Transfer routes to a Raymarine RL80C

[timjet]

I have a Raymarine RL80C that uses HSB 1. The unit uses the older C-Map NT cards not the NT + cards. It also does not have the ability to read from a C-Map card reader but it is able to receive routes via NEMA 0183 and a hard wired connection from a PC.

Has anybody been successful in tranferring routes from OpenCPN or other PC software charting program to a chart plotter via NEMA 0183.

My understanding is that I will need to get a USB to Serial adapter and then hardware this to my RL 80C which I have gotten the instruction from raymarine.

 

[alnav]

I had the same system as you on a previous boat and used to connect a laptop running RayMarine software. It worked fine both ways, transferred waypoints and routes to the system and also acted as a chartplotter. I believe you now have to buy the full version of the Raymarine software to get that capability and it costs upwards of $600, not sure I'd recommend that to you but you might try to find an earlier version for sale. I would think any software that's NMEA 0183 interface capable would work. It's not clear from your post that you have this, but the connection was through a Raymarine Seatalk-NMEA converter box with a serial cable that attached to the laptop.

 

[timjet]

Al,
I just talked to a Raymarine tech and he said pretty much what you said, you have to buy the licensed version of Raymarine's software to get the capability of sending data via NEMA 0183.

However I can use OpenCPN and send routes using a serial cable from my laptop to my plotter. OpenCPN does send NEMA 0183, but the plotter will only accept 0183 data ver 2.1. I'm trying to determine if OpenCPN sends NEMA data in that version.

Having older equipment and trying to get it to work for things it was never intended is a bit frustrating.