Old Chartplotter Turned into GPS...?

[Jack Eboat]

Dear,


I am in a bit of a puzzeled situation! I bought this old gamin gps map 205 which is intended to be chartplotter only. However the former owner told me that you can connect an antena (coax) to one of the cables directly to nmea and that the instrument can be used as a gps. For some reason I am not sure whether I have been tricked or not? Haven't had time yet to really dive into it! Anyhow when I bought the chartplotter he also added the antenna and the coax cable to the package.


More I am reading about coax cables and connections the more I am thinking that it's not possible to do what I describe above...???

If you have any knowledge about this please let me know. Ohh and soldering the wires together is that an option?

Thanks!

J.E.

[CharlzO]

Well, the idea is that you would need the GPS so the plotter could accurately show your location, otherwise all you would have is electronic charts at best. The owner's manual for the MAP 205 shows that the GPS unit and cable comes standard, that it's supposed to be there to be used. It's not so much an add-on, as it is the way it came out of the box to be used.

And if I read it right, there's actually a separate connector on the back for the antenna, not something that has to be wired to the NMEA.

http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/130_OwnersManual.pdf

[Jack Eboat]

Thanks for your reply!

The thing is that I bought this map205 second hand and the only thing I got with it was of course the screen which has on the back only one connection on seven pins,antenna,coax cable and the cable with seven pins (on one end it fits in the back of the screen as for the other side of the cable there are just cables). So the question is can I solder together coax and the nmea cable?
Former owner said that connecting gps antenna on the chartplotter will give a gps possibility!

Thanks in advance!

[smac999]

no. the coax antenna should have a coax plug on the back of the unit. if there is no coax plug then it's the wrong antenna for the unit.

[ranger58sb]

Perhaps Garmin, or a Garmin dealer, can sell you a GPS antenna and cable that would have been original to the MAP 205?

-Chris

[jimbunyard]

J.E.

According to the manual, the 205 does not have a built in GPS so no, you can't do what you want. The link given by Charlz0 above will take you there; it's clearly stated on page iii of the preface. Maybe you can get your money back? Or find someone who has a GPS with a bad screen? (I have a garmin 178c with a bad screen I'd give you but I'm 5000 miles away, and I'm not sure it'd work anyway because my antenna cable is 6 pin, not 7.)

Regards

[GordMay]

Check out the Owner’s Manual, to which CharlzO previously linked.
Installation instructions begin at page 63.
➥ http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/130_OwnersManual.pdf

Note from introductory page iii, that the Map 210 & 220 have built-in GPS, whilst the Map 205 does not (requires an external GPS).

OOPS - my reply redundant, thanks to jimbunyard.

[CaptTom]

My guess is you'll want something like this:

[Jack Eboat]

Thanks for the reply! Anyhow the pic that you posted..well I have an antenna but on the back of the gps itself there is not connection for coax! I spoke with the former owner again and he told me that there are a couple of options:

1. Solder the coax directly to nmea
2. Get some kind of data transfer from coax into nmea in between the two cables
3 connect a gps device directly with the nmea cable (not antenna but real gps)
In which case I am wondering why do I need the chartplotter for?

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Jack Eboat

Thanks for the reply! Anyhow the pic that you posted..well I have an antenna but on the back of the gps itself there is not connection for coax! I spoke with the former owner again and he told me that there are a couple of options:

1. Solder the coax directly to nmea
2. Get some kind of data transfer from coax into nmea in between the two cables
3 connect a gps device directly with the nmea cable (not antenna but real gps)
In which case I am wondering why do I need the chartplotter for?

A barebones GPS gives location (coordinates), speed, etc... but the chartplotter is what shows you all that (where you are) in relationship to geography.

There are plotters sold that include a GPS antenna and so forth... but something like that could more correctly have been labeled a chartplotter/GPS package.

I'm unable to interpret what you said earlier, in post #3:

Originally Posted by Jack Eboat

The thing is that I bought this map205 second hand and the only thing I got with it was of course the screen which has on the back only one connection on seven pins,antenna,coax cable and the cable with seven pins (on one end it fits in the back of the screen as for the other side of the cable there are just cables).

But I suspect maybe a GPS-with-antenna with a 7-pin connector might be what you really want.

?

If so, maybe those are available online some place? Maybe from Garmin?

-Chris

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by Jack Eboat

Thanks for the reply! Anyhow the pic that you posted..well I have an antenna but on the back of the gps itself there is not connection for coax! I spoke with the former owner again and he told me that there are a couple of options:

1. Solder the coax directly to nmea
2. Get some kind of data transfer from coax into nmea in between the two cables
3 connect a gps device directly with the nmea cable (not antenna but real gps)
In which case I am wondering why do I need the chartplotter for?

If the Garmin does not have a GPS, I don't think an antenna is going to help, no matter you you attach it.

However, you might be able to find a GPS receiver with cable compatible to your Garmin. I just googled GPS receiver and came up with many options, but I don't know which ones might be compatible with your unit.

[Jack Eboat]

Yes i am looking as we speak! But the thing is that i paid 50e for the chartplotter and i won't pay more for the gps receiver, found one for 90e from Garmin as well. Will look a bit further if i cant find anything i will return it to the previous owner and get something else! I mean the deal with him was that he will deliver the whole package and not that i have to continue looking for something...not your problem haha...

[Jack Eboat]

this what i found so far..https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/oem/...rod100686.html

this is what i need, correct?

[boatpoker]

Dear OP.

Chartplotters come GPS equipped, they simply will not plot without GPS capability and an appropriate GPS antenna.

All you have to do is attach the GPS antenna that the vendor provided you. You need do nothing else but connect it to a power source.

As you don't seem to understand these most basic facts, I'd suggest you hire a competent marine electrician to do this for you.

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Dear OP.

Chartplotters come GPS equipped, they simply will not plot without GPS capability and an appropriate GPS antenna.

All you have to do is attach the GPS antenna that the vendor provided you. You need do nothing else but connect it to a power source.

As you don't seem to understand these most basic facts, I'd suggest you hire a competent marine electrician to do this for you.

The 205 does not come with GPS. It is literally a chart plotter: an electronic means of charting out your course.

I also have chartplotting software that only tracks my location if I hook up a GPS. I can still use it to calculate the magnetic compass bearing between my waypoints.