Navico/SIMRAD NAIS-400 AIS as GPS source on NMEA 2000

[TropicalSeattle]

Hi, I've been trying to get to the bottom of this issue with the simrad setup on my boat, and I am not sure where to go next. I don't have a way to log and view the raw NMEA 2000 traffic (but I do have a gofree, maybe that enables something?).

I Have applied this software upgrade: NAIS-400 Software Update - Simrad Marine Electronics

Which supposedly does this:
We are pleased to offer a free software update to even further improve the outstanding performance of your NAIS-400. The new software allows the SimNet or NMEA 2000® network to use the NAIS-400 as the source for position data, thanks to the enabling of new NMEA 2000® sentence transmission.

Unfortunately I don't see it in my network as a position source (screenshots below). I also didn't see it as a source on my DSC radio with the chart plotter on or off. I see myself on marine traffic.com so I know the AIS is operating and my gps antenna is correctly connected to the NAIS 400.

Any ideas on what I might do next?






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[TropicalSeattle]

Any ideas here? I read more about it and it seems I should be able to watch the NMEA traffic leveraging the GoFree. There are some PC and iPhone apps that may work. Anyone ever try that or have any apps you would recommend? Then I need to know what PGN's to look for that would come from a position source (I have no idea). I will try with the chart plotter on, when the VHF DSC gets a location and works, and with the chart plotter off, when nothing gets a position.

Simrad apparently ignored my questions to their tech support so far.


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[tanglewood]

If you connect to the NAIS400 with a USB cable and run ProAIS, I think you can enable the GPS info on N2K. I didn't do it myself, but am pretty sure I remember seeing that you could do it.

[TropicalSeattle]

You may be right, there is an option to enable gps output, manual claims it is for the NMEA 0183 but I will take the laptop and try it this weekend.


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[TropicalSeattle]

You were right thank you. However that did not fix my problem 100%.

First, the option in proAIS2 is there and I turned it on. That made the NAIS400 show up as a position source in my NMEA network on my chart plotter. (The only version proAIS2 I could actually run on my windows 8 PC is the version 1.4 I downloaded from digital yacht. The version that comes with the NAIS 400 on CD, and which simrad does not make available for download, did not work at all. Luckily they are compatible, for the same OEM?)

However, when the chart plotter is off, my DSC VHF RS35 radio still does not show a valid position. Thinking about it now, perhaps I have to configure the RS35 to use a different position source? Will try this next time.

Do you think the dedicated AIS GPS antenna would provide better and more accurate position data than the one built into the NSS 12 chart plotter? In which case I would make it the default for my navigation as well.



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[tanglewood]

Ideally you would set up the RS35 to accept any available GPS source. Having a less accurate position is better than having no position at all, and high accuracy isn't real important for DSC anyway.

I don't know off hand which GPS is more accurate. Maybe the specs will tell you?

[TropicalSeattle]

So this remains a mystery. I can see the NAIS 400 as a position source now, and I selected it as default in the NSS 12. This seems to work fine, but I haven't fully tested it (auto pilot, extended use, etc.).

I can see it as a source on the VHF radio as well (NAIS 400), but when I select it it continues to show NO GPS on the VHF display. I suspect there is some message that it is not parsing correctly or not being sent properly by the NAIS? I really need a way to show all the NMEA 2000 messages for this to be actionable.

2 questions:

1) does anybody have a setup like this? NAIS 400 as position source in their NMEA 2000 network used by their DSC VHF radio?

2) do you think connecting the NMEA 183 output from the NAIS 400 directly to the NMEA 183 input on the VHF would make a difference? Right now they are both on the NMEA 2000, and I know that works because the chart plotter sees both of them.

Thanks for any insights.


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[TropicalSeattle]

Hmm, I also found out this upgrade below. I am hopeful I have an older firmware and this could be the fix. Will check next time.

http://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-US...oftware-v1112/


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