Xantrex charger garbles NMEA output
 

Recently I bought a PII laptop, added OziExplorer and hooked it all up to my JRC JNav 500 GPS. Everything seemed to be working fine until I noticed my Lat and Lon bouncing all over the planet. I looked at the GPS NMEA output using Ozi and also Hyperterminal. Maybe 80% of this was good but there were lines with nonsense characters. Nothing I changed in Ozi communications settings or GPS type would clear this up. With a little potentially hazardous experimenting I discovered that I could clear up the signal by connecting the ground lug on the back of the GPS to the NMEA Common wire. Connecting this ground lug to ships negative or my SSB ground (the keel) had no effect. So I solved my problem but wondered what was causing it in the first place. Then I recalled the HF noise that my Xantrex/Statpower battery chargers broadcast onto my shortwave radio and SSB. Sure enough, if I turned off the chargers the signal cleared up. No ground connection needed. So now I've got another complaint with these chargers. These units are not cheap and they're supposed to be hi-tech. I don't think I should have to put up with this. I'm thinking of upgrading my house charger to 40 amps in the future. It isn't going to be Xantrex.
Can anyone recommend a 3 stage 40 amp charger that doesn't broadcast HF noise like a radio station?

In article VJlre.62685$tt5.27424@edtnps90,
"Gordon Wedman" wrote:

Recently I bought a PII laptop, added OziExplorer and hooked it all up to my
JRC JNav 500 GPS. Everything seemed to be working fine until I noticed my
Lat and Lon bouncing all over the planet. I looked at the GPS NMEA output
using Ozi and also Hyperterminal. Maybe 80% of this was good but there were
lines with nonsense characters. Nothing I changed in Ozi communications
settings or GPS type would clear this up. With a little potentially
hazardous experimenting I discovered that I could clear up the signal by
connecting the ground lug on the back of the GPS to the NMEA Common wire.
Connecting this ground lug to ships negative or my SSB ground (the keel) had
no effect. So I solved my problem but wondered what was causing it in the
first place. Then I recalled the HF noise that my Xantrex/Statpower battery
chargers broadcast onto my shortwave radio and SSB. Sure enough, if I turned
off the chargers the signal cleared up. No ground connection needed. So now
I've got another complaint with these chargers. These units are not cheap
and they're supposed to be hi-tech. I don't think I should have to put up
with this. I'm thinking of upgrading my house charger to 40 amps in the
future. It isn't going to be Xantrex.
Can anyone recommend a 3 stage 40 amp charger that doesn't broadcast HF noise
like a radio station?


That's what you get for buying a Non-Marine battery charger for a Marine
Application. Xantrex doesn't do Marine, they just package their RV
products to look like Marine stuff. Better look for a good Numar Charger
that was designed for Marine Use, and was designed with MF/HF Radios
in mind. Costs a bit more, but doesn't trash the SSB Reception.....

Me