Hi folks,
Before we go and commit to a complete new navpack, could I ask a couple of questions;
1. Can I take it that a B&G Zeus 12 mfd would fully integrate into a Simnet system with NSS 7" plotters (we would appreciate the extra Zeus sailing features over the NSE version) and,
2. Have I understood it correctly that the NSS plotter is fully networkable with the larger Simrad plotters in a way that the Garmin 750 plotters do not fully integrate with their larger bretheren?
Sorry for the numpty question but we are about to commit to either a) All Simnet or b) All Garmin and this integration question will probably swing the decision.
many thanks,
Steve
I would certainly double check with Navico, but I'm pretty sure that an NSS and a Zeus will network over Ethernet well, sharing Navico gear like BR24 3G radar, SonicHub, and StructureScan (nice for gunkholing), as well as sensor data coming into either MFD via NMEA2000/SimNet or NMEA 0183. Of course, the sailing and weather apps on the Zeus will not show up on the NSS but the routes you might built on the former should snap right up on the latter.
And you are correct that the Garmin 700 series is not designed to network with Garmin's Marine Network in the same way. Its Ethernet port will only connect to a radar scanner. NMEA 2000 data is shared fine with other MFDs, Garmin's included, and you can unplug a Garmin radar from a Garmin network and plug it right into a 700 series, but you can't share it.