Need help wiring GPS to VHF

[Reel Poor]

Need help connecting GPS to VHF so the distress feature will work. The VHF should also display lat and long cordinates on the display screen. Which wires should I connect together. If I'm reading this right, I think the VHF bare wire connects to the GPS brown wire and the VHF green wire connects to the GPS blue wire.

The GPS is a Garmen 198C
The VHF is Standard Horizon VHF600

GPS Wiring Diagram

VHF Wiring Diagram

VHF Connection Instructions

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

Instead of bare-brown, I'd go bare-black. You want to tie + and - of the gps data output to the input on the VHF, not half to the input and half to the output.

I'm gonna assume that the "GPS data In" labels on your VHF really mean "NMEA data in" and aren't looking for some proprietary/strange GPS data format.

Erik

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

You need to use the GPS Blue(signal) and Black (Ground). Do not use the brown wire. That is an input to the GPS.

On the VHF side you use the green and the bare wire.

GPS blue connects to VHF green
GPS black connects to VHF bare

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

Your radio can go one step further I believe. If you connect the VHF nmea out wires to the Gps nmea Rx wires your radio can display an incoming DSC call location on your GPS/Chartplotter. So in addition to the connections Bruce(a very excellent electrician) told you to make you also need:

GPS brown to VHF yellow
GPS black to VHF orange


Bruce may be able to verify or negate this.

--
Stan

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

No...I didn't know that...learned something newtoday.

I am actually an electrical engineer...not an electrician.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

My bad. All I meant was you seem to know your way around electrical circuits and now I guess I know why. I am just a lowly diagnostician. If that is even a word. Rum may be getting the better of me.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

I agree with Bruce.

GPS Blue NMEA Output >>>to>>>>>VHF Green NMEA Input.

If your running both on the same battery may not need the signal ground, still a good idea to hook it up.

Also as it says check your GPS NMEA Output to make sure it set to format and buad your VHS wants. Many times you will have 3 or 4 selections.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

Thanks guys, I would have been back sooner but the dam cable network has been out since sometime early Sunday morning. Just got back on-line at 1:00pm today.

I don't know how in the hel I missed that I typed "brown" because I knew it should have been "black". That is the way I went ahead and connected it. I don't know if it operates correctly because the boat is in a coverd shed. Maybe I'll pull it out today and check it out. I'll let you know.

As to what Nova said; I should also hook the VHF orange wire to ground also?

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

No, you don't have to. It'll work fine the way Bruce told you to wire it. But I think you may be able to get more from your set up. Some VHF radios are capable of talking TO the GPS instead of just receiving FROM it. If these radios are wired to do it, they can project an incoming DSC call location onto your GPS map. Not all VHF can, but usually if the have the nmea out(tx) circuit as well as the GPS in circuit, they can. Yours has these circuits and I believe if you wire the additional two wires you can utilize this additional capability.

--
Stan

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

Thanks Stan, I'll "Get Er Done".

 

[Boatist]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

I think What SuperNova is talking about is correct. I also think West Marine VHF600 has that feature. As I recall it will tell you where other station are but you first have to input their mmsi number. So if you and two buddies head out Salmon fishing and one head North and one heads South and you head West. Buddy who headed North call you up and says it red hot where we are at. Your radio will tell you his Lat and Long. That way he does not have to say we are at this point and see every boat on the water headed there.
I know the top of the line ICOM has that feature.

Hear is a link to ICOM video explaining POSITION REQUEST. Also has a video on distress and group calls.


http://www.icomamerica.com/marine/video/default.asp

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Need help wiring GPS to VHF

I think most DSC VHF's have the ability to show Long and LAt of an incoming call. The ones I'm talking about can plot a waypoint on your Gps as well.