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.

Is there a seperate or different antenna/circuit inside a WAAS radome, just
for the WAAS??

Or will a standard GPS antenna also pick up the WAAS if connected to a WAAS
capable GPS unit.

The reason I ask, I have a Trimble GPS antenna already on my radar arch and
I don't want to pull in the new Furuno cable and install the Furuno
GPS/WAAS antenna until next season (I may upgrade my radar then and will
have to pull cables for that as well).

Just curious.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

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

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 13:05:16 +0000, Steve wrote:

I'm considering a Furuno GP-32 fixed mount GPS for my nav station.. I don't need
a plotter since i use the laptop.. Handhelds have fallen short of my needs at
the nav station because of the deck hardware above.


I have the GP31 and I think it's great.

I love the big display that can be seen from all over the cockpit, and it seems
very well made and reliable. I didn't want a charting system since the "charts"
for the GPSs that I looked at for the West Coast of Canada were unreliable,
expensive, and just plain wrong (I still use paper charts). The Furuno filled
the bill for a good-quality non-graphic GPS.

After 3+ years exposed to the weather (the GP31 doesn't have a cover) the
display is starting to get lines in it. The GP32 apparently has a cover, so no
worries!

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Why not just go with the Garmin 17N OEM receiver? You give it 12 volts;
it tells you where you are. You don't need to clutter up your nav
station with another box, if you've already got a laptop there. Just
feed it in directly. Street price about $175.00.

Joe Wood

Steve wrote:
I'm considering a Furuno GP-32 fixed mount GPS for my nav station.. I don't
need a plotter since i use the laptop.. Handhelds have fallen short of my
needs at the nav station because of the deck hardware above.

I figure if I'm going to install an antenna, I might as well go with fixed
mount and retain my handhelds for a back up system..

I have compared features on a number of models (fixed mount, just GPS, no
potter) and come up with the Furuno GP32.

It has external antenna, NMEA and RS232 ports and the ability to upload and
download routes and way points.. (comprehensive configuration menu/options)

Another feature I have found with the Furuno line of equipment, is the
prices of options, spare or replacement items. ($75 for antenna, $5 for pair
of knobs, extra mount, cable assemblies, etc. are all very reasonable and
available.)

I'm looking for any experience or feed back on this model..

Thanks,

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

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 13:05:16 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

I'm considering a Furuno GP-32 fixed mount GPS for my nav station.. I don't
need a plotter since i use the laptop.. Handhelds have fallen short of my
needs at the nav station because of the deck hardware above.

I figure if I'm going to install an antenna, I might as well go with fixed
mount and retain my handhelds for a back up system..

I have compared features on a number of models (fixed mount, just GPS, no
potter) and come up with the Furuno GP32.

It has external antenna, NMEA and RS232 ports and the ability to upload and
download routes and way points.. (comprehensive configuration menu/options)

Another feature I have found with the Furuno line of equipment, is the
prices of options, spare or replacement items. ($75 for antenna, $5 for pair
of knobs, extra mount, cable assemblies, etc. are all very reasonable and
available.)

I'm looking for any experience or feed back on this model..

Thanks,

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

FWIW, I had the same situation and came to the same conclusion. Got a
GP-32 from Defender and had a little bit of trouble installing it. The
computer interface was tricky because the connector and cable they
provide are not well designed. You need to combine 4 NEMA signal wires
and 2 DC power wires into one cable and it's a solder job to do it
right. The cable they provided was not long enough to get to the
computer so I had to buy and disassemble a serial cable. Not really
that hard but it could have been designed better. Separate plugs for
power and signal would be handier.

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?

On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 13:05:16 +0000, Steve wrote:

I'm considering a Furuno GP-32 fixed mount GPS for my nav station.. I don't need
a plotter since i use the laptop.. Handhelds have fallen short of my needs at
the nav station because of the deck hardware above.


I have the GP31 and I think it's great.

I love the big display that can be seen from all over the cockpit, and it seems
very well made and reliable. I didn't want a charting system since the "charts"
for the GPSs that I looked at for the West Coast of Canada were unreliable,
expensive, and just plain wrong (I still use paper charts). The Furuno filled
the bill for a good-quality non-graphic GPS.

After 3+ years exposed to the weather (the GP31 doesn't have a cover) the
display is starting to get lines in it. The GP32 apparently has a cover, so no
worries!

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36