Steve, why not get an integrated GPS receiver with great WAAS built
right into the antenna like the Raymarine Raystar 120 NMEA?
http://www.raymarine.com/raymarine/P...oduct _id=147

Just plug it right into your laptop's serial port. No need to pay for
all the extra displays and gadgets you don't use.

Stretch out both arms horizontally. Double the distance you see from
fingertip to fingertip. That's how far the fix strays away from the
receiver's position at Lionheart's berth over a 24 hour period.

You can use any cabling you like because the dome, itself, puts out
NMEA statements into the cable. There's no RF antenna separate from a
display unit with coax cabling with IF interconnects to worry about.
The whole thing, WAAS receiver and all, 12-channels, is built right
into the little dome.

It's also compatible with EGNOS in Europe and MSAS in Asia for true
worldwide compatibility.

Lionheart's is mounted on the left side of the helm under the
fiberglass hardtop so people don't use it as a handle knob. Comes
with a standard mount like the kind you'd screw a marine fiberglass
antenna to. 9-18VDC at 1.5W powers it right up the same cable. It
comes with a long cable already attached to it. Unfortunately, I'd
rather it had a sealed PLUG on the antenna in case it needed a
replacement cable, but it doesn't have it.

VERY sensitive receiver. -130dbm.....hot!



On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 14:03:39 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

Thanks Dick.. I figured I would have to build a cable anyway since the GPS
will be about 10 ft from my laptop.

The manual says not to shorten the antenna cable but does tell you how to
remove the connector to get it through a small hole.

On my old Trimble, there was no warning about shorting it but then it didn't
have WAAS.

If I were you, I would swap the antennas and keep the same cable and see if
there is any problem with either the WAAS or the GPS

Steve
s/v Good Intentions



Larry W4CSC

NNNN

I already have two handhelds and a 'hockey puck' GPS.. (none are WAAS) but I
have a problem if I don't have an external antenna..

I can hook up one of my handhelds but have a problem finding a location that
gives a clear shot at the birds. I can run the handhelds off 12 volts but
the external antenna is no longer available (Raytheon/Apelco crap).

The 'hookey puck' works fine but happens to be a USB and The Craptian won't
talk to the Autopilot since it can only deal with the USB port while the AP
is on the serial.

I looked at the RayStar 120 but don't want to be totally reliant on the
Laptop..

A fixed mount GPS w/ WAAS with a serial port is kinda my idea of an ideal
arrangement since if I want to turn off the laptop, I can dump the routes
and waypoints back into the GPS and go from there.

I'm sure they are available, but I haven't found anything else I liked that
would let me work out my routes and WP on the laptop nav program and then
upload them to the GPS.. Or, if I prefer, navigate and direct the AP from
the laptop nav program.

I like to do my navigation directly on the laptop while in close quarter
(Puget Sound, Pac.NW.) but once I get offshore a I want to just load the
route and WPs into the GPS and work off paper charts to plot my daily
positions.

BTW. The WAAS isn't all that important to me since I will be doing most of
my cruising in Central America and So Pacific. But since the Furuno GP32 has
it already, I can't complain. It will come in handy when I do the Inside
Passage.

Everyone has a different idea of what they want at the nav station or at
the helm.. All I want, in view at the helm, is a display that tells me the
xte and maybe my spd.

Just my thoughts. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

I already have two handhelds and a 'hockey puck' GPS.. (none are WAAS) but I
have a problem if I don't have an external antenna..

I can hook up one of my handhelds but have a problem finding a location that
gives a clear shot at the birds. I can run the handhelds off 12 volts but
the external antenna is no longer available (Raytheon/Apelco crap).

The 'hookey puck' works fine but happens to be a USB and The Craptian won't
talk to the Autopilot since it can only deal with the USB port while the AP
is on the serial.

I looked at the RayStar 120 but don't want to be totally reliant on the
Laptop..

A fixed mount GPS w/ WAAS with a serial port is kinda my idea of an ideal
arrangement since if I want to turn off the laptop, I can dump the routes
and waypoints back into the GPS and go from there.

I'm sure they are available, but I haven't found anything else I liked that
would let me work out my routes and WP on the laptop nav program and then
upload them to the GPS.. Or, if I prefer, navigate and direct the AP from
the laptop nav program.

I like to do my navigation directly on the laptop while in close quarter
(Puget Sound, Pac.NW.) but once I get offshore a I want to just load the
route and WPs into the GPS and work off paper charts to plot my daily
positions.

BTW. The WAAS isn't all that important to me since I will be doing most of
my cruising in Central America and So Pacific. But since the Furuno GP32 has
it already, I can't complain. It will come in handy when I do the Inside
Passage.

Everyone has a different idea of what they want at the nav station or at
the helm.. All I want, in view at the helm, is a display that tells me the
xte and maybe my spd.

Just my thoughts. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:49:45 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:


Question for people: I had an old Furuno antenna on the stern of the
boat on a pole. I plugged the new Furuno into it and it operates but
doesn't pick up WAAS. I'm dreading pulling the new cable through the
boat. I could use the old cable with the new antenna but I would have
to cut it and put in a connector. The instructions say not to do that,
but how serious a problem does it create? Probably loses a few dB?

If you can receive the GPS satellites, and get a fix, using the
present antenna, I don't think changing antennas will help you get
WAAS, although you could try a temporary installation of the new
antenna to check.

The WAAS satellites are in equatorial orbit, and where I am
(Vancouver, BC, 49 deg. north), the WAAS satellite is sufficiently low
on the horizon that nearby land to the south of me will block the WAAS
signals.



--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:49:45 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:


Question for people: I had an old Furuno antenna on the stern of the
boat on a pole. I plugged the new Furuno into it and it operates but
doesn't pick up WAAS. I'm dreading pulling the new cable through the
boat. I could use the old cable with the new antenna but I would have
to cut it and put in a connector. The instructions say not to do that,
but how serious a problem does it create? Probably loses a few dB?

If you can receive the GPS satellites, and get a fix, using the
present antenna, I don't think changing antennas will help you get
WAAS, although you could try a temporary installation of the new
antenna to check.

The WAAS satellites are in equatorial orbit, and where I am
(Vancouver, BC, 49 deg. north), the WAAS satellite is sufficiently low
on the horizon that nearby land to the south of me will block the WAAS
signals.



--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 14:03:39 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

Thanks Dick.. I figured I would have to build a cable anyway since the GPS

If I were you, I would swap the antennas and keep the same cable and see if
there is any problem with either the WAAS or the GPS

Both old and new cables are hardwired to the antenna (I guess...maybe
I'll open them up and look, there could be a connector inside.) If I'm
right, I would have to cut the new antenna wire.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 14:03:39 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

Thanks Dick.. I figured I would have to build a cable anyway since the GPS

If I were you, I would swap the antennas and keep the same cable and see if
there is any problem with either the WAAS or the GPS

Both old and new cables are hardwired to the antenna (I guess...maybe
I'll open them up and look, there could be a connector inside.) If I'm
right, I would have to cut the new antenna wire.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 11:15:35 -0800, Peter Bennett
wrote:

If you can receive the GPS satellites, and get a fix, using the
present antenna, I don't think changing antennas will help you get
WAAS, although you could try a temporary installation of the new
antenna to check.


DId that. New antenna and cable are faster to get fix, higher signal
strength and get WAAS. I'm at 38 north, no problem.

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 11:15:35 -0800, Peter Bennett
wrote:

If you can receive the GPS satellites, and get a fix, using the
present antenna, I don't think changing antennas will help you get
WAAS, although you could try a temporary installation of the new
antenna to check.


DId that. New antenna and cable are faster to get fix, higher signal
strength and get WAAS. I'm at 38 north, no problem.

I thought the same thing about my Trimble antenna, but when I opened it up I
found a standard BNC connector. Easy to replace the cable or remove the
antenna and leave the cable.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions