On Mon, 25 Aug 2014 06:09:00 -0600, slide
wrote:

On 8/24/2014 8:20 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
For those of you with boats big enough that running wires and cables
can be difficult, here is a possible interesting solution which can
take your NMEA 183 data from a chart plotter, GPS, AIS receiver, etc.,
and transmit it over a wireless network to a PC, laptop, etc.:

http://www.amazon.com/DIGITAL-DYT-ZDIGWLN10-ZDIGWLN10-Converts-Compatible/dp/B00JUZ71EY

I haven't tried this yet but it looks intriguing for some future
projects that I have in mind.


Yes, but no peer reviews yet in too. I'm also a bit bemused that it's
WiFi b+g. I'd think at least N given we're in 2014.

===

It turns out that I've been able to send a lot of my NMEA data over
WiFi without purchasing any hardware at all (assuming you've got an
extra lap top laying around). The trick is something called OpenCPN
software which is nominally a charting program but in reality has
become much more. OpenCPN has the ability to establish network
connections, both inbound and outbound. By using an old laptop to
take in all of my NMEA data on serial ports (GPS data from the chart
plotter and AIS data from the VHF radio), I can then send the data
back out over the WiFi network by doing a UDP broadcast to TCP/IP
address 192.168.0.255:1. Any other computer on the boat can receive
that datastream on the same IP address and port number so I can have
multiple computers at different locations displaying and processing
navigation data.

There is another open source program called NMEA Router that I'm
experimenting with. NMEA router supposedly has the ability to create
virtual COM ports and send data to them. My Airmar Weathercaster
software (virtual weather station) has the ability to receive data
over a USB COM port but not over a network connectionn. NMEA Router
should solve that problem if I can get the virtual COM port feature
working properly. Stay tuned.