T&T: The Garmin, Mapsource & Nobeltec saga is almost at an end...

[Peter Bennett]

You may find the NMEA wiring for my boat usefull - see 
http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/seaspray_nmea.pdf

I can successfully upload routes and waypoints from Ozi Explorer (my chrting program) to my Garmin 168.

Remember that you must set the Garmin units to "Garmin/Garmin" protocol (or something similar) rather than NMEA to upload/download waypoints and routes, and to NMEA-0183 output to get real-time nav data to your radio, radar and autopilot.

One chart program (Capn?) knows too much about Garmins, and insists on communicating with any Garmin GPS using Garmin protocol - if you also want the GPS to talk to autopilot, radar, and VHF, you have to lie to the program, telling it that you have a "generic NMEA-0183 source".  You can then set the GPS to "NMEA out", and everything will be happy - but you will have to change it, and the program, to Garmin protocol when you want to upload/download waypoints and routes (and upload charts).

Friday, September 1, 2006, 8:56:16 PM, Garrett wrote:

GL> Several of you have been helpful in replying to my questions about my Garmin
GL> Chartplotters. Here's the denouement.

GL> The challenged started with a couple of Garmin 2010C chartplotters that were
GL> on a boat I recently purchased. I've been struggling with their clunky cursor
GL> interface, because setting up routes on them is time-consuming and
GL> frustrating, and each has to be done separately. OTOH, Nobeltec on a laptop
GL> makes routes easily and intuitively.

GL> Solution: interface the laptop to the GPS units and upload the routes
GL> directly. (Nobeltec even provides a Garmin-Garmin protocol.)

GL> However, the 2 chartplotters are already interfaced to the 2 autopilots, the
GL> VHF, and, I think, the radar. Despite several attempts I couldn't get the
GL> laptop to communicate with them. I asked a marine electronics shop if they'd
GL> do it for me, and the answer was negative: "We don't recommend it because our
GL> customers' experience has been that the information transfer is usually
GL> garbled."

-- 
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI    Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lien Hwa 28 (AKA Polaris 30) "Sea Spray"
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter 
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca