Boat Forum / Electronics / November 2003

They stole everything, even my clothes.
Beware of modern high-tech pirates , they are much more dangerous than
you may think !

Is there anywhere that has a good marine electronics training program ,
preferably in S Florida that covers the following type of  topics
Dealing with NMEA strings- I/O setups, hardware, software settings
Integrating  components from different manufacturers.

I just bought a Magellan DBR Differential receiver for $49 from West
Marine - I would like to set this up with my Garmin 45 handheld which
supports DGPS -but i am not sure what to set the unit to for communication
with the DBR. Any ideas?

I need to find one of the 4 pin AH (not Raymarine or ST) cable connectors.
All AutoHelm connectors were of the same type, either 2 pin or 4 pin.. They
were semi water/spray proof with a 1/4 turn locking collar.
Since all the AH stuff was made in england, I suspect the source will be

Someone told me that there is an adjustable radar mount for a antenna
anyone ever hear, or know where to get such a thing?
Apparently the device is manually adjustable for the level of the
ray-dome

Does anyone recall the so called solid state antenna tuners (no DC power
needed!)  sold in great quantities a few years ago that looked like an
encapsulated Balun (coax to the center, dipole out each end) and sold for
hundreds of dollars? I think some company in Florida called ...

I have an older Onan 3MTK generator that I need a parts and service
manual for... So far I had no luck with Onan and the only other was
Generator Service Company but they had no info ,but where able to say
that it was made in May of 1963. Any help on this and I'd be

For anyone who is interested in or struggling with NMEA wiring, I have added
a page to my website, explaining how to connect different instruments
together. Especially how to connect two-wire (differentail) to single wire
(single-ended) and vice-versa is covered.

I have a '96 200 HP outboard on a Mastercraft Barefoot 200.  All of a
sudden the digital fuel gauge shows empty even though the fuel tank is
full.  I have pulled the sending unit out of the tank. It moves up and
down still.  I have also cleaned the wire connections at the fuel

I've picked this up at a Radio Club. It appears to work.
But I have very little knowledge on what I can do with it and/or if its
still worth using.
My Google.com searches have come up blank, except for some Ads saying our

I've seen many posters talk about antennas and know lots of boaters
with antenna troubles and no clue how to see how it's doing, way up
there, so thought I'd stick my neck into the guillotine and give some
basic instructions on what an SWR meter is, what it does, and what it

Well, I had a tech come out and check out my system. M-802 with the
automatic antenna tuner. He said that the radio is only putting out about 50
watts, and should be putting out 100-150 watts, so he thinks something is
wrong with the radio (new, right outta the box...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3060017988&category=34289
This clever seller advertises those useless infomercial type peel and stick
patch antennas alleged to dramatically boost cellphone performance. He lists
them on eBay under dozens of headings such as GPS ...

Looking for ideas & components to make my windlass wireless. It makes
it much easier for 1 person to manage the chain coming in - chain wash
wash hose, kelp removal, etc. My windlass is up powered only - so
simple is OK.