Daniele Fua wrote in news:48da95fd$0$1080
:

Is there an easy way to build a display that will show some chosen
NMEA
data?
I have seen on the market programmable units that sell for several
hundred $ and I know that a computer is easily interfaced but what I
need is just a simple, cheap and weatherproof repeater at the helm to
display only few of the zillion data available at the underdeck main
navigation station. For example decoding just part of BWC and VTG and
displaying, say, four lines would be enough (COG, heading, bearing to
waypoint, and distance to waypoint).

Daniel


We have one aboard Lionheart. It's a B&G "Network" DATA display. I
think it will display what you want except it has no chart plotter to do
bearing and distance to waypoint. For that you'd need a chart plotter
to do the calculations and to store the waypoint lat/long.

Here's its user manual:
http://www.bandg.com/upload/B&G/Docu...data_manual.pd
f
The functions you seek are under the OTHER button.

B&G Network QUAD would give you more data simultaneously. We only have
DATA, not QUAD in our system and it's located at the chart table.
http://www.bandg.com/upload/B&G/Docu...quad_usermanua
l.pdf

B&G discontinued NETWORK instruments for a newer proprietary system to
compete with Seatalk and Garmintalk (or whatever the hell Garmin calls
it). It's too bad, too, because the daisy-chained NETWORK instruments
are all STANDARDIZED NMEA 0183 data instruments that "pass through" data
fed to them, while adding their own statements if they are
talkers...eliminating the need for multiport multiplexers. they simply
plug in end-to-end with cables that match sticking out of them. At any
point in the chain, if you make the chain into a complete loop, you can
break out the NMEA 0183 data stream from all of them by slicing into the
cable and splicing your own "data out" wire (NMEA +) to the, I THINK I
REMEMBER, green wire. At any point this wire will have all the data
from all the instruments on it and can be used by non B&G instruments as
listeners, directly.

Either of these will do what you want, except for the chart plotter
functions, in one neat sailing instrument. It doesn't care where the
data comes from. Just put 12V to the RED and 12V ground to BLACK and
INPUT the data to the INPUT cable pin. Sorry I don't have the pinout
quickly available, but it's on B&G website. They'll sell you "extension
cables" you can simply cut in half to get input and output cables
already made up to connect to other manufacturer's devices. Works great
that way.

Check ebay or other used marine instrument sources for them on the
cheap. Boaters love to "upgrade" perfectly good working systems...(c;