Interfacing GPS, Radar, and Autopilot

[Don Metznik]

I'm investingating the possiblity of interfacing all of the electronics aboard my CD30. Currently it consists of a 1995 Furuno 1731 radar unit, an Autohelm 4000 wheel pilot and a 2000 Garmin GPS 48. I would like to also add an Autohelm windvane as an addition to the autopilot. The thing is that the autopilot is controlled by a unit that is mounted on the back of the cockpit. It is not one of the newer ones which have the LCD display. I don't believe it to have an interface connection but I beleive the windvane option does have it. Does anyone know how to do this and if it is even possible? Thanks very much.

Don Metznik



donald.metznik@mail.trincoll.edu

[Larry DeMers]

Hi Don,

We have been slowly interfacing our electronics on our CD30 also.
In our case we are using all Autohelm equipment; Radar, instruments, autopilot. Autohelm uses Seatalk, it's own proprietary communications protocol. To your question:

............ I would like to also add an Autohelm windvane as an addition to the autopilot. The thing is that the autopilot is controlled by a unit that is mounted on the back of the cockpit. It is not one of the newer ones which have the LCD display. I don't believe it to have an interface connection but I beleive the windvane option does have it. Does anyone know how to do this and if it is even possible?

The wind vane more than likely plugs into the autopilot controller directly..at least ours does. There is no provision for external communications with the wind vane on ours. If you want complete control up to the autopilot, I think you will need to upgrade to a newer pilot.

Incidently, we connected up the GPS to the radar, as well as a Fluxgate compass sensor, and now the radar display (whether transmitting or not)acts as a remote indicator for all of these instruments. The radar has two cursors that I can move around the screen, and these are tied to the GPS data, to give me a Lat/Lon of the chosen spot under the cursor. Pretty handy feature. The Autohelm radars have a whole library of displays possible once the right sentence is recieved via the data line. 3D 'road' display for cross-track errors, etc. All discovered accidently after the GPS was connected.

Cheers!

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~~~~~~Sailing Lake Superior~~~~~



ldemers@win.bright.net

[John R.]

I'm investingating the possiblity of interfacing all of the electronics aboard my CD30. Currently it consists of a 1995 Furuno 1731 radar unit, an Autohelm 4000 wheel pilot and a 2000 Garmin GPS 48. I would like to also add an Autohelm windvane as an addition to the autopilot. The thing is that the autopilot is controlled by a unit that is mounted on the back of the cockpit. It is not one of the newer ones which have the LCD display. I don't believe it to have an interface connection but I beleive the windvane option does have it. Does anyone know how to do this and if it is even possible? Thanks very much.

Don Metznik

Your Furuno and Garmin should have no problem interfacing on 0183 (late version)as far as I know. The AH4000 is a different story. I'm not real familiar with the 4000 series but I am with the 6000. First of all you need to know the age of the unit and whether or not you can interface it. You mention only interfacing through a windvane which doesn't sound right. If you do determine you have the capability then you need to determine which protocol format ie: 0180, 0182, 0183 the AH4000 is capable of working with. If it's an older unit I would guess that it will be 0180, a typical older autopilot protocol. Problem is some newer electronics won't work with the 0180, they have mostly been designed to utilize 0183 late version. The Garmin will probably have an 0180 but if you were to use it then all your other stuff won't be able to read it, such as the Furuno. With that said, you are still in luck because you can use a universal format converter. These units will allow just about anything to work with anything, including proprietary formats. They are fabulous units and really help in preventing expensive electronic equipment from becoming obsolete just because NEMA makes a format change or two. As one might expect the units are not cheap, but cheaper than scrapping older but good equipment and they keep future equipment from falling into obsolesence just because of an unmatched NEMA format. The info follows:

The company I've dealt with is called: (awhile ago)

Maricom Electronics, Inc.
2911 River Drive
Thunderbolt Ga. 31404
PH: 912/354-4542
Fax: 912/356-1249

They manufacture the UMI series units. They are Universal Marine Interfaces. Maybe that info will help you out if you have interfacing incompatability problems.

[Geoff Safron]

Don, I've had the same thought, with nearly the same equipment. I have a '99 edition of the Garmin 48, and a '99 (LCD) Autohelm 4000. I put in a DC power kit to keep the GPS hot in its mount on the helm seat, and it included a two-wire data cable that I've so far left capped; and (one? two?) data wires capped off unused, under the cockpit for the 4000...does anybody know, is it as simple as connecting these wires? Or does there need to be some piece of hardware in-between?



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