Standard Horizon CP190i: NMEA data page?

[CO32_Tazling]

Ahoy mates

After long dithering I purchased a CP190i as the "indoor" GPS to back up my much-loved hand-held Garmin.

The 190i, unpacked, looks good -- compact, internal antenna, simple to install. But in reading the manual I've come across something disturbing and not sure I want to install it (and possibly render it unreturnable) without inquiring further.

The disturbing thing is that the page which displays only course and speed info in a huge font [knotmeter page: all the GPS units I've used offer one or a similar "zoom view" of selected fields, very handy for racing or sail trim, and visible from the helm] is described in the manual as the "NMEA DATA" page, and the manual implies that this page only displays data from external NMEA devices.

So this seems very odd -- why would a GPS unit need *another* external GPS unit to send it speed data over NMEA? As fate would have it, the page I *most* want on the internal GPS is a giant easy-to-read knotmeter.

What immediately occurs to me -- if this weirdness is actually true and not just a translation or scribal error in the manual -- is to wire the unit's own NMEA send to its receive, trying to fool it into reading its own NMEA output. But I'm not familiar enough with NMEA to know whether I can get away with this (this is my first modern GPS).

If anyone who has a Standard Horizon GPS in this family can comment on the "NMEA DATA" page and whether it's possible to display the unit's own data, I'd very much like to know before I install it and cut cables to length :-)

thanks

de
JJT Contessa 32 "Tazling"
North Desolation Sound
BC Canada

[Boracay]

We've a CP300i and it has given sterling service over the last few years.

Our unit give a mostly reliable speed reading (unless it looses sight of too many southern hemisphere satellites...) and, mounted near the helm gives essential information that stops my forward motion from becoming zero (don't ask).

I will admit that my old Uniden GPS has a more legible display. Maybe keep your old Garmin in view also for a visible speed display?

I do seem to recall something in the manual about the unit needing input from an electronic compass for some radar functions. I have not found this to be a problem in practice but we hardly ever use the radar.

[irwin37]

Why not call them. I suspect the NEMA speed data that it expects to see is knot log data from a paddle wheel. GPS will give you speed over the ground but not speed through the water. Currents drift and such affect your speed through the water a lot.

[StandardHorizon]

CO32_Tazling,

The CP190i has an NMEA Data page and a NMEA Display page.

The NMEA Data page (page 90 in manual) will display the NMEA raw data being received, this page is a diagnostics page.

The NMEA Display page (page 89 in manual) is capable of displaying information in the customizable data windows from external NMEA 0183 devices. Depth Sounder, Speed Log with temp, Wind Speed and direction, Flux gate compass, and GPS information can be shown in any of the boxes. When going to a destination, this screen is useful to navigate as to get to the destination keep the Course Over Ground (COG) and Bearing (BRG) figures the same.

The NMEA sentences read from external devices are: BWC, DSC, DSE, GGA, GLL, GSA,
GSV, HDG, HDM, HDT, RMC, VHW, VTG, DPT, DBT, MTW, VWR, VWT, TLL, WPL, RTE.

http://www.standardhorizon.com/downl...pplication/pdf