GPS and AIS for Raymarine C80

[Sandero]

I recently upgraded my VHF (being installed this week) to a Standard Horizon GX2200. It comes with an integrated GPS and AIS.

My rather old Raymarine C80 (circa 2004) with its old antenna does not receive (I believe) the newer satellites and is a bit slower and more unreliable... or so it seems. If possible I would like to improve this.

I was thinking about canning the original Ray GPS antenna/receiver and using the GX2200 to supply GPS data to the C80 via NEMA and AIS data. I presume the GX2200 uses more current technology and receives the new satellites.

Is it possible to use the GX2200 GPS and AIS data and "port it" over to the old C80 plotter?

[barnakiel]

Please post plotter nmea pins and your gps and or ais pins. Do you expect others to have the same manuals onboard?

b.

[barnakiel]

This will depend on what C80 can or cannot do on its nmea in port.

This is what I quickly looked up:

- set up your SH2200 data output to 38400,
- this is supposed to move your VDM sentence onto the grey/brow,
- wire the above into C80 nmea port (yellow/brown to believe the image),
- set C80 input speed at 38400,
- switch on see what happens.

Images attached.

Not sure how much C80 can do in respect of receiving nmea at 38400 though. I would expect it can receive ais as a minimum. See C80 manual.

NOTE: you will likely have to disable C80 own GPS antenna and instruct it to use nmea gps data instead (see C80 manual).

Report back let us know what ensues.

b.

C80 image attribution:
http://api.ning.com/files/kpPDTkb*yU...eed12volts.jpg

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Sandero

My rather old Raymarine C80 (circa 2004) with its old antenna does not receive (I believe) the newer satellites and is a bit slower and more unreliable... or so it seems. If possible I would like to improve this.

Yes, have you installed the latest software from Raymarine, I think it was version 5.16 and requires downloading onto a CF card of 128mb or less, preferably from Scandisk.

Does the C80 receive any signals from Satellites? if not the R120 probably needs a new battery, RC2032 if I remember correctly. Its a 10 minute job to fit.

This would give you two GPSs on board for some redundancy in the event of a single point of failure. We keep our C80 for just this reason.

Pete

[chuckr]

Not sure about a C80 but we have a C70 and use a ACR ais with it's own gps antenna and we run it through the nmea port on the back of the C70 - in over 6 years no problem with it -

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Please post plotter nmea pins and your gps and or ais pins. Do you expect others to have the same manuals onboard?

b.

The Horizon has several wires to output to NMEA...

I am presently using a Brookhouse MUX and Raymarine NMEA/Seatalk ES85001

What I want to do... don't know if this is possible... is connect the
GX2200 NMEA OUT (+ & -) 38400 (4800 can be set too) baud... and maybe the NMEA IN (+ & -) (I assume this is for using and external GPS)

The GX2200 NMEA out would replace the old Ray 120 antenna GPS data (I assume it is NMEA 183) Hopefully this would provide both GPS and AIS info to the Ray C80.

I need to check the ray pin outs...

[barnakiel]

C-series instruction manual page 42 does not say if nmea data at 38400 can be anything but ais data. Test and see if there is any firmware update for C80 that addresses this.

Test and do not get too unhappy if gps cannot be fed in on the HS wires - you can always (as long as C80 allows this) wire any modern gps unit into the seatalk side of the C80 (if you want SH2200 data fed this way, you want a nmea/seatalk box in between). I would imagine Ray makes a modern 66 channel gps for seatalk?

Also (!!!), page 29 shows alternate C80 wires coding: GREEN/WHITE (I likely misread the image attached at my post above) GREEN / WHITE is what the manual says, page 29.

http://www.uchimata.fr/wp-content/up...n-Series-C.pdf

Cheers,
b.

[Sandero]

I have also an old backup Horizon CP170 gps plotter... and a stand alone B&G T7 in the cockpit.

I don't need more GPSs.... but I want to retain the C80 to feed data to the NMEA cockpit repeater.

I typically set a waypoint on the C 80 and get the data in the cockpit... so it needs a GPS. The old Ray AP120 antenna apparently doesn't receive the newer GPS satellites and the fix is unreliable at times... but it works. I think the CP170 has the same issues. Hence the reason to use the GX2200 if it receives the new satellites.

The Ray C80 supports GPS cockpit repeaters and including a sailcomp compass which displays waypoint data. So I would like it to maintain that function. For positional viewing... the stand alone T7 in the cockpit is what I use... For radar I have to use the C80 at the nav station....workable but not optimal.

[Sandero]

Thanks guys... It's hard to keep up with this... I will try to dnld current firmware for C-80!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Sandero

The Horizon has several wires to output to NMEA...

I am presently using a Brookhouse MUX and Raymarine NMEA/Seatalk ES85001

What I want to do... don't know if this is possible... is connect the
GX2200 NMEA OUT (+ & -) 38400 (4800 can be set too) baud... and maybe the NMEA IN (+ & -) (I assume this is for using and external GPS)

The GX2200 NMEA out would replace the old Ray 120 antenna GPS data (I assume it is NMEA 183) Hopefully this would provide both GPS and AIS info to the Ray C80.

I need to check the ray pin outs...

I am not clear what you want to do but I am clear SH2200 manual says when you set the 'slow' port to HS, it will pick up the ais sentence - this will give you all the sentences you need on one set of SH wires.

However, your challenge is to get C80 see the gps data on its nmea port set to 38400.

You cannot do it the other way round because ais data cannot be set to 4800. C80 would accept the gps at at 4800 (but we are not sure if it would let you use it anyways).

1) set SH nmea alt port to HS,
2) use these two wires (not AIS wires),
3) plug into C80,
4) play with C80 menus.

You will get AIS across, will you get gps? no idea, C80 older manual seems to suggest likely NOT.

Get C80 most recent firmware but only if this solves your problem.

Otherwise wire a fast gps unit into C80 via SeaTalk. If using HS2200 gps data for this, you will need Ray blackbox to convert nmea to ST. NOTE - worth the effort only if you are sure C80 allows you to switch gps source to an alternate (ST bus).

BROOKHOUSE I do not have one here only in my other boat. There are many makes. Maybe yours converts data from nmea to ST? Then plug slow SH2200 gps data into Brookhouse and send ST data to C80 then switch C80 (if allowed) gps source to 'external'/ST.

PS Even if your Brookhose may be used as a multiplexer, this does not mean C80 can read gps data over the fast wires. THIS IS (IMHO) your challenge.

?

b.

[barnakiel]

@Sandero

Upgrading to new firmware on C80 is easy BUT I recommend not doing this yet. Do it only if you know the newer firmware resolves the challenge you have at hand: C80 reading gps nmea data on the nmea port set to 38400.

> Your SH2200 can do what you want. It shows how to do do it. You set the 'slow' port to 38400 and ais data pops up on this set of wires. No brainer (if the manual is right).

> The only unknown is if Ray C80 can use fast gps data sent on its nmea port to substitute its own gps data in positioning. Its manual (old) mentions only AIS data.

It is not complicated: two wires here and two wires there, set speed to 38400 at both ends, then play with the menus on C80.

If C80 cannot read 38400 gps data via its nmea port, it may still be able to read alternative gps data via its SeaTalk port. Check if C80 menu for gps or/and for SeaTalk stipulates alternate gps sources (something like 'gps source' or 'gps priority' etc in the menus of the C80). If so, send your SH2200 gps data at 4800 to the multiplexer at hand. The multiplexer out set to SeaTalk and plug into C80 back. Then set C80 menu to use this data rather than original C80 'own gps' data.

Do not get discouraged. If one day you are upgrading your plotter consider something that is easier to interface with different brands. I had good luck with Garmin, Furuno and SH. Less luck (=more hassle and more interfacing gadgets) with Ray, Simrad and B&G ...

Sursum corda!

b.

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by chuckr

Not sure about a C80 but we have a C70 and use a ACR ais with it's own gps antenna and we run it through the nmea port on the back of the C70 - in over 6 years no problem with it -

I'm looking for an AIS transponder for our C80; can you tell me which model you have and where you found it for a reasonable price (if you did!).

Thanks!

[Pizzazz]

Dear Sandero,

I have a similar setup in my boat and it works great but you have to be careful in the order of connections since both the radio and the Raymarine C80 have only one set of nmea in/out:

1. GPS source is a Garmin 44dv (cockpit). You can use any GPS but for $199 that the Garmin costs you might as well get it since it is GPS/AIS/chart/sonar in one. The GPS feeds the DSC radio with position data.

2. The radio (Link-8) combines the position data with the AIS data and feeds both the Raymarine C80 (chart table) and the Garmin (cockpit).

3. The C80 feeds the autopilot via Seatalk with waypoints. You need the latest software.

I run all nmea connections at 4800 bps and have no problems with slow AIS updates. You may increase the speed to 38400 if you wish. If you need more nmea connections (gyro sensor, second gps, etc.) you need to buy a multiplexor.