Standard GX2100 AIS

Bob, AIS receivers don't usually send anything except target info, but I'd be shocked that there are no targets in Tampa.

And, yes, I for one am interested in your Moxa set up. Is this the hardware:

http://www.neteon.net/Product/340-3-580-581-387/NPort-5130#feature

I may be too far from the Port of Tampa to RX at my house. I am close enough to the Skyway bridge and the Egmont Key channel entrance to Tampa Bay to RX anyone transiting to the port. According to the TB Pilot's schedule on their website, nothing moved the 2-3 hours I was outside yesterday. I will check with Standard Horizon support and see later today if there is a way to generate some test data.

I bought the 2 port version of the unit you mentioned, the Nport 5132. Should end up giving me 4 NMEA ports, 2 talkers and 2 listeners. The CE 2009 software allows you to define NMEA inputs and outputs via Telnet.

Yesterday I hooked up the NMEA feed from my Furuno Navnet (first generation) talker to the Nport 5132 (the same pair that feeds my autopilot and stabilizers position/COG/speed data. CE 2009 saw this same data via telnet and the Nport interface. No luck with the AIS data, but I'm not sure there was any.

I don't have the wires connected yet, but the low speed talker port on the Nport will send CE2009 data to the autopilot (it is has 2 NMEA input ports and you can label them for different Nav sources).

The Nport unit comes with "virtual COM" drivers that should allow most any Windows application to use the interface for NMEA data over Ethernet. CE just makes it a little cleaner.

The other slick feature, not yet tested, is that up to 4 PC's on the network can use each interface at the same time. So in my case, I will have a Ruggedized Dell that will live on the flybridge and a regular laptop in the pilothouse that should both be able to operate at the same time. You will have to be sure there is only one Nav route active at the same time.

The PC's gain access to the network using WiFi 802.11g/n via a Cradlepoint router. This router accepts a Verizon Wireless EVDO USB interface for internet access. So each PC will be able to use the imaging data on the internet that is part of the CE 2009 application. At least when we are in US coastal waters.

And all of this with only physical wire to the PC - power.

I discussed much of this design with Rose Point before I moved forward. Good support on their end. After I get it all working, I plan to write an application note for the CE 2009 support forum.

Regards, Bob

Sounds pretty neat, Bob. Please let us know when you write it up, or, better yet, copy us here.

Note that vesseltracker.com claims to cover Tampa AIS though the feed isn't live this morning. The iPhone app gTrax covers it too, though you'll only get one snapshot per 24 hours unless you also subscribe to the port. But I can see a cargo ship named Miltiad ES II headed into the port at 10 knots right now, about 8 miles, near the anchored African Wildcat, and there are three pilot boats hanging around the Bay entrance.

Thanks for the update..I don't have an Iphone. Could not find a live feed showing traffic in Tampa yesterday on the internet. MarineTraffic.Com is showing one ship now at anchor in the SE corner of the bay.

It's like 42 degrees here... have to wait till it warms up some to go play. All the wiring is under the flybridge.

Yeah, funny how my friends and family in Florida have stopped asking about how cold it is in Maine ;-)

Well...I'm not having much luck. Can't even get the Furuno to send GPS position to the Standard. The same signal feeds my much more complex path through ethernet to the PC just fine.

During troubleshooting the problem, I discovered that the Standard "NEMA -", is a common "-" for all NMEA data in and out of the radio including:

- GPS position in
- DSC data out
- AIS data out

Further this "NMEA -" is connected to ships ground inside the radio. Like some other manufacturers, they seem to be confusing RS-422 with RS-232? Is this not a violation of the NMEA interface specification?

Or am I confused? Thanks for any light someone can shed on this.

If anyone is following this - I've done some more spark chasing and determined the GX2100 does not play nice in a RS-422 NMEA world.

The only Navnet V1 port that will feed a GPS position to the GX2100 is the RS-232 port designed to talk to a PC. And the only way I've been able to get AIS HS data from the GX2100 is directly connecting it to the RS232 connection on a laptop.

Standard tech support is still researching this issue for me. In the meantime, I've got an inexpensive RS232-RS422 adapter on order to see if that helps.

I'll update this thread one more time with the final resolution in hopes that it helps someone else interface a GX2100 into their NMEA system.

Thanks, Bob. Please do keep us up with your install, and I hope you have success. You might check out the following discussions:

http://forum.ssca.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10256

http://www.thehulltruth.com/marine-electronics-forum/265892-standard-horizon-matrix-ais-gx2100.html

GX2100 vs ram mike location discussion got me thinking also. Topside I will have an nse12 and was going to have the ram mike there but maybe it makes more sense to put the gx2100 on the fly bridge and ram mike at the helm below.
Certainly that would place the 2100 closer to both the antenna and hailer speaker which reduces run lengths. Any negatives to this?
Another issue: since I have always on 110V up there a separate question is are there truly reliable 110V to 12V inverters that would provide multiple quick connect/disconnect [to allow for easy winter removal]? The power draw on the nse12 is significant and I think 12V voltage drop could be an issue - especially when transmitting on the GX2100.

Ben, Thanks for the links...Seems like Garmins communicate fine. Standard support did mention that some Garmins also use RS232.

bstrong, There are power supplies that convert 120V AC to 12V DC. But I would not suggest one for that setup. I don't know all your equipment topside - but the nse12 and VHF on transmit will be less than 10 amps. Assuming the run is pretty straight #8 should more than suffice.

For the price of the RAM mic, you can also almost buy another VHF. I have 2 VHF's and 2 antennas since this is a critical safety system. One up and one down.

I do think the 2100 is best mounted close to whatever will receive the HS data. RS232 at that rate will not like long cable runs. It might make it over twisted pair cable - there is another discussion on this forum about how to do that.

Simrad is probably more like Furuno than Garmin, so you may have some of the interfacing issues I have had. I'll be interested to hear how it works out.

I added a Startech RS232 to RS422 adapter, model IC485S. With that one device in between the GX2100 and my NMEA environment, I can send the GX2100 position information and receive AIS data via my RS422 to ethernet bridge.

Interesting, one half of the adapter runs at low speed and the other half at AIS high speed, and it does not seem to care....

Appears to solve all the problems in my installation.

Thanks Bob, The gx2100 will be a second vhf for my boat. My original plan was to mount the gx2100 below right above the present standard horizon vhf and just switch the antenna cable but leave the old unit for backup - and maybe a foghorn. I am now leaning to an additional antenna and the gx2100 topside with ram mike below for convenience [and ais] and the old vhf connected to be always ready.
I am curious why you do not recommend the 110v to 12v route topside - can you be specific? I am installing a new 3kv inverter and have a 5kv genset on board. I have regularly used a 'foreman' electric sandwich grill on the [dry] flybridge for hot lunch. I am thinking my 110v system is as reliable as my diesel alternators. Am I missing something?
Thanks, Brian

Hi Brian,

Mainly my objection is when you use battery power via your inverter to generate 110V for a 12V device. There is always some power lost when switching between 12V DC to 120V AC then back to 12V DC. Each power conversion loses a little energy in the translation.

I you want to run a 120V AC appliance on an inverter - that makes great sense. I've even seen dual powered AC/DC fridges run more efficiently on the house inverter. But that's because they are really 120V appliances (some not all of them) and the house inverter was better than the one in the fridge.

But in this case, the device is native 12V DC. So I would keep it that way.

There is no doubt it will work. I have not priced AC-DC power supplies recently, but you would want a 12V 10A DC supply. I'd guess those would cost $50-100 dollars, and the #8 wire run should be less.

Finally, I have mixed feelings on this, but I'm still considering it for my boat....You could place a battery of some sort up high. This would not require a thick DC cable to keep charged. But it would provide "extra" current when required, like for VHF transmit. In an emergency, if you designed it right, you could also isolate it from you house battery if they failed or flooded. Then your VHF would still work...I'm still thinking on this, there are some other redeeming qualities, including some isolation from engine start spikes. But I'm still not 100% sold. Something for you to consider anyway.

Good Luck! Bob

Bob, It is slowly registering with me that a small AGM battery up on the flybridge is an elegant solution to buffer the 12v supply. Do you have any further thoughts on how to best wire it up? Brian

I installed and wired up the gx2100 on the flybridge today and happily transmitted fine on the first attempt - only powered with the small sealed battery on the flybridge. Nice to know we now have the security of getting out even with electrical chaos down below.
Brian

Hi again Bob, I am in Camden now with my PDQ and want to complete my gx2100 to N2K setup. I have a Startech IC485S and would appreciate your wiring diagram and installation tips if possible. Thank you, Brian

I just purchased one of these radios, and I having trouble getting it to work properly. I want to connect the GX2100 to a PC Serial port. I have The CapN running on the PC and outputting the NMEA 0183 to a spare serial port. No love when I connect the GX2100 it will not display the position. Also will the GX2100 put out AIS contacts in demo mode? This is another battle to output AIS into another serial port to get them to display on my screen. However I am at home and there are no ships passing by. I am using pins 2, 3 and 5 on the serial port. 5 being the ground.