chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

[fastang50]

Hey folks, I'm not real techie so want to know if what I'm planning will work.

I'd like to put together a fairly low priced and high value electronic system for a 24' boat. I'd like a chartplotter (rivers) of reasonable size coupled to display AIS targets and provide depth and fuel consumption info. To that end I'm planning the following, tell me if it will do what I want or if there is a better way to achieve it.

Appreciate the help!

Standard Horizon GX2150 ($400 at West Marine)
Lowrance HDS-7 ($1200 at: http://www.gpsdiscount.com/gpsdiscount/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=12212 )
Lowrance depth transducer (incl in hds-7 pkg.)
Lowrance EP-10 fuel flow transducer ( $90 at Cabelas )


Will this give me chartplotter function for rivers
while overlaying AIS targets?
displaying fuel burn/mpg?
and depth?

 

[jhebert]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

Will [the gear described above] give me chartplotter function for rivers while overlaying AIS targets...displaying fuel burn...mpg...and depth?

The Lowrance HDS-7 can only provide chart information for areas where it has digital cartography. You can purchase the unit with a base map or with added cartography internally stored. Or, you can purchase additional cartography on an secure data memory card and add that cartography. You should review these options and buy the appropriate cartography for your area.

The Lowrance HDS-7 can overlay AIS targets. The target data will be supplied by a NMEA-0183 connection from your AIS receiver. AIS data is sent at 38,400-BPS on NMEA-0183. The HDS-7 has only one serial port. You will need to configure the HDS-7 serial port for the 38,400-BPS, and connect that serial port input to the output of your AIS receiver.

The Standard-Horizon GX2150 has an AIS receiver. It can send its normal NMEA-0183 data (usually sent at the standard 4,8000-BPS) with the AIS data and send both on the 38,400-BPS output. This is a nice feature. It is a very good choice for use with the HDS-7 because the HDS-7 has only one serial port. The multiplexer will come in handy. [Clarified this information with an edit--jimh]

If you use an EP-10 fuel flow sensor you will be able to accumulate the fuel flow rate into a fuel volume used. You should be able to display this data on your HDS-7. See page 43 of this document:

http://www.lowrance.com/upload/Lowrance/Documents/Manuals/EP60R-Fuel-Flow_0154-432_091407.pdf

The HDS-7 includes a SONAR so you will be able to show soundings, too.

What type of engine is used on your 24-foot boat? There may be additional features you could use.

 

[jhebert]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

I have connected an AIS receiver to a Lowrance HDS display. If you would like a preview of how the HDS-7 will display AIS targets, you can see some screen captures of that function in an article I wrote about AIS receivers and displays. The article is available at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/AIS_ShipSpotter.html

The screen captures from a Lowrance HDS device are shown in the section under the subhead "AIS Target Display on HDS-8". The HDS display of AIS targets is a bit crude compared to some other devices, however it is still quite useful.

 

[fastang50]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

jherbert, thanks for the detailed response. I'll check out your write up as well.

I might add, I looked at the West Marine store in Indy and spent some time with both the garmin and lowrance units. The garmin seemed a bit easier to use. Input?

The engine is just your typical Mercruiser 260 (Chevy 350 carb'd).

 

[jhebert]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

If you want to begin a discussion on which brand of chart plotter offers the user interface which is easier for a first-time user to become familiar with, you should start a new thread. Such a discussion will overwhelm your current topic of the integration of the Lowrance HDS-7 with an AIS receiver and DSC radio. However, I will observe that one is only a first-time user of a device once, and whether or not the selection criterion should be based on the initial experience is questionable. I offer this advice:

"I find it interesting that we complain when a new technology requires an hour or two of study. Some people complain if only fifteen minutes of study are required. Yet we do not complain about the huge learning periods required to master the things we have grown up with, such as learning to swim, skate, or ride a bike. Reading, writing, and arithmetic, the fundamentals of education, take years to master. Should we complain about these? No, they are appropriate to the task. When new items are appropriately complex, it is reasonable that they require time and effort to master. Our complaints should be directed toward technologies and services that are unnecessarily complicated, confusing, and without apparent structure."

Donald Norman, "Living with Complexity," p.31

The HDS-7 is a NMEA-2000 display device. If your engine has an NMEA-2000 interface, you could connect the engine and display to a NMEA-2000 network. Once the display and engine were on the network, you could configure the display to show engine data. Older inboard engines tend to not have NMEA-2000 interfaces, so this option will not be likely for your boat. However, if your engine were equipped with an NMEA-2000 interface, I want to suggest that option for you.

 

[fastang50]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

Good point on the learning.

As for the engine, it's too old and dumb to provide me any useful info. I was installing a new shift interrupt assy last night and spent plenty of time up close and personal with it. I'm not sure but it may have a points distributor, though the Thunderbolt 4 ignition module looks like an early eighties Ford electronic module, so maybe it's not. Haven't had time to pop the top yet.

Thanks for the input. Read your other write up btw, well done.

 

[dingbat]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

I might add, I looked at the West Marine store in Indy and spent some time with both the garmin and lowrance units. The garmin seemed a bit easier to use. Input?

Garmin is known for their user friendliness. My boat had a Lowrance LCX 27C on it when I bought it but I replaced it with a Garmin 4208 a short time later. The Garmin is much more intuitive and a lot easier to use.

 

[jhebert]

Re: chartplotter, AIS, and DSC

The Garmin is much more intuitive and a lot easier to use.

I have never seen any methodical or rigorous testing of the user interface of marine navigation devices. People just give their offhand opinions, which usually just reinforce their purchase decisions. I would not put any stock in this sort of comment. I do not believe there is any expert opinion on this topic. I have no idea which is "easier to use" but users of the Garmin devices often make this claim for Garmin.