VHF to Garmin echomap anyone?

skennelly

I'm trying to connect a gx2000 VHF to a Garmin 74dv.  No luck.

I asked Garmin support and they said I needed the blue and brown wires...the VHF is asking for a ground ( I connected to the common ground of the Garmin ) and then gray and blue wires.

Nothing seems to work...I can get GPS to register on the gx2000.

Anyone?

Ian

Do you need to enable RS485/NMEA bus or similar on the plotter and radio? I needed to enable it on my Lowrance plotter and then the radio also to receive (and expect) the GPS data from the plotter.

skennelly

Yes...both I'm pretty sure are enabled.

Willhound

I was able to successfully do the NMEA hookup up to two different GX1300 radios. One from a Garmin and one from a Humminbird. The GX2000 should be similar. Check out this diagram from my old manual. As I recall, all 4 wires were needed, yellow,green white,brown. Follow the wiring directions and you should be good. The instructions are not great but there's a few settings you need to adjust on both the radio and GPS to do with baud rate and direction of NMEA output if I remember correctly.

Ian

I believe I used NMEA0183 and 2 wires only.

skennelly

I contacted SH support and they gave me some good advice.  I had my wires wrong.  Will test this weekend.

skennelly

Nothing I have tried has worked.  I contacted both Garmin and SH and my wiring is correct based on their directions.  The SH just will not receive coordinates from the Garmin plotter.  Really frustrated.

Willhound

Just wondering....do you have an MMSI and does it need to be entered for the coordinates to show?

skennelly

@Willhound - I have a MMSI but have not entered it yet.  That's an interesting point you make.  I don't see why it would matter but worth a shot.

raybo3

You need the number. I had the same problem. 

skennelly

@raybo3 - holy cow if that's the reason I feel really dumb.  I'll enter my number this weekend and check.

Dream_Inn

I agree with Raybo, does not work until MMSI is entered.  What I think is crazy is how many boats go without ever having an MMSI.  It took me less than a half hour to connect my GPS to my VHF and enter MMSI.  My boat was 4 years old when I got it.  Half of the boats on my dock, that I know of, don't have it connected.

aero3113

Agree @Dream_Inn it’s definitely something EVERY boater should have! Whenever I have people on the boat, part of my safety brief is the red button on my base unit and handheld. 

TonyG13

The other thing I found out was the VHF has to be on when the GPS/MFD is on - otherwise it gives an intermittent alarm warning that the GPS/MMSI system is not connected and unable to send out coordinates.

Ian

TonyG13 said:

The other thing I found out was the VHF has to be on when the GPS/MFD is on - otherwise it gives an intermittent alarm warning that the GPS/MMSI system is not connected and unable to send out coordinates.

Opposite - GPS needs to be on as VHF wants to see data from GPS when on.

Ian

aero3113 said:

Agree @Dream_Inn it’s definitely something EVERY boater should have! Whenever I have people on the boat, part of my safety brief is the red button on my base unit and handheld. 

Part of my drill - jackets there, fire extinguishers there and the button under the red tab if all else fails.

TonyG13

Ian said:

TonyG13 said:

The other thing I found out was the VHF has to be on when the GPS/MFD is on - otherwise it gives an intermittent alarm warning that the GPS/MMSI system is not connected and unable to send out coordinates.

Opposite - GPS needs to be on as VHF wants to see data from GPS when on.

After thinking about it, it's actually both.

GPS will alarm if VHF is off, and VHF will beep if GPS isn't on.

Willhound

TonyG13 said:

Ian said:

TonyG13 said:

The other thing I found out was the VHF has to be on when the GPS/MFD is on - otherwise it gives an intermittent alarm warning that the GPS/MMSI system is not connected and unable to send out coordinates.

Opposite - GPS needs to be on as VHF wants to see data from GPS when on.

After thinking about it, it's actually both.

GPS will alarm if VHF is off, and VHF will beep if GPS isn't on.

Yes, that's what mine would do. 

Ian

Willhound said:

TonyG13 said:

Ian said:

TonyG13 said:

The other thing I found out was the VHF has to be on when the GPS/MFD is on - otherwise it gives an intermittent alarm warning that the GPS/MMSI system is not connected and unable to send out coordinates.

Opposite - GPS needs to be on as VHF wants to see data from GPS when on.

After thinking about it, it's actually both.

GPS will alarm if VHF is off, and VHF will beep if GPS isn't on.

Yes, that's what mine would do. 

Interesting, I rarely have the GPS on itself and no radio but would turn on radio to hail passing vessels rocking us and it squawks after a period without a coordinate send. Have to test it.

Willhound

Did you get this sorted @skennelly ?

LaRea

I recommend against taking GPS from the chartplotter, or any source that can be turned off.  In an emergency, you might not remember to turn on the chartplotter first.  If you're incapacitated, the crew might not know to turn it on.  The VHF should always have GPS no matter what.  

My advice - replace your VHF with a new one that has built-in GPS.  You can get a decent radio for $150.  It's critical safety equipment.  

Willhound

I agree @LaRea and if a new radio with built in GPS is $150, sure. A few years ago when I did mine they were more like $350 and up which always galled me since the GPS chip was probably worth $5. Every phone in the last 5 years has one.
But who runs around with their chartplotter off? It was always the first thing turned on, then the VHF, even if I knew exactly where I was going. I didn't trust the built in depth gauge and the speed indication is better than on the speedometer. 

Ian

Part of standard startup - turn on both plus the handheld as a backup.

aero3113

@Willhound , here you go.

Standard Horizon GX1400 Eclipse Fixed Mount VHF Radio - Black https://a.co/d/6kQRlQj

Willhound

Here's the price in Canuckistan. 
But an improvement from when I was last looking.

aero3113

Actually the one I originally sent needs to be hooked up to a GPS. This one has it built in.

Standard Horizon Eclipse-Series VHF Radio w/GPS,White,Small https://a.co/d/1mMaPwJ

LaRea

Willhound said:

... who runs around with their chartplotter off?  

Boat emergencies can happen when you're not underway.  Suppose you are anchored for the day and you get rammed by a boat.  You're unconscious, your crew is freaking out, and your boat is taking on water.  Will somebody remember to turn on the plotter and wait while it boots up?  

YYZRC

Geez @LaRea you go to dark places sometimes!

LaRea

    I always try to prepare for the worst! 

I was anchored when I made my first and only mayday call (for an injury, not a collision).  Before I could tell the Coast Guard my lat/lon, I had to wait for my chartplotter to boot up and acquire satellites.  It took two minutes and felt like two weeks.  It shook me up so much that I later added a dedicated GPS receiver with unswitched power.  

Willhound

Maybe I'm weird, but my plotter was always on. Even when anchored for the day or overnight. Both for the reasons you described but more so for the drift alarm. I liked the peace of mind.

Ian

Not that we overnight but I leave radio and plotter on too when anchored.