NMEA 2000 Considerations
NOTICE
If you are connecting to an
existing
NMEA 2000 network,
identify the NMEA 2000 power cable. Only one NMEA 2000
power cable is required for the NMEA 2000 network to operate
properly.
A NMEA 2000 Power Isolator (010-11580-00) should be used in
installations where the existing NMEA 2000 network
manufacturer is unknown.
If you are installing a NMEA 2000 power cable, you must
connect it to the boat ignition switch or through another in-line
switch. NMEA 2000 devices will drain your battery if the NMEA
2000 power cable is connected to the battery directly.
This device can connect to a NMEA 2000 network on your boat
to share data from NMEA 2000 compatible devices such as a
GPS antenna or a VHF radio. The included NMEA 2000 cables
and connectors allow you to connect the device to your existing
NMEA 2000 network. If you do not have an existing NMEA 2000
network you can create a basic one using cables from Garmin.
If you are unfamiliar with NMEA 2000, you should read the
Technical Reference for NMEA 2000 Products
at
The port labeled NMEA 2000 is used to connect the device to a
standard NMEA 2000 network.
Item
Description
NMEA 2000 compatible Garmin device
GPS antenna
Ignition or in-line switch
NMEA 2000 power cable
NMEA 2000 drop cable
12 Vdc power source
NMEA 2000 terminator or backbone cable
NMEA 2000 T-connector
NMEA 2000 terminator or backbone cable
NMEA 0183 Connection Considerations
• See the installation instructions for the NMEA 0183 device to
identify the transmit (Tx) A (+) and B (-) wires and receive
(Rx) A (+) and B (-) wires.
• Each internal Rx and Tx port has 2 wires, labeled A (+) and B
(-) according to the NMEA 0183 convention. The
corresponding A (+) and B (-) wires of each internal port
should be connected to the A (+) and B (-) wires of the NMEA
0183 device. See the table and wiring diagrams when
connecting the data cable to NMEA 0183 devices.
• You must use 28 AWG, shielded, twisted-pair wiring for
extended runs of wire. Solder all connections and seal them
with heat-shrink tubing.
• See
for a list of the
approved NMEA 0183 sentences that are output by and input
to your device.
• The internal NMEA 0183 ports and communication protocols
are configured on the connected Garmin device. See the
NMEA 0183 section of the chartplotter owner's manual for
more information.
• The ground wires on the NMEA 0183 data cable and your
NMEA 0183 device must both be connected to ground.
• When connecting NMEA 0183 devices with two transmitting
and two receiving wires, it is not necessary for the NMEA
0183 devices to connect to a common ground.
• When connecting a NMEA 0183 device with only one
transmitting (Tx) wire or with only one receiving (Rx) wire, the
NMEA 0183 devices must be connected to a common
ground.
• For two-way communication with a NMEA 0183 device, the
internal ports on the NMEA 0183 data cable are not linked.
For example, if the input of the NMEA 0183 device is
connected to the internal output port 1 on the data cable, you
can connect the output port of your NMEA 0183 device to
any of the internal input ports (port 1, port 2, port 3, or port 4)
on the wiring harness.
• There are four internal NMEA 0183 input ports (Rx ports),
and two internal NMEA 0183 output (Tx ports) on the
included NMEA 0183 data cable. You can connect one
NMEA 0183 device per internal Rx port to input data to your
Garmin device, and you can connect up to three NMEA 0183
devices in parallel to each internal Tx port to receive data
output by your Garmin device.
NMEA 0183 Device Connections
This diagram illustrates two-way connections for both sending
and receiving data. You can also use this diagram for one-way
communication. To receive information from a NMEA 0183
device, refer to items , , , , and when connecting the
Garmin device. To transmit information to a NMEA 0183 device,
refer to items , , , , and when connecting the Garmin
device.
Item
Description
Power source
Power cable
NMEA 0183 device
NMEA 0183 cable
Item
Garmin Wire
Function
Garmin Wire
Color
NMEA 0183
Device Wire
Function
Power
Red
Power
Power ground
Black
Power ground
Data ground
Black
Data ground
4
