Bill,
The problem is across the entire marine spectrum, not just pleasure craft.
There are thousands of commercial vessels that not only bus the nav gear
through NMEA and other IMO approved interfaces,but now also host Ethernet
networks as well. The IMO is a very conservative and at times very backward
organization. I do not agree with Meindert, but he does raise very valid
points. NMEA 2k is better than 0183, but it doesn't hold a candle in
transport capability or flexibility in comparison to Ethernet. It is no
longer necessary nor desirable to host stove pipe transports for different
purposes. The world has changed. I am an electronic engineer that has been
involved with both IT and aircraft instrumentation for 40 years. the world
has changed, we need to keep up. Ethernet and TCP/IP is used by billions
world wide. Implementing this technology allows this "very small" market
place you speak about enjoy the cost advantage of a technology used by the
world.
Steve

"Bill Kearney" wrote in message
t...

"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message
...
Meindert,
Very nice to hear from you again. You have been away quite some time. I
can't believe I am hearing this from you. You are the perfect person for
this thread. I think you need to think a bit outside of the box. As you
know, each NMEA manufacturer today is addressing the inadequacies of NMEA
with their own propriety solutions and selling them as the next best
thing in boat electronics, like SeaTalk

WERE reinventing, past tense. NMEA2000 is the solution for it, and it
works QUITE well.

Yet we have a huge, inexpensive commercial infrastructure all around
TCP/IP and yet the marine industry is trying to reinvent the wheel. You
should revel in this foolishness and consider this as a golden opportunity
to develop a transport network like the CAN bus SAE J1939 standard, but
using TCP/IP as the flexible transport medium.

Which screams of how little you understand about instrumentation networks.

I think the market is huge. There are a lot of floating customers out
their just waiting for this.

I call bull****. List actual numbers, not pie-in-the sky hopes.

Please also keep in mind that this same transport can also move all data
types including other, unrelated traffic like audio, video and other
computer related data streams.

Which, again, screams of how little grasp you have of how instrumentation
networks function.