T&T: Interfacing Autopilots with dual stations???

[Peter Bennett]

You can only have one "talker" on an NMEA-0183 circuit, so you will need a switch to select which GPS feeds the autopilot.

See http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/seaspray_nmea.pdf for the NMEA wiring on my boat - I can choose either of two GPS receivers, or the PC, to feed the autopilot.

I'm not familiar with the Northstar units - do the 951 and 952 use the same connectors, with the connectors at the two stations simply wired in parallel?  If so, perhaps the NMEA output in the 951 is turned off.

When you say "it worked fine before", how did you select which location fed the autopilot and Furuno?  (Furuno what?)

Can the yard provide a wiring diagram showing how they hooked things up?  Very hard to diagnose things without a proper diagram.  (I wouldn't consider the job complete until I received full documentation on the interconnections they added/changed.)

Sunday, September 3, 2006, 9:19:37 AM, Robert wrote:

RP> How do dual GPS chartplotters work with the Autopilot.
RP> I have just installed a Raymarine 6000 and I have a Northstar 951 at the
RP> upper station and the 952 at the lower station.  The Raymarine sincs
RP> with the 952 only, even if I move it to the upper station. Do I need to
RP> install a manual switch or something?
RP> Also, the upper station furono only sincs with the 952 as well.  It all
RP> worked fine before replacing the old AutoHelm 8000.  The yard who
RP> installed the new system now will charge me labor to look into this
RP> problem.  I am considering taking it to a "Marine Electronics" only shop
RP> in the area

RP> Bob
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-- 
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