Oh, wouldn't it be nice if we'd all stop playing the proprietary
profit game and just put BLUETOOTH INTERFACES on all electronics?
Wires? What wires?

Maybe someday the boaters will send them a message by NOT BUYING IT
UNTIL. As long as boaters are willing to pay $50 for a little cable,
I'm sure the manufacturers will keep building proprietary nonsense.



On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 09:56:56 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

There has to be a cheaper way to interconnect electronics.. I thought
Raymarine was expensive and difficult to deal with, then I upgraded from a
1720 to 1721 Furuno radar.. $35 to $50 for a NMEA or Compass cable.. The
only cable that is interchangeable is the power cable.

I checked with a 'trusted' service shop and he was marking them up about 20%
over the list price on Furuno site.

It's not just the radar, I have a Interphase video depth that needs a
special NMEA cable connector, similar situation on my Si-Tex flux compass
NMEA, Furuno GPS NMEA. The problem is even worse if you have an old AutoHelm
AP. (Why not have a standard patch cable like you have on audio/video
equipment, but with water tight rubber boot.)

Now I have added additional interface plug problems by adding a older
Yeoman chart plotter to the Nav Sta..

It is very difficult to identify accurately any of these plug in a mail
order catalog.. There just isn't any standards or connector ID or even MFG
name.. Often the protective cap on a connector will have a recogniziable
name but the connector most likely will be someone elses or more likely
proprietory..

Now that I'm finished with my rant, could anyone offer any solutions or
recommendations?? Yah! I know KISS and go sailing..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions



Larry W4CSC

Is it just me or did the US and UK just capture 1/3
of the world's sweetest oil supply? What idiot wants to
GIVE IT BACK?!!