Connecting from Standard Horizon GX2200

[Feluka]

I am attempting to input GPS and AIS data from a Standard Horizon GX2200. I have tried connecting the gray and brown wires from the GX 2200 to the brown and yellow wires connected to a 9 pin serial port. I have then tried to plug in the serial port directly (Com Port 1) and also used a USB to serial connection and used the Prolific driver to set up that port. The computer is an older Panasonic Tough Book running Windows 7.

I have changed the GX2200 baud rate to 38400 and also get up the GPS to send all sentences.
The connection panel in openCPN seems to be using the correct settings but I have not been able to connect. There is nothing in the NMEA debug window.

Has anyone made a similar connection and, if so, do you have any thoughts as to what I need to add or change?

Thanks,
Peter

[PiAn]

Hello Feluka
Did you find the solution to your problem ?
Regards

[CarCode]

I can't speak for the GX2200 because I have the RO4800 VHF with AIS receiver but it is similiar.
NMEA output of the VHF has usually serial output with line A and line B which is RS422. Serial for computers (real or virtual) is however RS232.
So you must connect line A and the ground line from the VHF, see your manual for the colour of these lines. Since computers have no serial connectors anymore today, you need a serial to USB device. These devices need a driver depending of the chipset used in the device. Cheapest and most problematic devices are the ones with Prolific chipset. Better and more expensiv are the ones with FTDI chipsets. Best and most expensiv are the Keyspan USA-19HS. So if you have much time but no money get a Prolific device. If you have no time and more money get a Keyspan.
Once you have connected the cables, installing the driver and device you should get a virtual COM port. Check in Windows Device-Manager at "Ports (COM & LPT)" the number of this virtual COM port (e.g. COMx where x is the number). Enter this into the settings of OpenCPN.
If you have a Windows computer with several USB connectors, never change the connector or you need again to install the correct driver. Be carefull also when changing the Windows version. Often the drivers don't work anymore.

Gerhard

[Feluka]

No, T haven't found the way to connect the VHF to the laptop as yet. I am not at the boat now - It is in Virginia and I am in Canada - but I will be trying again in a couple of months. I will try a different USB to serial device. I was trying with a Prolific driver. I am not sure which colours on the cables should be connected, particularly on the cable side as I have a sense from the manual which two wires from the VHF should be used.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Peter

[Capt.Don]

Peter,

To answer your question, I do something similar with the SH GX2200. It does work. I output AIS data (yellow +/white -) at 38400 baud to a wireless multiplexer that combines the boat's Seatalk data and the GPS data (gray +/brown -) at 4800 baud to the Icom M802 SSB.

There are some NMEA output settings, section 15.11 in the manual, that select NMEA sentences are sent. By default, they are all turned off. Section 21.5 shows which sentences can be selected at 4800 or 38400 baud.

Do you have the DB9 pinout data correct -- pin 2 RD, pin 3 TD and pin 5 ground?

One trick when working with serial data is to use a serial terminal emulation program, such as Putty so you can easily set the COM ports, baud rate, N-8-1, etc., and view the output NMEA sentennces. If you see a bunch of $GPXxxxxx, your radio is properly sending NMEA data to the PC. That would point to OpenCPN and COM port settings, etc.

I also had a weird set of multiple electrical grounds that introduced noise into the SSB. I'm assuming that my radio, Seatalk network and wireless multiplexer have common negative. I ended up disconnecting the AIS ground wire (white) to the multiplexer/wireless. Strange, but works fine.

Working with serial data sometimes can be a PIA -- I think you are pretty close to sorting this out,
Don

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by Feluka

No, T haven't found the way to connect the VHF to the laptop as yet. I am not at the boat now - It is in Virginia and I am in Canada - but I will be trying again in a couple of months. I will try a different USB to serial device. I was trying with a Prolific driver. I am not sure which colours on the cables should be connected, particularly on the cable side as I have a sense from the manual which two wires from the VHF should be used.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Peter

The only USB-Serial device to use is the https://www.tripplite.com/keyspan-hi...apter~USA19HS/ or Gearmo FTDI adapters. I had trouble with other USB-Serial adapters.

Don

[R.Cade]

Did you ever get this sorted out? I am having exactly the same issue

[R.Cade]

Originally Posted by Feluka

I am attempting to input GPS and AIS data from a Standard Horizon GX2200. I have tried connecting the gray and brown wires from the GX 2200 to the brown and yellow wires connected to a 9 pin serial port. I have then tried to plug in the serial port directly (Com Port 1) and also used a USB to serial connection and used the Prolific driver to set up that port. The computer is an older Panasonic Tough Book running Windows 7.

I have changed the GX2200 baud rate to 38400 and also get up the GPS to send all sentences.
The connection panel in openCPN seems to be using the correct settings but I have not been able to connect. There is nothing in the NMEA debug window.

Has anyone made a similar connection and, if so, do you have any thoughts as to what I need to add or change?

Thanks,
Peter

Ok, finally got it.
I believe the color codes are different depending on the brand of db9 you have. I previously had it connected the way you described to no avail. Brown to yellow for ground is correct. After I had that connected I opened the debug window in open CPN and started touching different wires from the db9 to the grey positive output from the vhf (I dont recommend this, I did it out of pure frustration). When I touched the green db9 to the gray info started popping up in the debug window and wala.

Hope this helps

[Schnapsy]

Hi,

With an usb/rs232 cable, it is very easy...
Look at this page (it's on french but understantable)

SCHNAPS - VHF DSC_AIS_GPS sur PC