B&G Vulcan 7 does not recognize Airmar DST800

[Factotum]

Hi,
I recently bought another sailboat that had a relatively new Vulcan 7 chartplotter and Airmar DST800. Depth worked just fine, showing up on the chartplotter. For some reason, I reset the Vulcan 7 to factor defaults. No more depth, speed or water temperature from the 800.

I have spent a couple of hours looking at all of the configuration options on the Vulcan 7, but to no avail. The list of devices does not show an Airmar DST800, with the highest one being an Airmar DST744, and other models. All of the marketing data that I have read states that the Airmar DST800 is compatible with the Vulcan 7, but I cannot find anything that tells how to configure the Vulcan to recognize the signals from the Airmar.

I did find one thread on another site where a guy had the same problem. He finally got through to a B&G tech who walked him through some changes to the Vulcan network, which cured the problem, but he did not then communicate those changes in the thread. Dang!

Anyone have ideas on how to configure the Vulcan 7 to recognize the Airmar DST800?

[smac999]

you need to go into the data source selection menu and choose the auto select. to set your sources that you reset.

the 800 is a nmea 2000 transducer. it is not in any sounder list. sounds like you are looking at a transducer install menu. which you do not have.

[Factotum]

Thanks for the reply. I will try that tomorrow. It is my understanding now that since the Airmar DST800 is nmea 2000, the Vulcan 7 should recognize it on Auto Select. I will see if that works.

[mitchisword]

Originally Posted by Factotum

Thanks for the reply. I will try that tomorrow. It is my understanding now that since the Airmar DST800 is nmea 2000, the Vulcan 7 should recognize it on Auto Select. I will see if that works.

I'm having the same issue. Did this work?

Thanks!

[Rucksta]

Have you reinstalled the B&G updates since the factory reset?

[mikedefieslife]

Not all Airmar DST800 are nmea2000. I have one that works with Raymarine tacktick instruments, and they also available in Nmea0183

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Not all Airmar DST800 are nmea2000. I have one that works with Raymarine tacktick instruments, and they also available in Nmea0183

There is an nmea0183 version as well. It’s obsolete, like all nmea0183 gear.

[Factotum]

Mitchisword, I see that I am not the only one having this problem. The short answer is that the B&G Vulcan 7 will not automatically recognize the Airmar DST800. The DST800 is a triducer, meaning that it will give water temperature, speed over ground, and depth. I have been able to get 2 of the 3, water temperature and SOG, but not the all important depth. The Airmar DST800 is NMEA compliant, according to my installation directions that came with the unit.

I had to manually input the DST800 to get water temperature and SOG. What is interesting is that the Vulcan 7 shows them as coming from an Airmar DST200. I still cannot get depth, despite many attempts.

On my next trip to the boat, I will write down the exact steps that I took to manually input the 2 senors and post them here. I read on another post where a another man had the same problem and he finally got into contact with B&G tech support and was advised how to get the Vulcan 7 to recognize the DST800. Unfortunately for everyone, he did not state in his post the steps necessary to effect that result. When I post the steps that I used, I would like you to do the same and let me know if you get the same result, or if your depth works along with water temp and COG. That will tell me whether or not my DST800 is defective or not. I have not installed any B&G updates since the factory reset, so will also do that on my next trip to see if that cures the problem. Thank you Rucksta for the suggestion.

Regards,
Chuck

[s/v Jedi]

Chuck, you wrote that your DST800 is nmea2000 but the rest you write sounds very much like it is a nmea0183 unit... can you confirm?

Originally Posted by Factotum

Mitchisword, I see that I am not the only one having this problem. The short answer is that the B&G Vulcan 7 will not automatically recognize the Airmar DST800. The DST800 is a triducer, meaning that it will give water temperature, speed over ground, and depth. I have been able to get 2 of the 3, water temperature and SOG, but not the all important depth. The Airmar DST800 is NMEA compliant, according to my installation directions that came with the unit.

I had to manually input the DST800 to get water temperature and SOG. What is interesting is that the Vulcan 7 shows them as coming from an Airmar DST200. I still cannot get depth, despite many attempts.

On my next trip to the boat, I will write down the exact steps that I took to manually input the 2 senors and post them here. I read on another post where a another man had the same problem and he finally got into contact with B&G tech support and was advised how to get the Vulcan 7 to recognize the DST800. Unfortunately for everyone, he did not state in his post the steps necessary to effect that result. When I post the steps that I used, I would like you to do the same and let me know if you get the same result, or if your depth works along with water temp and COG. That will tell me whether or not my DST800 is defective or not. I have not installed any B&G updates since the factory reset, so will also do that on my next trip to see if that cures the problem. Thank you Rucksta for the suggestion.

Regards,
Chuck

[Factotum]

Jedi, I will confirm from the paperwork that it is NMEA compliant, and let you know. Now, I am curious. There is a backbone that the DST800 connects into that goes to the Vulcan 7. I am new to NMEA, having gotten out of sailing after 2006. Things have changed remarkably since then.

BTW, I like your quote from Starwars, "Do or do not." When any of my grandchildren say that they will try to do something, I quote back to them "There is no try. Do or do not."

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Factotum

Jedi, I will confirm from the paperwork that it is NMEA compliant, and let you know. Now, I am curious. There is a backbone that the DST800 connects into that goes to the Vulcan 7. I am new to NMEA, having gotten out of sailing after 2006. Things have changed remarkably since then.

BTW, I like your quote from Starwars, "Do or do not." When any of my grandchildren say that they will try to do something, I quote back to them "There is no try. Do or do not."

Both versions are nmea... it is about being nmea0183 vs nmea2000. Paperwork will show both so you need to do a physical check. You can recognize nmea2000 because it is a single cable running along the boat with T-connectors from which branch cables go to sensors, displays etc.

nmea2000 data is automatically detected and model transducer is irrelevant.

I get the idea that you are working from paper and info sources other than the physical network aboard. You may have a different transducer installed than you think, or two etc.

[mikedefieslife]

If there is a backbone it sounds like he has the NMEA200 version. The 0183 version is cheaper. Both the NMEA versions should be active i.e. they process the signal in the unit then then broadcast via the chosen network NMEA2000 or 0183.

There is also an analouge DST800, that needs external processing, something I think the smaller Vulcan cannot do, but the larger ones along with the Simrad NSS units and B&G Zeus units can.

[Factotum]

Sorry about not being more precise. The Airmar DST800 will send data to both NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 chartplotters, according to the Airmar literature. The Airmar DST800 on my boat is connected into a backbone that winds its way up to the B&G Vulcan 7, which is also NMEA 2000 compliant.

When I try the device auto recognize on the Vulcan, it does not show the Airmar DST800, but only the devices internal to the Vulcan. I read in the manual for the Vulcan that I may need to override the default selections by going into the Advanced Device Search software in the unit. There was something about two competing sources, and the Vulcan is programmed to select itself by default. All of the features for the Airmar DST800 worked just fine on the Vulcan 7 until I reset the unit when I bought the boat, so I know that the Vulcan 7 is compatible with the Airmar DST800.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Factotum

Sorry about not being more precise. The Airmar DST800 will send data to both NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 chartplotters, according to the Airmar literature. The Airmar DST800 on my boat is connected into a backbone that winds its way up to the B&G Vulcan 7, which is also NMEA 2000 compliant.

When I try the device auto recognize on the Vulcan, it does not show the Airmar DST800, but only the devices internal to the Vulcan. I read in the manual for the Vulcan that I may need to override the default selections by going into the Advanced Device Search software in the unit. There was something about two competing sources, and the Vulcan is programmed to select itself by default. All of the features for the Airmar DST800 worked just fine on the Vulcan 7 until I reset the unit when I bought the boat, so I know that the Vulcan 7 is compatible with the Airmar DST800.

No, you’re trying to configure the local sounder module inside the Vulcan. If you really have an nmea2000 version of the dst800 then that sensor is stand alone and it’s data should pop up on all the displays and plotters.

I am sure that the nmea2000 version has no nmea0183 becauseI have it and only a nmea2000 pigtail comes out.

[smac999]

I'm not sure on the vulcan. but i'm guessing it's the same as the zeus and the evo.

you need to go into network settings. device list. to see the nmea 2000 device list. the dst should show up there. if it does not you have a problem somewhere. in that network menu there is also an auto select mode that chooses all the sensors. also in that menu you can also manually set the sensors. which unless you have more then one of each, you should not need to do.