Lowrance HDS 5 Gen2 to Icom 411 DSC impossible!!

[Mike1956]

Please prove me wrong.

Thanks

Mike

[blubaju]

Originally Posted by Mike1956

Please prove me wrong.



Thanks



Mike

Check the compatibility of the nmea sentences. Icom is very selective and different icom models require different nmea sentences, guess how I came to know! I bought a multiplexer with translation capabilities.

[Bycrick]

I’m not sure what your specific problem is, but Blubaju is right. For example, if you’re trying to get GPS data from the HDS 5 to the 411, you’ll find that some of the Icom radios required that the RMC sentence to be exactly “$GPRMC”. If the sentence was fed from an N2K converter ($IIRMC) or repeated from an autopilot ($APRMC) it wouldn’t work. Don’t ask how many hours it took to find this out.

[Mike1956]

Thanks to you both,

So it is NOT a simple issue!.

In fact I have found contradictory instructions regarding which wires to connect but have tried all combinations. I also discovered I need to enable NMEA on my Lowrance HDS 5 which was switched off. Nothing I have tried has worked yet. I am aware I have read which sentences are used for communicating but did not pay much attention, assumed there might have been a degree of compatibility built in. Will need to have study.

Mike

[Mike1956]

Just fished my ICOM IC-M411 manual out.

"Connects to a GPS receiver for position indication.
A NMEA0183 ver. 2.0 or 3.01 (sentence formatters RMC, GGA, GNS, GLL) compatible GPS receiver is required. Ask your dealer about suitable GPS receivers."

Mike

[svmobert]

Originally Posted by Mike1956

Please prove me wrong.

Thanks

Mike

Without connecting the plotter to a computer or device and monitoring the output it's hard to know for sure which NMEA sentence prefixes it is sending.. As others have mentioned, if the sentences are GPGLL or similar, the Icom 411 will accept those messages. If they are ECGLL, etc.. then the Icom will ignore them.

However, you first need to make sure that HDS5 is setup properly.

HDS5 Installation Manual - Page 30
Icom ic-M411 User Manual - Page 42

1.) Pick one of the two ports to use for this (port 1 or port 2) for HDS... Looks like HDS5 units only have 1 port)

2.) Identify the positive and negative TX/Output wire on the Gen5 that corresponds to that port, and make sure they are wired to the corresponding RX/Input wires on the 411.

HDS5 - (On the power/data cable)
TX+ = Yellow
TX- = Blue

IC-M411 - (The wire on back of radio without a connector)
RX+ = Center Wire
RX- = Outer Shield

HDS5 User Manual - Page 107

3.) Set the HDS5 Port to NMEA or RS422 (not RS232)
4.) Set the HDS5 port to 4800 Speed (NOT 38400)

HDS5 User Manual - page 108

5.) Enable the GLL and GGA sentences to be output (Page 108 of the User manual) Note: HDS5 does not seem to support RMC and GNS (per Installation Guide)


Assuming you've done all of the above, and verified the settings.. If it doesn't work, it's likely that the issue is the NMEA0183 sentences are being "bridged" or converted from NMEA2000 inside the HDS5, and the prefix is not GP. If you have any other source of GPS, you may be better off trying to get the data directly from the other device (such as an AIS Transponder if you have one, but of course there may be configuration complexities there too.)

[Mike1956]

Originally Posted by Sea-TechSystems

Without connecting the plotter to a computer or device and monitoring the output it's hard to know for sure which NMEA sentence prefixes it is sending.. As others have mentioned, if the sentences are GPGLL or similar, the Icom 411 will accept those messages. If they are ECGLL, etc.. then the Icom will ignore them.

However, you first need to make sure that HDS5 is setup properly.

HDS5 Installation Manual - Page 30
Icom ic-M411 User Manual - Page 42

1.) Pick one of the two ports to use for this (port 1 or port 2) for HDS... Looks like HDS5 units only have 1 port)

2.) Identify the positive and negative TX/Output wire on the Gen5 that corresponds to that port, and make sure they are wired to the corresponding RX/Input wires on the 411.

HDS5 - (On the power/data cable)
TX+ = Yellow
TX- = Blue

IC-M411 - (The wire on back of radio without a connector)
RX+ = Center Wire
RX- = Outer Shield

HDS5 User Manual - Page 107

3.) Set the HDS5 Port to NMEA or RS422 (not RS232)
4.) Set the HDS5 port to 4800 Speed (NOT 38400)

HDS5 User Manual - page 108

5.) Enable the GLL and GGA sentences to be output (Page 108 of the User manual) Note: HDS5 does not seem to support RMC and GNS (per Installation Guide)


Assuming you've done all of the above, and verified the settings.. If it doesn't work, it's likely that the issue is the NMEA0183 sentences are being "bridged" or converted from NMEA2000 inside the HDS5, and the prefix is not GP. If you have any other source of GPS, you may be better off trying to get the data directly from the other device (such as an AIS Transponder if you have one, but of course there may be configuration complexities there too.)

Thank you Richard,

Cannot believe you have spent so much time trying to solve this for me, it is very much appreciated. Although I am not at the boat at the moment I have made notes and can confirm I have the wires connected correctly. This is good!.

However the protocol is RS232. This is not good!.

I have no idea what the BAUD rate is set to but by default I think it will be 38,400. This also not good!.

Armed with this additional info I now feel I have a very good chance of getting this sorted. Will be going to the boat in the next day or two. Will let you know how I get on.

In fact I do not have a hard copy of the manual for this set (HDS5) and have downloaded the USER MANUAL and was unaware there was a separate INSTALLATION MANUAL. The installation manual does make one or two things clear to which you refer.

Thanks again

Mike

[continuouswave]

Regarding what particular NMEA-0183 sentences can be used by ICOM radios: I would not rely on either the ICOM literature or the ICOM technicians.

With my ICOM IC M401 radio I found that there was NO MENTION in the literature about a particular sentence, and that the only NMEA-0183 sentence that worked was $GPGGA.

ICOM technicians told me this was not true, but extensive experimentation showed it to be correct. Try $GPGGA with your ICOM.

Some other suggestions for older ICOM radios can be found at:

ICOM IC-M402: Rehabilitating an older VHF Marine Band Radio
ICOM IC-M402 Radio Rehabilitation - CONTINUOUSWAVE

[continuouswave]

Originally Posted by Mike1956

...I have found contradictory instructions regarding which wires to connect...

For advice on making NMEA-0183 connections, including much specific information about specific devices, see

NMEA-0183 Interface Data Collection - CONTINUOUSWAVE

[Mike1956]

Thank you CONTINUOUSWAVE,

I was sailing yesterday and did have a few minutes checking the settings suggested by Sea Techsystems and to my surprise the settings on the Lowrance HDS 5 were correct. I will have another look when I have more time but it is clear there is no simple solution.

I have emailed Navico (agents for Lowrance in UK) and they advise they have not tested the particular combination I have but the blue and yellow wires should provide the information required by the Icom VHF. If only it was that simple.

Will have a study at the links you have provided and will advise of progress (if any) in due course.

Mike

[Mike1956]

UPDATE....

As well as posting on here I have been communicating with Navico (UK agent for Lowrance) and they have advised the HDS 5 may require a software update. Will be getting round to this as soon as I have chance and will advise of any progress.

Thanks all

Mike

[Mike1956]

Further update....

I checked the date/time on my HDS 5 yesterday and it was incorrect. The year is 2099. Navico/Lowrance advises a software update

HTTPS://downloads.lowrance.com/softw...ex.html?r=1887

Apart from the issue with the communication with the VHF for DSC the set works perfectly, it does everything the way I like it and I would not wish to change this.

The update is 133Mb and will take me an hour to download. I am concerned once installed on my HDS 5 the units functionality will have changed.

Any advice/reassurance.

Thanks

Mike

[nottingham82]

Thanks for this thread. I used the information posted by Mike1956 to hook a HDS 7 gen 3 to a an Icom IC-402S. I'm posting here so it comes up in other's searches if they need it. I used a yellow video rca plug I had laying around to connect to the icom.

HDS7 - ICOM 402
Yellow - RCA center pin
Blue - RCA outer pin

Plugged in and icom says 'gps'. Double checked it was outputing the right location in the menu. HDS7 gen 3 didnt need any tweeking. It defaulted to the correct nmea 0183 sentences and baud rate of 4200.


Went to boating us and got my mmsi number and I feel a lot safer on the water now. Thanks Mike