one for the tech's

[Deiter]

getting an Eagle seachamp 2000c df soon and i am wondering about the gps receivers.

the lowrance/ eagle website states that the particular receiver for this unit is a EGC-12w

now i may be a tightar$e, but i feel that this little bugger is ridiculously expensive and have the following q's.

the egc-12w interfaces using a standard rs-232 connection and the website states that it can also be used to connect to a p.c., pda etc.

what i wanna know is,

1. can i use any old receiver with the rs-232 interface to hook up to my gps? i am not sure on the baud rate of the 2000c df, but i know some receivers will auto adjust their baud to suit differing devices, so this shouldn't be a problem.

2. i have seen receivers available now with up to 32 parallel channels, as opposed to 12 on the egc-12w. will my sounder/gps unit be able to use these receivers and are there tangible benefits to be had with the extra channells?


3. is there anything else i need to know?

FYI, quotes for the egc-12w are around the $350 - 400 mark.
stand alone receiver w/ rs-232 interface around $120 - $300

c'mon Satnav, i know you're out there...and thanx in advance.

Damo

[oddbudman]

I had a look at the datasheet on the Eagle seachamp 2000c df and it says on page 30..

The FishStrike 2000c and SeaChamp 2000C DF packages include the
EGC-12w GPS module. This device contains the unit's external
antenna and receiver for GPS and WAAS signals.

Are you sure that it doesn't come with the EGC-12w ?

NMEA 0183 is a standard communications format for marine electronic
equipment. For example, an autopilot can connect to the NMEA
interface on the unit and receive positioning information. The unit is
capable of exchanging information with any device that transmits or
receives NMEA 0183 data. This feature requires an optional accessory
cable.

I think you should be able to use an alternative if the unit does not come with the EGC-12w. But you will need to make sure that the standalone receiver not only has RS232, but supports the NMEA 0183 communications standard.

Hopefully Satnav finds this post - he sure seems to know his GPS, but I would think this is a common question for any experienced marine electronics salesman, perhaps make a few phonecalls, and give Eagle technical support an email.

oddbudman

[Deiter]

g'day Oddbudman

i don't have the unit yet and wasn't sure, but i just downloaded the manual and it confirms what you said.

when i ordered, the add only said it came with a "free transom mount transducer with temp sensor.
The manual says that the 2000c df also comes packaged with a speed/distance sensor, so if this is the case, as well as the gps receiver, i will be rapt.

HOWEVER, i am still interested to know about any receivers available that may be better than the standard unit, with extra chanells etc

cheers, damo

now where did i leave that packet of Winfield Purple...

[Thunderbird]

Where you left them dieter.....
Somewhere between pluging in the welder and playing with a panelview

[SatNav]

1. No problems using basically any receiver that outputs compatible NMEA to a plotter that accepts NMEA. Some of the new NMEA is specific but most things will handle plain old standard NMEA. Just check the NMEA versions are compatible.

2. 32 channel receivers should still work but they can only ever use the satellites they can see so there will be an awfull lot of channels doing nothing. Simply is not the satellites or satellite systems at this time to warrant 32 channel receivers or even 16 channel receivers. Bit of a marketing gimmick at this point in time.

3. Any third party receiver will generally not be controllable from the plotter so the GPS will need to be pre-configured or start up in a standard default mode. Will also require it's own power supply.

4. No point in specifically buying anything that is WAAS (W) capable. No use in this country

[Deiter]

thanx for clearing that up SatNav, great to have people on here who are willing and able to help amatuers in this field like myself.

as for you T'bird, bit of a bolt out of the blue isnt it. just wait till the boys from FAG find out where you have been!!

and if it wasn't for me, you would have that welder in a thousand peices by now!!
just remember to plug it in next time!