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Electronic Recommendations

5K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  svjobeth 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I recently purchased a 2000 PSC34-329 and am making a list of new electronics. I have selected Furuno as the primary equipment. Have already purchased a NavNet3d 8-inch MFD that I intend to install at the Whitlock pedestal. The boat has its original (12-year-old) B&G instruments currently at the pedestal (wind, speed and depth). I am considering adding the 4kw Furuno ultra HD radar on an 8-foot articulating Garhauer pole on the transom. I have been advised that the existing B&G instruments with their 2000 vintage NMEA0183 will not easily interface with the Furuno system.

What would be your ideal setup for electronics? Is it adviseable to retain or install a set of instruments to include wind/speed/depth? I could go with a sonar transducer for the Furuno MFD to get depth and eliminate that B&G instrument. The Furuno NavNet3d would give me speed over ground (with the GPS), but not speed through the water. As for the wind instrument, running a new cable down the mast could prove problematic and adding to cost. As a cruiser, is the wind instrument even necessary?

Please take a stab at making your ideal total electronics setup if this were your boat. Oh . . . I also ordered the new Standard Horizon GX2150 VHF that will provide dual AIS signals that can be integrated with the Furuno MDF.

Thanks for your feedback.

Lightheart
Treasure Island FL
Kathleen, PSC34-329
 
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#2 ·
For what it's worth, the B&G gear will probably interface just fine. I've got B&G "Network" stuff on VALIS (at least 12 years old), and two Furuno NN3D 8-inch chartplotters. You can tap off the daisy-chained B&G NMEA0183 signal and feed it to one of the 0183 inputs on the MFD. As I recall there are three 0183 inputs (and outputs) on the MFD. If you've got these all filled up, you can get a mux to combine things.

There may be good reasons to get new gear, but 0183 probably isn't one of them.
 
#5 ·
. . . We are in the Clearwater area with our PSC 34 #146 Blue Wing. Let me know if you want to discuss your new boat? I do most of my own work and have become quite familiar with the boat!

Best Regards,

Wally Nelowet
s/v Blue wing
Clearwater Beach, FL
Wally, you are about a nine iron shot from where I am sitting. How long have you owned your PSC? What do you have at the pedestal station? Three instruments PLUS a chartplotter? Only the instruments? Give me your email and I will send you some pics of Kathleen (our PSC34).
 
#4 ·
Thanks Paul; that's encouraging. Couple of questions: B&G tells me the required cable is no longer available that would connect the B&Gs to the Furuno. What cabling did you use to connect the B&Gs to the NN3D? Also, how do you have the B&Gs and the NN3D laid out at your pedestal? I have looked into changing out the stainless angle guard that the B7Gs are mounted to. Looked at the NavPod "bent" angle guard that would accommodate the NavPod for the NN3D on its lower angled section and the instruments on the angle guard's upper vertical area. Can you tell me how you installed the instruments and the NN3D? Do you have any pics of the pedestal setup?
 
#9 ·
Here are some old B&G documents that show the "Network" NMEA output pinout and signal descriptions:
Network Cable Pinout
Network NMEA Cable
I think the adaptor cable (that you can no longer get) just provided a tap onto the NMEA out signals, so you should be able to cut and splice into an existing cable. If I recall correctly, you need to take the tap from the "most downstream" point in the daisy chain.

Here are some shots of the VALIS helm:

As you can see, the upper NavPod does block the forward view if you're short (or sitting down).


The lower pod holds the B&G "Network" units. The upper pod has the Furuno NavNet3D 8" MFD. The upper pod's mounting grooves are a little wide for the stainless tubing I've got -- it's hanging a bit askew and I really should put in shims or something to improve the fit.


This is the previous configuration, with a different upper navpod for the old Raymarine chartplotter. Perhaps not too helpful, but I like the shot!
 
#10 ·
Paul,

You're correct . . . that last pic is a beauty! Really captures the anxiety that one can have in such limited visibility conditions . . . at least for this wuss!

It appears your set up has the higher extended angle guard that Lewmar offers on their website for the Whitlock (now Lewmar) pedestals. If I am correct, did you add that higher angle guard or was it on the boat when you got it.

Also, do you have your B&Gs connected to your Furuno, or are they operating independent of the MFD?

I am not near my boat so another question: Do you know if the angle guard is 12 inch centers or 9.5 inch centers? I may want to order the angle guard and NavPod over the winter and take them up to Annapolis in the SPring.

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
The extended angle guard was original on VALIS, and it has the 12" centers. Again, the Navpod (GP2050) centers and the guard centers were not a good fit. I don't know which one was off. I forced them together, but that leaves some big gaps. A better solution would be to either thermally re-position the plastic NavPod recesses, or cut plastic fillers that would fit between the NavPod and the tubing. Re-bending the SS tubing might be possible.

The B&Gs are connected to my second Furuno MFD, which is down below at the navstation. I've got a B&G "Network DATA" unit down there and take the NMEA output from that. The navstation MFD is the master, and it sends all the combined data to the slave MFD at the helm.

I do not have any data going from the MFD to the B&G stuff. The B&G autopilot has it's own fluxgate compass, and I don't have any "steer to waypoint" data going into the pilot. It's not that I couldn't do this, I've just never bothered.

There is a separate Furuno PG500 fluxgate compass feeding the MFD, and this seems to work well with the DRS4D radar. You really need a stable heading sensor for radar chart overlay and MARPA functions.
 
#12 ·
Yet another very interesting - and helpful - thread!

Electronics replacement is far down on our list; however, as Jo Beth is a tiller boat, we're faced with other and different installation issues. We currently have the typical round-face instrument cluster (Datamarine Corinthian) installed in the portside cockpit bulkhead. It's a workable arrangement. All of the instruments are still functioning save the knotmeter, which we disconnected long ago; we now use a handheld Garmin GPS for over the bottom speed on our trips. They've all been through at least one rebuild by DMI.

Our line of thought at the moment is to install a large screen integrated GPS/radar/plotter system at the nav station chart table (our ancient but functioning Furuno Radar is there now) with a smaller screen repeater in the cockpit bulkhead where the current Datamarine cluster is located. Autopilot will be wind-vane for offshore or a tiller pilot - and that, I think is where the bug-a-boo lies. As far as I'm aware, only RayMarine and B&G make NMEA capable tiller pilots - and B&G is now part of NAVICO if I'm not mistaken.

Needless to say, we'll be following this thread with great interest -
 
#13 ·
Bill, have you considered mounting a MFD plotter on the starboard bulkhead INSIDE the main cabin, mounted on an articulating swing arm so you can view from the cockpit? BTW, I was emailing Thumper at Pacific Seacraft and he says they have two wheel steering boats having a tiller installed. Personally, I would love a tiller-steered boat, but the cost approaches $8,000 to have them convert.

Lightheart
Treasure Island FL
Kathleen, PSC34-329
 
#14 ·
We have. Lisa would like to have the swing arm, but I'm not a fan of them at all. I've seen too many fail, bashing heads and destroying instruments. Whether a cause of poor design or installation, I don't know. Plus, they block passage through the companionway when in use.

I readily admit a bulkhead installed repeater is a bit more complicated than I would like, not to mention its more expensive to do. However, I feel a primary plotter and repeater offer some redundancy within the system, provided the installation is designed with a potential failure in mind. All things, not matter how well designed or put together, can and do break.

Thumper and I have been talking and emailing frequently as of late as we tackle some issues with Jo Beth's aging fresh water system among other things. He's told me of the wheel to tiller conversions. Lisa and I held out for a tiller boat and are very happy we did. Wheels on sailboats confuse me. ;)
 
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