... Today, I use the only seriel port on
the PC to get the NMEA stream of data from the GPSvia RS232 ... The
C-map chart reader is using a USB interface,

... I will then have to figure out how also to get the
seriel input from the AIS engine into the PC ... May be via USB? Or a
multiplexor? If I'm not mistaken, Meindert will have an answer to that
...

--
Flemming Torp
Gimle/DEN-61

Flemming,

If you buy the SR161 (I have one of these) it alows you to connect the
serial output cable (DB9 end) of your Gps (my gps is a Garmin and the
serial cable is standard) to the "serial input/output" DB9 on the AIS
receiver SR 161, so, the SR161 act as a Multiplexor, joinining the Gps
NMEA outputed at 4800 bps from the gps with his own generated AIS
NMEA data and sending to the serial port of the PC (DB9) a "correctly
combined Gps/Ais mixed NMEA Messages" at 38400 bps ... In this way, I
do not need another serial port on the laptop/Pc.

The Milltech Marine site where I have buy my AIS unit sell a already
made special cable, (I have buy one, becase I do not like to made this
type of work too) but they have an diagram in PDF of the cable so tht
you can made one yourself.

Pascal