I'm getting a new boat. The boat includes a pretty extensive Raymarine system - ST70's and a below decks autopilot.
I have planned to add a Raymarine C90W plotter to the system, as well as a Standard Matrix AIS radio.
I have, however gotten a bit nervous about the prospect of continuing support from Raymarine because of their financial problems.
On the other hand I am a bit nervous about the potential for system integration issues if I use a different brand of plotter (Garmin, Furuno, Simrad probably).
I guess what I'm looking for is advice about my Raymarine support paranoia and some input from those more knowledgable than me about the perils of mixing and matching SeatalkNG and NMEA 0186.
Thanks in advance for your help
There will always be a Raymarine.
there are now three suitors, and all that remains is to decide how badly stockholders will be hit. Current Raymarine customers are getting good support, and the company is continuing to introduce innovative product, possibly at a faster rate than in the past.
This is the opinion of a staunch Garmaphile; No product loyalty speaking.
So if you aren't considering a complete Garmin Make-over, go with your plan.
p.s. I suspect that the latest "direct competitor" suitor rhymes with "Charmin"
Thanks Sandy. Your view echo's mine - just seeing what others think so I can share the blame if I wind up with an orphan system :)
SeaTalkNG and NMEA 0183 are different animals. SeaTalk NG is more closely related to NMEA2000 and has many crossover capabilities with NMEA2000 devices provided that Raymarine has recognized and enabled the data stream these devices emit. For example, if a company introduces a new sensor that measures the amount of anchor rode the windless plays out and it is an NMEA 2000 compatable device, only after, when Raymarine has written into their software an understanding of the data sentence the sensor gives, will the data show properly on the Raymarine display. You will get the most out of your existing Raymarine products by adding the Raymarine display. That is if you can get your hands on one, they are selling very well and my supplier is back ordered as an upswing in the marketplace and demand by OEM's has Raymarine going flat out filling orders. I'm very confident that there will be a Raymarine of some fashion far into the future.