Help connecting old Raymarine seatalk to new seatalk

[Jim Hardesty]

I installed a new Raymarine evolution autopilot replacing my ST4000+.  New autopilot works great, quieter and holds course terrific.  I would like to hook it up to my existing 4000 series wind instrument but raymarine has no easy way for me to do that.  What I'd like to do is splice into the old flat-plug seatalk from my wind instrument and splice in a new seatalk round connector.  Then connect that to my new autopilot control head.    I've not had much satisfaction talking to raymarine support people, unlike B&G support that I've found to be great. 

[MarcZ]

More information is needed for more detailed suggestion.
Please provide brand and model #of instruments and transducers in your current setup

If you have Raymarine EV100 autopilot then components are connected using Seatalk NG - this type of "network" needs "special translation" to communicate with old Seatalk (available from Raymarine) Part Number: E22158
Now about  connecting  almost any MFD by B&G  to  raymarine wind transducer "directly" -  easiest way is to install Raymarine iTC-5 for transducers and  satalk NG to NMEA2000 cable for B&G connection (some other combinations are possible - depending on what is already installed)

I'm currently using:  B&G MFD + Raymarine transducers and autopilot + Standard horizon AIS    without any problems.

[mainesail]

I installed a new Raymarine evolution autopilot replacing my ST4000+.  New autopilot works great, quieter and holds course terrific.  I would like to hook it up to my existing 4000 series wind instrument but raymarine has no easy way for me to do that.  What I'd like to do is splice into the old flat-plug seatalk from my wind instrument and splice in a new seatalk round connector.  Then connect that to my new autopilot control head. 

You can't do that, they are speaking two entirely different languages. It is like walking into a Burger King in the middle of Iowa and ordering your food in Mandarin. The dude from Iowa is going to give you a really blank stare and not understand a word you said. The two systems can not be "spliced" together. You will need a SeaTalk 1 to SeaTalk ng converter. It is best to buy the converter kit...
http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=1597

The converter looks like a simple hub but it is actually a software driven data converter that can be updated. It converts old SeaTalk legacy data into Seatalk ng or NMEA 2K... Alternatively an iTC-5 can be used to get over to NMEA2k/Seatalk ng as well but it is significantly more expensive..

I've not had much satisfaction talking to raymarine support people, unlike B&G support that I've found to be great.

All of the marine electronics companies have their issues. B&G are no saints and I would say they (Navico group; Simrad, B&G Lowrance) have given me more headaches over the last few years than even Raymarine. On the Navico VHF debacle, oh never mind....... In my experience Navico has more software glitches than any of them and Raymarine has the most QC issues. My tech support contacts at Raymarine are great. The guys at B&G okay and the folks at Garmin pretty poor but I have hardly any issues with Garmin. Keep in mind that Raymarine also offers a tech support forum

Don't even get me started on B&G right now as I just, about an hour ago, finished up a large B&G install and the old B&G Network Quad system is now a boat anchor and unsupported by B&G. At least Raymarine offers you a solution to get old ST1 data onto the new N2K system, B&G not so much Unless your equipment was not very old and already used 0183 transducers or N2K transducers you're essentially SOL with B&G interfacing legacy product. The big problem is B&G tech support told my customer his "Network Quad" system would easily interface with his new Zeus 2 system and the reality is that it won't.. Nice enough tech support but what good is tech support when the guy on the other end of the phone is blowing smoke up your rear...??

Get the converter, plug it in and away you go...

[Jim Hardesty]

I just had a good experience with B&G when I hooked up my Zeus chartplotter to my old nema0183 radio. 
OK.  I guess my problem is that the wind instrument is in a pod above the wheel and the autopilot control is on the port side of the T-shaped cockpit.  An old seatalk wire is run through the pedestal guard ending in a female old seatalk plug at the autopilot control.  So I guess the easiest thing for me to do is buy the converter.  Cut both female old seatalk plugs  (one existing one in the kit) and splice the wires.  I think that would be much easier than running the new wire through the pedestal guard.  Then it should be straight forward following the directions to plug and play.  I just thought it was going through a lot of roundabout just to get from one plug-in to another.

Thanks for your expert advice Mainsail.  It's much appreciated.

[mainesail]

I just had a good experience with B&G when I hooked up my Zeus chartplotter to my old nema0183 radio. 
OK.  I guess my problem is that the wind instrument is in a pod above the wheel and the autopilot control is on the port side of the T-shaped cockpit.  An old seatalk wire is run through the pedestal guard ending in a female old seatalk plug at the autopilot control.  So I guess the easiest thing for me to do is buy the converter.  Cut both female old seatalk plugs  (one existing one in the kit) and splice the wires.  I think that would be much easier than running the new wire through the pedestal guard.  Then it should be straight forward following the directions to plug and play.  I just thought it was going through a lot of roundabout just to get from one plug-in to another.

Thanks for your expert advice Mainsail.  It's much appreciated.

Just grab a Seatalk 1 Junction block part #D244 then you don't need to cut and splice anything......... The ST1 to STng converter can be plugged into any open ST1 port on the back of an ST1 networked instrument.

[Jim Hardesty]

Thanks again.  Looks like the junction block and converter kit will do it. 

[Jim Hardesty]

I also needed a backbone cable #A06033.