On Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:29:21 -0500, Geoff Schultz
wrote:

Rick Morel wrote in
news
My experience with Raymarine, about 10 years, has always been that
NMEA data fed in will propagate along the Seatalk as well.

Rick Morel

I also thought this, but was told by an electronics installer that the
st600x displays don't translate the NMEA data into SeaTalk. They only
display it. The course computer does provide the translation. I have no
direct experience with this, so I'd be interested in having this info
verified.

-- Geoff


I'm not aboard "home" at the moment, but I checked the manuals on my
computer:
---------------------------------------------------
The S1 has a single NMEA input/output to
receive and transmit information from
NMEA equipment.

S2 and S3 systems have two sets of NMEA
inputs/outputs to receive and transmit
information from NMEA equipment.
--------------------------------------------------

You can also use the SmartPilot with any navigator or wind instrument
that transmits National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 0183
data.
The SmartPilot control unit can display SeaTalk and NMEA instrument
data in a user-defined selection of data pages.

If you have equipment on your boat that transmits or receives NMEA
0183 data (e.g. GPS), you can connect this equipment to the
SmartPilot. NMEA equipment can be connected in any combination of
these ways:
• using the SmartPilot computer NMEA input/output
• using the NMEA input on the back of the SmartPilot controller.
(Refer to the Controller handbook for NMEA data details)
• using the SeaTalk/NMEA interface (part number: E85001) to convert
the NMEA data to SeaTalk data
------------------------------------------------------------------

I just remembered my GPS line ran next to the computer and hooking it
up there.

Anyway that last paragraph above seems to say it doesn't matter which
input you use, the unit will use the data when in the "Track" mode and
will display the data.

Rick