VHF with Position Reporting...HOW?

[hbishop3]

Help! Just bought a new VHF radio and it has a NMEA input for position reporting from a GPS. I have a Garmin GPS antenna for the Garmin nav computer, so connected the GPS antenna NMEA out wire directly to the VHF radio NMEA in wire (GPS antenna direct to the radio) and...no position found. The nav computer is seeing a position just fine from the antenna.

Ideas? Do I have to take the nav computer out wire and connect it to the radio instead (have the position calculated by the Garmin)?

Thanks! Bud

 

[hbishop3]

VHF Position Reporting

I bought the VHF with a button that sends a position report in distress; but when I hooked the GPS antenna wire to the VHF radio GPS wire, nothing happened? Do I need to connect it to the Garmin Nav display instead? [also posted in Gen Discussion]

Thx!

 

[Nehalennia]

Re: VHF Position Reporting

The connection is not through the antenna. It is through the NMEA wiring. There is NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. Depending on your GPS and VHF you will need to read the two manuals to see how they are terminated. Once connected properly and depending on the features of your GPS and VHF you may be able to request and send the information of your friends with similar set ups.

 

[hbishop3]

Re: VHF Position Reporting

Ok, I'll check again. The GPS Antenna came with a cable of about seventeen wires, two are labeled NMEA IN/OUT, two are labeled COM1 IN/OUT, and two have COM2 IN/OUT. It is an Icom Radio, and it has NMEA IN/OUT wires as well. The Garmin computer/nav has a cable, but not too many wires. The Icom is NMEA 2000. Perhaps there is a radio menu setup step I haven't completed...

 

[Asureyez]

Re: VHF Position Reporting

This depends upon some what type of GPS antenna you have. If the antenna has the GPS internal to the antenna, then it has a NMEA cable wiring running from the antenna to the instrument panel. The signal data runs from the antenna to the plotter head, or a head unit. If that antenna was wired to the NEMA connections on the radio, you should have picked up POS. If the signal goes to another head unit you would then wire your radio in to the NMEA bridge. If you do not have Raymarine, then there maybe slight variances.

If your antenna is vintage (passive), then you will need to get your NEMA from the Bridge as the only option.

 

[Odyssey]

Yes to your last question, the position information that is sent to the VHF comes from the chartplotter, not the antenna.

 

[nymonymgr]

Bingo Odyssey!!

I have a Northstar VHF in my '08 330DA. Lat/Long shows up only when my Raymarine C80 is fired up. You need to see if your Garmin NAV has an additional output that can be plugged directly in to your radio.

 

[Odyssey]

I would think it has that output. My Raymarine L760 had it. I went through this same thing as I just upgraded my VHF.

 

[chuck1]

Duplicate threads moved and merged.

 

[Iprof]

Re: VHF Position Reporting

Ok, I'll check again. The GPS Antenna came with a cable of about seventeen wires, two are labeled NMEA IN/OUT, two are labeled COM1 IN/OUT, and two have COM2 IN/OUT. It is an Icom Radio, and it has NMEA IN/OUT wires as well. The Garmin computer/nav has a cable, but not too many wires. The Icom is NMEA 2000. Perhaps there is a radio menu setup step I haven't completed...

You will use your NMEA 0183 out on the GPS and connect it to the NMEA 0183 in on the radio. The radio also has a MNEA 0183 out in case you need to connect something else up through the NMEA 0183. I also had to go into my set-up on the GPS and turn on the NMEA 0183 out.
It works great once you get it set-up you can send your position to your friends through their radio. There is no test for the red button, the distress button you push.

Ken

 

[Mr Salt]

I have older Raymarine equipment and had to purchase an inface box wo link the Chartplotter to the VHF and to the computer for passing routes from the computer to the chartplotter. It workd great