Raspberry Pi, Signal K, Actisense NGT-1, iKommunicate. etc.

Pat Anderson

I just stumbled onto this topic because of Active Captain's Jeffrey Seigel's FB post showing his Raspberry Pi based Signal K server with an Actisense NGT-1 gateway, and explaining its capabilities. I Googled Signal K, and one article led to others, requiring me to Google yet more bleeding edge stuff. Head is kind of spinning at the moment!

Anybody actually using, or actively contemplating using, this stuff on their C-Dory?

jkidd · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:06 pm Post subject:

I have a Raspberry Pi that I have been playing with. Plan to use it as a Dstar hotspot for Ham radio. I haven't picked which dongle I want to use yet for the Dstar.

TyBoo · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:14 pm Post subject:

You guys watch your language on here!

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:22 pm Post subject:

JamesTXSD · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 2:22 pm Post subject:

journey on · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 2:34 pm Post subject:

Well, Pat, signal K is a wireless/internet NMEA 2000 protocol whilst raspberry pi is a processor. So, before you go any further the question is: do you want all your NMEA 2000 data on the internel via a wireless link?

Personally, I think I'll hold off on that until someone convinces me that's a needed thing. I don't like to broadcast everything I'm doing. On the other hand, look at facebook and twitter, so someone feels different. Though the raspberry pi processor is being used in many applications, such a OpenCpn.

I thought Dstar was a proprietary format used in ham radio. Ran across it when we went to Icom radios. We (Valley Center CERT) didn't use it because of the limited users.

Boris

jkidd · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 4:44 pm Post subject:

There are a fair number of devices out that will let you send name a 2000 data over wifi to a iPad or a computer. I was looking at some for AIS. I ended up buying a new radio to take care of that. The gadget side of me always has an interest in this type of stuff. As for the Dstar being able to take a 5 watt handheld and talking any where in the world is pretty amazing. Pat I'm looking forward to see how you use it and how good it works.

chromer · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 5:51 pm Post subject:

my foray into this stuff was my kicker throttle app. It entails a Arduino board and Bluetooth (BLE) shield, and a servo motor. Controlled by my iOS app.

BrentB · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 6:27 pm Post subject:

Here is a starter kit for $55

https://www.amazon.com/Vilros-Raspberry-Complete-Starter-Black/dp/B00MV6TAJI

RichardM · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:40 pm Post subject:

Active Captain's folks are just a little ahead of the curve, and it's very interesting. If it's possible to get a big-screen chartplotter, instrument cluster, GPS and AIS information, weather, music and more for the price of a tablet -- which you can take home and use for other things -- would you really consider paying what the dedicated multifunction displays or better nav systems cost? When I adjust my home thermostat from my cellphone, and when it has replaced the GPS units I used to carry in the car, can it be long before that level of convenience comes to the boat? Sure, there are security concerns to wireless systems, but it looks like younger people are much less paranoid about that then their elders even though the young would have more to lose. And we've come to expect good internet connections from every McDonald's. New cars come with the hotspots built in. Can boats be far behind?

If I can teach myself OpenCPN this winter, I expect to start using it in the spring. Even including hardware, it may replace my Garmin and Lowrance units at a fraction of the price.

thataway · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 10:10 pm Post subject:

One of the better explanations of "Signal K" was written by Bill Bishop on the Panbo Blog in Oct 2014.

Read the entire article and comments.

It is useful for NMEA 2000 and well as NMEA 0183 as well as systems you can build.

Another Panbo article by Ben Ellison.

And the The most recent on Nov 18 2016, showing some more practical applications.
Sort of like an erector set, or maybe the modern "Heathkit" for nerds...And c Dorys.

signal K web site.

I can see why Jeff Siegel has playing with it. On the other hand Jeff is so far beyond my comprehension on computer coding, and communications, that I am still in the 18th century!

I personally would not use it on my boat, but if I was 20 years younger, I would buy one of the kits,and the 37 multi sensor kit on Amazon

Pat Anderson · Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:21 am Post subject:

Will-C

It was Leading Edge and now it's Bleeding edge; Wow! I have a 12" Garmin multifunction chart plotter to display fuel use age and gallons left on board, Radar, sonar, and a backup nav chart for redundancy. The boat came with a complete Garmin suit of electronics. I too use Coastal Explorer on a laptop for nav duties. I like the idea of bigger screens. I keep our AIS as a separate unit with it's own screen. We carry a Verizon Hot Spot for our internet use if we can't get it for free. To each their own, but for what we do, I see no need for any more electronics. I for one, am over the never ending search for the hot set up.
D.D.

tpbrady · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 7:47 pm Post subject:

Pat,

The setup of your 25 is about the same as the one I sold. What I did different was moving the C-80 to where it was just to the left of a radio mounted on the underside of the shelf over the helm. That let me put the monitor right where your C-80 is now by using a RAM mount. I used a wireless track ball that mounted with velcro where your mouse is. The S100 remote was in the same place. That way nothing blocked the view out the front.

Tom

nimrod · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:08 pm Post subject:

I've set up a backup touchscreen chart plotter using the following components:

Raspberry Pi 3 @ $40
Raspberry Pi 7" Touchscreen Display @ $60
Smarticase for the touchscreen display @ $25
GlobalSat BU-353-S4 USB GPS Receiver @ $30
OpenCPN vector graphics charting software @ $00

Getting the software to run was a bit of a challenge, but there is a lot of online info to help you through the install.

The GPS puck was plug and play. OpenCPN recognized it right away.

I’m hoping to incorporate AIS and radar overlays with input from my Standard Horizon VHF, and my Garmin radar.

jd