GPS for my VHF Radio

[jono63812]

I have a A65 Raymarine chart plotter, it's old but works fine, it has the GPS antenna linked directly to it, providing position etc just fine, but I want to run the position to my DSC silva S15 radio which has a GPS antenna port. I can't figure out what I need, Is there a splitter cable, or a cable that leaves the chartplotter that goes to the radio sending the GPS signal. I can't figure it out what I need, surely I do not need to by a new GPS antenna to go to the VHF Radio, 1 antenna must be able to send position to both the radio and the chart plotter.

Thanks for your help.

[meridian28]

Since you say it is old is the gps active or passive?


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[model 10]

It's probably a NEMA 0183 signal so just split the 2 wires There is usually enough power to supply 3 devices.

[Shawn67]

It does not look like your VHF has a GPS receiver in it. So splitting the antenna would not work. The VHF does have NMEA input though and your A65 has NMEA output so you can easily do what you want.

Page 46 of the Silva manual shows the NMEA connection.

http://www.bluemoment.com/manuals/silva_s15.pdf

The red wire there (GPS +) is the NMEA input on your VHF.

Your A65 has a NMEA connector on the back. See page 18

https://raymarine.app.box.com/s/0ka2...3/3358759076/1

Connect the NMEA VE+ OUTPUT on the A65 (pin 3, yellow) to the NMEA INPUT on your radio. You might need to connect the NMEA Grounds on both devices together but it may work without doing that. Just be sure in the A65 you have it set to output NMEA sentences RMA, GGA and GLL if available. You can turn everything else off as the Silva only knows those three sentences.

Shawn

[clownfishsydney]

Page 18 of the installation manual has details of in and out NMEA for the A65. Yellow is +ve and brown is -ve. All you need to do is wire these to the NMEA in of the radio. You could also wire the out of the radio to the in of the A65 and you should be able to plot automatically any position requests you make to other boats.

[S/V Alchemy]

Much as I admire sailorly frugality, you could just get a new VHF base station that will give you GPS, AIS and other handy functions. I am very happy with my SH GX2200, although the ICOM 604(?) is equally capable.

They've been out for a couple of years and you might find them on sale: The world encompassed: The new VHF is a MMSI affair

I'm running the NMEA outputs to a netbook with OpenCPN on it, by the way. Same results as you want, but the plotter is off the radio, not the other way around.