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04-03-2009, 17:09
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hampton Roads, va
Boat: Catalina 387 - Magical Dreamer
Posts: 176
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Heading sensor not fast enough.
I am having a problem with my heading sensor...
My chartplotter reads the heading from my autopilot. It is from NMEA ->Seatalk conversion box so I am also getting wind speed, depth, water temp... on the same line.
My chartplotter is not getting enough reports so it keeps saying heading lost. I was wondering, since my autopilot also has a nmea out, if I tapped that and sent it to my other nmea in should I get enough messages since there are not as many talkers on the line?
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04-03-2009, 19:25
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#2
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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Can't tell with the info provided.
If it is all Raymarine Equipment....the installation manual should give you the answer
or contact Raymarine direct.....be on the boat when you call and they will walk you thru it.
They did that for me, troubleshooting a couple of "customer installed" Radars.
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04-03-2009, 21:07
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, CA, USA
Boat: Privilege 39
Posts: 664
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Give it a try - connecting NMEA output from the A/P into the chartplotter and see what happens, this does seem like a reasonable conclusion. Fast heading sensor output is typically at 1Hz, which will pretty well saturate either NMEA0183 or SeaTalk at 4800bps. Although I wouldn't expect the chartplotter to complain unless it wasn't receiving anything for quite some time...
Another way you could potentially test this (if it's easier) is take everything else off the buss except the A/P and the chartplotter, and see if it's OK with no contention.
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05-03-2009, 04:30
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hampton Roads, va
Boat: Catalina 387 - Magical Dreamer
Posts: 176
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Autopilot, Depth, Temp/Speed, Wind are all Seatalk network going through a Raymarine Translater box outputting on NMEA 183
DSC VHF Native NMEA 183
AIS is NMEA 2000 high Speed
GPS is NMEA 2000 Low Speed
Chartplotter is Furuno NAVNET3D
I have the NMEA 183 going into COM3
I have the ability to string a second NMEA 183 line from COM2 to the NMEA output of the Autopilot directly.
If more info is needed, let me know.
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05-03-2009, 07:23
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sweden
Boat: Between boats
Posts: 474
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Did your plotter ever get the heading? What kind of heading sensor do you use? The reason I ask is that there are heading sensors and there are heading sensors. Your plotter could be set to accept the "wrong kind". You'd usually get HDG from a GPS, HDM from a fluxgate or magnetic sensor and HDT from a gyro. A GPS compass could give you any of the above depending on its settings. If your plotter is set to accept HDT and it gets HDM for instance, it will think that life sucks and keep complaining.
/Hampus
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05-03-2009, 09:13
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hampton Roads, va
Boat: Catalina 387 - Magical Dreamer
Posts: 176
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well it receives the heading information and shows it has a heading sensor attached, then lost, then attached, then lost...
that is why I am thinking that it is not getting enough updates.
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05-03-2009, 09:56
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,405
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Furuno had me set the repetition rate my heading sensor at 100ms. (ten times per second) There are only two sentences in the NMEA stream, heading (HDG) and rate of turn (ROT). The sentence is NMEA 0183 at 4800 baud.
Apparently some fluxgate heading sensors such as mine can increase the repetition rate. Check the manual or call the manufacturer and ask for technical support.
__________________
David
Life begins where land ends.
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05-03-2009, 10:27
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: SF Bay
Boat: Catalina C-42
Posts: 168
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What make/model of autopilot?
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05-03-2009, 14:33
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: UK
Boat: S M Hudson 60' narrowboat
Posts: 347
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doghouse
Autopilot, Depth, Temp/Speed, Wind are all Seatalk network going through a Raymarine Translater box outputting on NMEA 183
DSC VHF Native NMEA 183
AIS is NMEA 2000 high Speed
GPS is NMEA 2000 Low Speed
Chartplotter is Furuno NAVNET3D
I have the NMEA 183 going into COM3
I have the ability to string a second NMEA 183 line from COM2 to the NMEA output of the Autopilot directly.
If more info is needed, let me know.
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Try the second feed as a temporary hook up to COM2 & see if it improves the situation. You won't swamp the chartplotter.
Note AIS distribution is not NMEA 2000. It's just regular NMEA sent at 38400 baud hence high speed.
Note sure what you mean by NMEA 2000 low speed.
You can always look at the NMEA data stream by running HyperTerminal, which is built into Windows XP, Start\Programs\Accesories\Communications (useable under Vista but you would need to get a copy from XP machine). Just configure the COM port & baud rate then press connect button.
Look for the HDM or HDT sentence - the second is true heading - after the $xx start of each line - xx being the source identifier (GP,II,EC etc).
Regards
__________________
Richard
If in doubt RTFM
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06-03-2009, 07:17
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Hampton Roads, va
Boat: Catalina 387 - Magical Dreamer
Posts: 176
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I received a call from Furuno yesterday. WOW are they good to deal with they are without a doubt better than that "R" company when it comes to support.
So first let me start with a few corrections. The AIS is on eathernet not nmea 2000. So that answers Richard's question.
Well the answer is that Raymarine does not out put the heading information at the interval that the Furuno is looking for. So I will be looking at a heading sensor.
Thanks for the input.
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06-03-2009, 07:33
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: UK
Boat: S M Hudson 60' narrowboat
Posts: 347
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I know Raymarine suggest a hi-speed heading sensor to work with radar on their C/E series, so that contacts can be viewed with MARPA (mini automatic radar plotting aid). This allows the course & speed of selected contacts to be displayed on the radar screen & hence overlay.
My set-up feeds B&G NMEA 0183 boat data which includes a speed heading sensor. Although MARPA works the results are not surprisingly a little flaky, but I can live with that.
__________________
Richard
If in doubt RTFM
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06-03-2009, 09:01
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,405
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doghouse
I received a call from Furuno yesterday. WOW are they good to deal with they are without a doubt better than that "R" company when it comes to support.
So first let me start with a few corrections. The AIS is on eathernet not nmea 2000. So that answers Richard's question.
Well the answer is that Raymarine does not out put the heading information at the interval that the Furuno is looking for. So I will be looking at a heading sensor.
Thanks for the input.
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Furuno's technical support is fantastic. That alone might be reason enough to buy Furuno over brand R. I spent a total of perhaps 2-3 hours on the phone with them setting up a NavNet 3D blackbox system. The people there are in the States not India, are very knowledgeable, don't work solely from a computer based trouble shooting tree and are overall good people to work with. I was actually able to request a specific technician to speak with. Both Larry and Richard are excellent.
__________________
David
Life begins where land ends.
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06-03-2009, 09:15
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Southwestern Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
Boat: Searunner 40 trimaran, WILDERNESS
Posts: 3,175
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