Newbie alert. I just found the rec.boats NG and had a ball reading old
posts. If this topic has been hashed out, sorry...I could not find it.

I just bought a new sonar 'fish finder' and read the owners manual (not a
man thing to do, but the wife insisted). There was a supplement added to
the manual about the NMEA 2000 networks. I have an older boat...a 1997
Bayliner. It obviously doesn't have any NMEA 2000 components, except for
the new sonar. But in reading the supplement I see a lot of usefulness in
potential upgrades for the boat.

But I am a do it yerselfer. I don't want to buy a package that consists of
the wire(buss), sensors and display that all you do is hook it up and turn
it on. I am a techno junkie. Technology doesn't even have to serve a real
purpose...it can just be eye candy for me. Of course, if it does serve a
purpose it's an added bonus.

So I'm finding myself searching for some sort of NMEA 2000 systems that may
run from a laptop unit. Any way to connect the buss to laptop or a
Smartphone would be my preference. I have a Treo 700p with a bluetooth GPS
receiver that has Pathaway map manager and TomTom Navigator. I'd like to
add nautical mapping to it. I'd love to see an app that monitors any useful
sensors on the boat. I realize that the sonar for the 'fish finder' is
going to be bandwidth intense so the Treo won't be able to display much more
than maybe bottom depth...but wouln't that be sweet if I could connect the
buss to my Treo through bluetooth so the info is on my hip no matter where I
am on the boat. A laptop would be in the cockpit where a larger screen
makes it more useful.

Am I dreaming...or is this sort of technology available?

Nate

A laptop would be in the cockpit where a larger screen
makes it more useful.

Unless you have an enclosed cockpit that's not going to be a very good idea.
Laptops have neither the durability nor visibility that lends them to being
used in an outdoor setting like an open cockpit. And even when you're in an
enclosed space the screens usually aren't very visible in sunlight. Not
that you can't use them, but unless it's something like a panasonic
ToughBook (or equivalents) it's a waste of time.

I know of no radar gear that works with a PC as it's display.

Am I dreaming...or is this sort of technology available?

For sensors other than radar, sure. Maretron sells a USB black box that'll
interface your PC to an NMEA2000 network. I've got NMEA2000, Seatalk and
NMEA0183 all running in our boat. But I rarely use the PC as an active
member of the network. The chartplotter (a Raymarine E-80) generally does a
better job at the helm. The interface, screen and buttons are just better
suited for it. I've got one GPS on seatalk, along with the autopilot, depth
and speed and the fuel flow and engine data on NMEA2000. The laptop pulls
GPS via NMEA0183 from the chartplotter. Weather comes from Sirius
satellite and is fed to the chartplotter via Ethernet.

I do use Rosepoint's Chart Navigator on the PC for route planning or more
detailed location searches. I don't currently pull NMEA2000 data into the
PC. If/when I do it'll probably be using Maretron's interface.

Personally I prefer the built-in screens instead of laptops, PDA or cell
phones. When the going gets rough the built-in equipment is a lot less
likely to get ruined (or splashed overboard).

-Bill Kearney

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:34:57 -0400, "Bill Kearney"
wkearney-99@hot-mail-com wrote:

I know of no radar gear that works with a PC as it's display.

Good grief, where have you been.

Do a Google search on BLACK BOX RADAR

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

I have been using various PCs on boats for over 10 years.

I know of no radar gear that works with a PC as it's display.

Good grief, where have you been.

Where the radome interfaces directly into a PC and the PC runs the software
to display the sweep? Not just a 'black box' that can use a VGA screen.

I have been using various PCs on boats for over 10 years.

Gee, only 10? Newbie.