Raymarine Classic C-80 To connecting Pathfinder Smart Heading System Gyro Plus 2

[tomk]

Hello was wondering I if I can connect the Pathfinder smart heading System with the Gyro Plus 2 for the electronic Compass to the Classic C-80 Chart Plotter ,Radar thru the NMEA 183 or Sea Talk is it Compatible ? Thanks in Advance Tom

 

[tomk]

Hello was wondering I if I can connect the Pathfinder smart heading System with the Gyro Plus 2 for the electronic Compass to the Classic C-80 Chart Plotter ,Radar thru the NMEA 183 or Sea Talk is it Compatible ? Thanks in Advance Tom

 

[Creekwood]

I just did it about 3 weeks ago!. I bought a used Smartheading Gyro2 and a compass and installed it. So yes you can. I posted a similar question to you and got no replies. So you are in LUCK!

I have a C-80 classic, Raystar GPS, DSM300 sonar, and Raymarine radome. The C-80 MFD is tied to a ICOM DSC VHF (via NMEA 0183). I delayed updating my C-80 software to latest version because Raymarine killed radar chart overlay on any software after 4.29. But I need new charts and Navionics upgrades require the new MFD software, So its time. So I bought a used Smart Heading Sensor and fluxgate compass.

The Smartheading manual is on Raymarine's website as is the C-80 installation manual. Its helpful. Some tips:

1. Make sure you separate the fluxgate compass from the Smartheading unit. The manual says 9 inches, but I think you should move it further. The compass should be far away from the unit an anything iron or magnetic. I did some trial and error and I may move it again I am still at 12 degrees of correction on callibration. Not a big deal but bugs me.

2. You connect the Smartheading to the Seatalk (Seatalk1) cable to the C80, as well as NMEA 0183 inputs on the C80. Seatalk is a low tech system and you can splice in to the existing Seatalk wire, which was connected to the GPS antennae on mine. I just spliced in the feed from the Smartheading sensor to the Seatalk wire ends with butt connecters (two wires in one side of the butt connector). I was not clear if that would work, but it does. No fancy Raymarie hardware needed.

3. On mine the NMEA wire to the back of the C80 was connected to my ICOM VHF, both the in and the out. I did not need to have the NMEA out on the VHF, so I cut the NMEA "in" pair of wires on the end of the cable to the C80 and connected them to the Smartheading sensor.

4. I did not need all of the long wiring on the compass, so rather than coiling it or throwing it away, I actually used the excess to wire from the dash down to where the smartheading sensor is mounted. This is including the power that I pull from the Seatalk wire on the C80. That wire is light gauge, but since it is a short run, it works fine. Its shielded too, so I think that is good. Some day I will probably run a dedicated power feed to the heading sensor, rather than using the red in the old compass wire, but it works for now.

5. Now the challenge is to upgrade the C80 software and my charts. I need a blank CompartFlash card in a size less than 2GB for the C80 (the 4.29 software I have now wont allow more than 2GB cards. The old smaller CF cards are not sold anywhere except on line and there are not that many out there. I paid more for a 128MB Sandisk card on line than I would pay for a much larger one at BestBuy. Once it arrives I will upgrade it all and my system will be 100% into the early 2000's!

 

[tomk]

Thanks Creekwood I Am Going to give that a Try as soon as work cooperates an gives me some time Off I will keep you posted tomk