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| Wondering if any of the companies offer a "network or interconnect" feature for GPS/Mapping units?
I run a consol boat and recently was on a body of water I wanted to use my trolling motor to control drift over several key spots. I have an X15 on my consol and had to keep getting off the front deck and looking to see if I was on/off the course where I wanted to be. I was thinking how nice it would be to be able to enter waypoints on the consol unit and then be able to view those same waypoints on a bow-mount unit and be able to navigate to them.
Suppose the easy answer is to use a hand-held unit and switch it from the consol to the bow but that's kind of a pain in the butt. Or to have two units that utilize MMC type cards and keep moving the card from one unit to the next but I would think that would be hard on the card and related components.
Suppose something like this would require a network interface or ? Just wondering if this technology is out there yet and if so on what units? Affordability is another question..? Maybe my X15 is capable of it and I don't even know it. Wonder what the guys who have big cruisers with steering helms on fly-bridge and in the cabin do...?
Thanks for your help,
Mark |
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Member
Posts: 3899
| You can "network" two Lowrance units via the NMEA connections. Basically, this sends the GPS data over a serial link from the unit with the antenna, to a unit with no antenna. The info sent is raw data only. No waypoints, or map data. But, if you have your waypoints/routes on one unit, you can easily use the MMC to save and transfer to the other unit.
Example: You have an X-15, with antenna, on the console. You could connect to another X-15, w/o antenna on the bow. Load your waypoints to the bow unit, and your good to go.
Edited by Shep 9/17/2004 11:51 AM
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| Shep,
Thanks, That's what I was after if I understand it correctly. Will any Lowrance with NMEA connections will work with another.. Say X15 hooked to X16,18,19, LMS 320 (if it has nmea wires) or does it have to be like-units hooked together? I hear they are discontinuing the X15 in 2005..?
I was hoping I didn't have to transfer MMC card from one unit to the other all the time. Uploading waypoints to the other unit sounds pretty easy....Even for me 
Hey congratulations on your move out of Milw. and on the new house. |
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Member
Posts: 3899
| Any unit can be connected to any other. Even my old GlobalNav 310 could connect to my X-15. As long as both units have the NMEA connections available, you should be good to go. So, yes, an X-15 can connect to a 330, 19, 18, 16, 480, 5000, etc. |
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| Thanks Shep...
I'm glad I have a buddy that knows more than how to darn thing on... I'm getting better. Too many years of finding spots by lining up the corner of the cabin with the bird house and the picnic table...hehe
Anyone else out there know if Garmin units are capable of this? I have a friend wondering the same thing and he runs Garmin. Don't think I've ever seen any "extra" wires in the wiring harness. |
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