NMEA Network

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

I'd love to be able to interrogate my wind sensor from home. See if it's worth driving over there to go sailing!

you can do this now. Maretron makes several n2k bridges one to wifi, one to a web server that would work. The hangup I guess it that you have to have internet on your boat and leave the sensors powered up 24/7.

[CarinaPDX]

Colemj: Yes, I have been keeping in mind what you said about the depth sounder sensor being calibrated. And I believed you. I just couldn't find the PGN that does it. Or which sensors support it. I have now confirmed that the Airmar smart depth sensors have this capability - in the following Maretron release (which is what MarkSF just asked for) and the list of supported products (attached). It confirms that the DSM250 can calibrate the sensor, and also the N2Kanalyzer through Maretron's USB100 (but apparently not the widely used Actisense gateway). Now if we can get a list from Airmar showing displays and software that supports calibrating their sensors... (And I can find the PGN)

[MarkSF]

"The correction for speed is usually a simple multiplier. Certainly Lowrance understands this, and I would be shocked if it weren't implemented in this MFD."

Prepare to be shocked.

Here is Lowrance's response :

"We do not have the ability to calibrate that device via NMEA-2000, we can only calibrate our devices over the network."

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

"The correction for speed is usually a simple multiplier. Certainly Lowrance understands this, and I would be shocked if it weren't implemented in this MFD."

Prepare to be shocked.

Here is Lowrance's response :

"We do not have the ability to calibrate that device via NMEA-2000, we can only calibrate our devices over the network."

Exactly what I wrote and thought. Vote with your wallets !

ciao!
Nick.

[CarinaPDX]

Shocked in several ways. That is the most nonsensical quote I have seen for awhile. They don't have the ability to calibrate via N2K, only over the network??? What network would that be? N2K? I guess they are not spending much on customer support...

[MarkSF]

So it seems that at this stage it would cost me about the same :

To can the Lowrance HDS-5M (sell it on Ebay) and buy a Garmin 546 chartplotter.

To keep the Lowrance and buy a Garmin GMI-10.

The problem with the HDS is that things that are important to a cruising sailor are not mentioned at all and/or are an afterthought.

Try this. Download the Garmin 546 manual and look in the index for a) AIS b) DSC and C) Calibrate paddle speed. There are useful sections explaining the AIS and DSC features.

Now try the same with the Lowrance. There is no mention at all in the index of the above. No mention of the DSC capabilities. Virtually no info about the AIS ones.

This device has fallen well short of my expectations so far.

[CarinaPDX]

Pretty disappointing ... sorry 'bout that.

Then you didn't buy the radar scanner? If you had, I think it would work with the Simrad MFDs.

Good Luck,

Greg

[MarkSF]

I think I'll get the GMI-10. An extra display of data would be cool anyway. But the Lowrance is on borrowed time, it's going to get replaced next time I have a birthday

[Ziggy]

I think you'll like the GMI-10. We like ours.