NMEA 0183 Experiences (Part 1)

I have had all the part recently but haven't pulled them together until this last weekend.   But at least I start to.  I purchased a new Standard Horizon GX2150 which combines a hailer, fog signals, VHF w/DSC and an AIS receiver all in one unit.   The problem with it is it does have the GPS connected.  The carolmarie came with a Standard Horizon CP170C chart plotter and a AutoHelm 3000 autopilot.   Along the way I picked a Digital Yacht NMEA Adapter f/PC which connects your PC into the NMEA 0183 interface through a USB 2.0 port.

So with a little thought I sketch out the connectivity plan to be able to read the AIS on the face of the GX2150, use the DSC features, connect my MacBook Pro into the GPS to plot using Charts&Tides software.  I wanted to be able to upload waypoints to the CP170C, and then use the AutoHelm to control steerage to the waypoint.  With those specifications in mind I laid out the schematic shown below.

I next recruited Kevin Rhodes, long time sailing crew member and personal friend to help with the implementation.  The one thing I forgot when we reached the boat was the beautiful schematic above.  As great engineers we quickly found that if we mapped it out on a terminal block I could always go back and make adjustments to add elements or move them later.  Our goal then changed to just be able to connect the VHF/AIS to the CP170C.

The first step was to remove the CP170 from the wall mounting done by the previous owner.

Hole where the CP170C fits in the navigation station

CP170c out on the table

We used an eight conductor shielded cable to connect the GX2150 to a terminal block behind the wall of the navigation station.   

Eight line shielded cable connection from the GX2150

At the other end of the conductors we attached 24 AWG gauge ANCOR terminal connectors.  

Once this was done we mounted a Blue Sea Systems 30 Amp Terminal Block with 8 pairs on it behind the navigation station wall.  The terminals where then plugged in to match the schematic, and we mounted the CP170C back into it's place.

With a couple of key strokes on the GX2150 it suddenly began reporting coordinates and AIS received signals for up to 15 miles away.  There is more to come on this story as I next try to connect the Macbook Pro into the system and get the autopilot connected.  stay tuned....