Help! Need Raymarine Nmea0183 Bridge Converter E85001

[Tiemates]

I have Raymarine ST60 instruments and want to add a new AIS transponder with wifi to broadcast all nmea data to an iPad running iSailor. But without spending a fortune for a multiplexer, I can't interface the SeaTalk1 to NMEA0183. Anyone have a working Raymarine converter kicking around? Cost?

[smac999]

setalk to seatalkng (nmea2000) is easy. raymarine still makes the part. the ais is probably nmea2000 anyways?...

[muttnik]

Raymarine don't sell the E85001 any more but they do come up on ebay as people retire their st50/st60s. If you have a Raymarine plotter many (all?) of those with a seatalk-1 interface will bridge seatalk data to NMEA-0183. My AIS is connected via NMEA-0183 to a C90W plotter. I currently have the plotter 38400 baud output split between the AIS unit (which actually only cares about the proprietary sentences to turn silent mode on/off) and a serial-to-usb dongle connected to a raspberry pi. The plotter converts my ST50 seatalk stuff to NMEA and the pi sends it out over wireless. Don't know if all Raymarine plotters do this bridging by my 25 year old ST50 Navcenter did it too.

If you don't have Raymarine plotter (or don't want to leave it turned on) there are 3rd party (mainly hobbyist) converters, e.g.:
www.gadgetpool.de - Die Homepage

...or for a more expensive option there's a number of NMEA multiplexers which have seatalk input and conversion (Brookhouse,SHipmodul etc.).

Note that the non-Raymarine ones *I think* are all based around similar reverse engineering/observations rather than official specs and may not convert as many sentences as the E85001, but I suspect they'll do the ones most people are interested in.

[Tiemates]

I've been checking eBay but no luck so far. The multiplexers are ok but pretty expensive for what I need. The forum looked like a great last resort in case someone is upgrading and can sell me their Raymarine bridge.

[Sandero]

The electronic manufacturers are creating new products with better displays and more features most of which one doesn't need. This is much like the "development" of things like MS Office. Who needs all the advanced features and tools in the latest and greatest? I have found that some ancient versions of these programs have more than enough tools and bells and whistles for my needs. So there is no need to upgrade. Of course MS stops supporting the old versions and so you often are forced to buy the upgrade. When it is a new OS upgrade you often have to upgade all your software.

Admittedly the new products outshine the oldies... but you pay dearly for this. I've been using a 30 yr old B&G suite and it works fine... I have had a slew of position "fixers" beginning with LoranC and stand alone GPS and now have a on old Ray MFD which is starting to show wear. Connected to it is a radar so the upgrade will be spendy and likely an N2K system and new wire and cockpit repeaters and on and on.

I recently bought a B&G Zeus Touch which is "portable" with a self contained antenna for GPS ... and sits in a winch under the dodger. It's stand alone without any other inputs. Very handy and I don't use the Ray anymore... except to set a waypoint and get the course data from it on the cockpit repeaters.

When the ray dies I will have to bite the bullet with a new N2K suite with radar, cockpit displays and so forth. I am thinking about another Nav station mounted Zeus.

[J Clark H356]

Another option would be to buy a DigitalYacht IAIS unit. Connect to your VHF and then use INavX for you IPad Nav program. You can change your IAIS to transmit to multiple IPhones/IPad using UDP setting. I did that and have wifi AIS as described. Works really good and is available on my IPhone and IPad. The IPad provides the GPS so no need for NEMA data. The IAIS unit outputs a USB connection too and I use Raytech to display Class A signals on my laptop at the Nav Station. Get a splitter for your VHF.

I have also looked for a Raymarine converter so I could use a newer laptop with Raytech and display my Radar and sonar. The system I have uses a serial to USB and a box that uses a PCMCIA card. No way to get a laptop or computer that will display that data that I have found. I have a 2003 Pathfinder system. Have not been successful in finding one either.


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[Truemettle]

I have both the Raymarine Seatalk to Nmea/serial and the Brookhouse MUX. The Brookhouse has many good features like built in Wifi. Converts to Nmea from Seatalk
And can have multiple nmea Talkers.

[Sailingmartin]

Like J Clark I have Digital Yacht AIS broadcasting wifi AIS data to laptop, iPhone and iPad as it has a built in multiplexer. Works perfectly with iNavX and MacEnc but can't say with what else. The missing link is Seatalk depth and wind data from ST60 instruments and if you find a source of E85001s or equivalent let me know as I would like one as well.


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[AnchorageGuy]

Tiemates, I have already had one Seatalk to NMEA converter fail and another didn't work out of the box. This was to connect out ST60 to our AIS. The first one worked for over a year and then just quit. I would consider another option. Chuck

[Tiemates]

Thanks everyone. Looks like a Brookhouse multiplexer is the best fit for me.

[barnakiel]

85001 does not take 38400 data neither does it take rs422 data (should your AIS be Vw+/Ve- styled (RS422).

The wifi box built by our Swedish colleague claims to both multiplex data and to accept RS232 and/or 422. So look up his website perhaps. Similar to brookhouse but inexpensive.

vYacht Yacht automation

There is an earlier thread where this box and a couple of other options have been discussed.

b.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by smac999

setalk to seatalkng (nmea2000) is easy. raymarine still makes the part. the ais is probably nmea2000 anyways?...

This is the easiest way - convert it to Nmea 2000, not 0183. Bet your AIS loves Nmea 2000

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

85001 does not take 38400 data neither does it take rs422 data (should your AIS be Vw+/Ve- styled (RS422).

If I parsed the OP correctly it doesn't have to. Tiemates intends to buy an AIS transponder with wifi which implies something like the vesper, so the task is converting existing seatalk-1 to NMEA for input into the AIS/wifi unit (which should accept 4800 baud if it's a vesper). Could be wrong...

Originally Posted by Tiemates

I have Raymarine ST60 instruments and want to add a new AIS transponder with wifi to broadcast all nmea data to an iPad running iSailor.

[the_alpine]

Did you make any progess?

[diegokid]

Tie mates do you still need a E85001. I have a NIB one.