How do you connect NEMA/VHF to GPS for DSC purposes

KevinReston

New Member
Jan 30, 2007
54
Occoquan, VA
I thought my business had acronyms.... :grin:

I have a Raymarine VHF that currently alarms to tell me NEMA is not connected for DSC purposes. I have a standard Raymarine VHF radio with DSC button on the back. I also have a Garmin 188C GPS. I recall someone saying you have to register maybe :huh:

:thumbsup: thanks
 
You have to connect the gps to vhf I got this off raymarines web site

Ray 53 VHF Radio NMEA Input Wiring

Question
What are the proper wiring connections for the Ray 53 VHF radio's NMEA interface? I would like to connect it to my GPS, and utilize its Digital Select Calling (DSC) features.



Answer
The Ray 53's NMEA 0183 input is located within its power cable assembly. The color coding on this wiring harness is as follows:

Red: DC Input (+)
Black: DC Input (-)
Purple: NMEA 0183 IN (+)
Blue: NMEA 0183 IN (-)
Yellow: External Speaker (+)
Green: External speaker (-)



In some very early Ray 53 VHF radios, the position of the blue and purple NMEA 0183 wires was accidentally reversed during manufacturing. If your Ray 53 radio fails to receive a valid NMEA 0183 signal from your NMEA GPS receiver, try swapping the purple and blue NMEA IN wires. Operating the system with these wires reversed would not cause to damage to either the radio or the NMEA device.

When the Ray 53 is receiving valid NMEA data, the NMEA indicator will be displayed on the Ray 53's LCD display.



If the indicator does not appear, or disappears you should check to make sure the GPS is transmitting data, and try reversing the NMEA leads.

I hope this helps..
 
I struggled with the same issue, different brand names. If you're not a whiz at this stuff, you may want to ask your local marine electronics shop to help you out. I spent an entire season trying to trouble-shoot why my Northstar NS100 SS radio and a Lowrance LMS-337C DF Sonar/GPS wouldn't communicate. I tried updating software, reading the manual, checking connections -- even asked my dealer to trouble-shoot the issue. No one could figure it out.

When I finally contacted a marine electronics shop, they emailed me a list of configuration/wiring settings to double-check. You guessed it. A well hidden configuration option was set incorrectly. You may be able to save yourself some time and headaches by going to a local expert first. :thumbsup:
 
You need to hook up the Data + wire from the garmin to the NMEA IN + on the VHF. Then hook the garmin ground (black) to the NMEA IN - on the VHF. I don't have manuals in front of me to list wire color, but colors are described in your manuals, just apply it to the instructions above.
 
KevinReston said:
I recall someone saying you have to register maybe :huh:


You don't need to register to connect the wires between your Radio and GPS....as stated above, you will need the manuals for both equipment to find the correct colors to attach.....

You will, however, need to register for an MMSI# in order for the DSC radio to transmit your position and personal information to another DSC radio or in case of emergency to the USCG.....

If you are a BoatUS member, go to their site and register for free......
 
admin said:
You need to hook up the Data + wire from the garmin to the NMEA IN + on the VHF. Then hook the garmin ground (black) to the NMEA IN - on the VHF. I don't have manuals in front of me to list wire color, but colors are described in your manuals, just apply it to the instructions above.

The Data+ wires on the Garmin are labeled NMEA/OUT. I recommend using the COM2 connection (as opposed to COM1) as it is less likely to conflict with another device/useage. That would be the green wire on the Garmin side. It is pin 14.

As Thunderbird said, you will need to check your settings on the GPS. On the Setup menu select COMM and make sure that the COM2 setting is NMEA In/NMEA Out.
 
Thanks guys! I'll have to take a closer look when I'm down there. I suspect I may enlist the help of a Professional, I'm okay wiring stereos but that's about the extent of my ability.
 

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