AguaSki
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2005
- Messages
- 545
Re: CB Radio vs Marine Radio
You need a GPS unit that supports the NMEA 0183 standard. Check your GPS manual to verify this standard is supported. A very basic GPS unit is likely to be compatible. You don't need a fancy marine chart plotter to work with the DSC feature. As an example, I have an old hand held Garmin eTrex Venture connected to my DSC radio. This is pretty much one of the most basic GPS units ever manufactured, but it does support the NMEA 0183 standard. My GPS unit is so basic that it is not in production any more. Similar basic GPS units can be had for under $100. The key to connecting the GPS unit to the VHF radio is getting the correct cable. A quick Google search and I found several online retailers selling cables that fit my old GPS.
Now one of my pet peaves has been brought up. I'm all for DSC. But go to a website and look at a marine radio and odds are you will find comments like "with compatible GPS" then no info on what that means.
You need a GPS unit that supports the NMEA 0183 standard. Check your GPS manual to verify this standard is supported. A very basic GPS unit is likely to be compatible. You don't need a fancy marine chart plotter to work with the DSC feature. As an example, I have an old hand held Garmin eTrex Venture connected to my DSC radio. This is pretty much one of the most basic GPS units ever manufactured, but it does support the NMEA 0183 standard. My GPS unit is so basic that it is not in production any more. Similar basic GPS units can be had for under $100. The key to connecting the GPS unit to the VHF radio is getting the correct cable. A quick Google search and I found several online retailers selling cables that fit my old GPS.