Interfacing RayMarine Instraments to KVH Displays

[sselinger]

Does anyone have any experience trying to take the NEMA output from RayMarine instruments and interfacing it to old KVH displays?

[Ron Hill]

Steve : I haven't done that with RayMarine, but have done it with Apelco and Micrologic. 
All you have to make sure that they are using the same 0183 (?? I think that's the correct code#) language.   

[rirvine]

Steve:

I see not reason why this would not work.   The issue is determining what NMEA sentences your RM instruments will transmit.  This is not obvious from RM's documentation (they are not into making it easy to use other instruments) and not all RM instruments transmit the same sentences.

Good luck, Ray

[jkar]

Don't know what RM instruments you have and don't know about the new RM's, but my ST50/60's use "SeaTalk" which is a proprietary "language" from RayMarine.  You will need some sort of converter.  RM sells one, looked basic and was more then I wanted to spend.  I actually went with a "multiplexer/combiner" with the "seatalk" interface from a company in NZ called Brookhouse.  Their website is brookhouseonline(dot)com.  It was super simple to install and gives the option for a USB output (plug into a computer) along with the NMEA output (wire to a repeater screen) and a 3 additional NMEA inputs along with the SeaTalk so you can connect a GPS or other NMEA device along with your RM and have it all combine into one output.  Even though they are in NZ, they respond via e-mail super quick (east coast 5 pm = next day 8 am NZ) so going to the boat after work, you basically have tech support on call.  Good luck.  Joel

[Craig Illman]

sselinger -  A SeaTalk reference link: http://www.thomasknauf.de/seatalk.htm

Craig

[rirvine]

Here is a wide selection of NMEA miltiplexors - some have one port for a Seatalk input.

http://www.shipmodul.com/

Ray