Maretron DSM-250 Woes

[Dockhead]

I bought my Maretron DSM250 for a couple of different reasons. For one thing, it's the only device that can set up a number of Maretron devices on my network (engine monitor system; temp system; fuel flow). But mainly I bought it because of the awesome weather screen, which gives ground wind speed and direction on a compass rose (!), zulu time, date, outside temp, inside temp, humidity, sunrise, sunset, barometric pressure, and a barograph! All on one screen.

The only problem is that Ground Wind needs COG and SOG! So at anchor or at a dock -- the main time when you're watching the weather screen -- it doesn't display ground wind! This is truly bollocks -- if there is 0 COG and 0 SOG then you're tied to the ground in some way, so ipso facto, heading is your direction reference and 0 is your speed reference -- duh! Why didn't Maretron program this device like that?

Anyone else encounter this problem? Anyone have any workaround?

[colemj]

Can't you just use apparent wind for that case?

Mark

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by colemj

Can't you just use apparent wind for that case?

Mark

Sure -- apparent, ground, and true wind are all the same at the dock.

The problem is displaying it. I need it on a compass rose, referenced to compass direction, not to the bow of the boat. In short -- I would really like for the Maretron screen to work the way it's supposed to..

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The problem is displaying it. I need it on a compass rose, referenced to compass direction, not to the bow of the boat. In short -- I would really like for the Maretron screen to work the way it's supposed to..

This is a software issue, plain and simple. Write up your requirements, and describe how you think it should look and work, what sort of settings/controls would have to be added or changed, and send it off to Maretron. It would also be a big help if you can show them that their competitors have already addressed this requirement in some fashion.

The better your case, and the more detail you can provide, the more they will understand and value your input... and it could find its way onto the new features list for the next software upgrade.

[hellosailor]

What Lake-Effect said.

This is just sophomoric programming, whoever wrote it didn't anticipate the case where those values would be zero. One could argue that the existing program is defective, since it does not function in a normal situation.

And the fix will be a new software or firmware flash, or a new chip. Requiring new code. You may be the only person on this planet to ever have that complaint. Or, they may already have a software update available because they're aware of the problem.

Somehow I suspect that's not news to you?

[colemj]

I think you have something wrong. We don't have a DSM-250 physical unit, but we do have the virtual DSM-250 via the N2KAnalyzer software on a PC. This software is a virtual instrument that, for all intents and purposes, seems to be completely identical to a physical unit. Everything that can be done and shown on a physical unit seems to be reflected identically on this virtual unit.

So I fired it up while at the dock with SOG=0 and COG=(some various random direction), and it gave me perfect ground wind on the compass rose. That ground wind was the apparent wind, and the virtual instrument had no problem switching to it and displaying it in the relevant graphics.

It seems strange that the virtual instrument software is different than the actual instrument software.

Mark

[hellosailor]

"It seems strange that the virtual instrument software is different than the actual instrument software."

Or, your virtual instrument contains a later version of the firmware, after the problem affecting an older physical box was fixed. Could be?

[smac999]

do you have a heading sensor? otherwise the direction is not going to work while not moving.

maybe cole does and you don't