise provide position to the radio, but if I remember you'll need to connect the ground and the wire that sends signals from the radio to the chartplotter. Colby

[Micahbigsur@msn.com]

Rick, to hook our new Standard Horizon into our Simrad chartplotter I had to by a 2000-0183 adapter cord listed as an audio adapter.

Good luck.

[ricka]

Thanks Colby and Dana
Looks like its going to be another typical boat project ( Waiting for more parts before I can finish ) We just picked the boat up at NWM in Bellingham this January. I had most of this stuff already ordered and sitting in the garage but there is always an extra special wire harness or doodad needed to complete your project.
Hope we can get on the water in a week or two probably Shasta Lake or Crescent City.
Rick

[gulfcoast john]

Rick,
Get out there regardless, a handheld VHF radio will do with a 3 mile range, and you don't need to care what vessels over 3 miles away are doing...you can go in shallow water (3 ft and less) and they can't.

In the future, I'd encourage all to stick with an electronics suite of the same brand (OK, I like Garmin for it's mostly intuitive user interface). I understand the exceptions some like. I always hope they can make it all play nicely together. It's the nature of the beast if they don't.
Best of luck!

PM me if there is anything at all that I might be able to help you with.

Happy Cruising!
John

[Micahbigsur@msn.com]

John, I have always in the past tried to keep electronics separate but thought NEMA 2000 would still keep things simple. Our Simrad stuff and the Suzuki digital gage linked together should work because they are both made by Navico.....but trying to make them work as intended together is very time consuming and frustrating trying to get my fuel use and range computer running in the chartplotter. I am beginning to think it was a mistake getting linked together electronics even with the same brand, such a time waster drilling down into menus with inadequate manuals.

[thataway]

The Standard Horizon to Garmin is a fairly simple NMEA 0183. wire connection. I usually solder these wires, but you can use silicone telephone wire connectors also. I put adhesive heat shrink over the solder joint. The wires are #22 gauge, if you need to extend them from the wiring harness.

Connect the thin GRAY wire from the VHF (they call it the NMEA DSC Output positive) to EITHER the BROWN (Port 1) or VIOLET (Port 2) wire on the chartplotter (these are the NMEA input positive wires). In some models only Port 1 can be configured for high speed (38,400 baud).
Connect the thin BROWN wire from the VHF (NMEA DSC Output negative) to the BLACK wire coming from the chartplotter (in addition to being the power negative, this is the NMEA 0183 negative).
Remember that Garmin uses ground (black wire) for the negative side of their NMEA 0183.

Wiring for Standard Horizon:
Grey NMEA 0183 output
Brown, NMEA 0183 negative


here us the code of wires for your Garmin:
Item
Red. Power
Black Ground (power and NMEA 0183)
Blue: NMEA 0183 TXA (Port 1)
Brown. NMEA 0183 RXA
Gray. NMEA 0183 TXB (Port 2)
Violet. NMEA 0183 RXB

Configuring your Garmin is on Page 56 of your owner's manual. If that has been lost, it is on line. Look at the index for configuring the port to 38,400 Baud. Also to receive the AIS sentences (as well as DSC).

There are similar pages in the Standard Horizon for its configuration. Again if you don't have the manual, then its available on line thru the SH web site.

Sometimes I think it is easier to keep PDF versions of all of the manuals on an SD or thumb drive. I have over 4" of manuals for the various items on my boat....

There are several