Extracting Data from Your Boats Network
How do I get the information out of my boats network?
Most modern sailing boats have networks that run on NMEA 2000 protocol or proprietary variants of that type. The networks connect the various devices on the boat together and allow the exchange of information. Rockit is expecting to receive data in NMEA 0183 format. This is an earlier easier to read version of the NMEA standard.
If you have already setup an interface between your computer and the boats network, then you can move onto the next stage in this article. If not, then read on.
If you bought a Rockit bundle you will have received in the box either a USB or Wireless interface device. We bundle devices from Actisense because we find them relatively easy to setup and generally reliable. Follow the separate instruction booklet with that device to get the data flowing to your computer. If you get stuck, Actisense also have good technical support desk that will be able to help you out.
If you didn’t buy the Rockit bundle and don’t have an existing device to connect to you will need to purchase and install one.
Most of the main marine equipment manufacturers have devices that can output NMEA 0183 data in one form or another.
Having spent a considerable amount of time and money getting the Ashtree Marine test boat up and running we appreciate that it’s not that simple.
Our advice would be as follows:
1) Find a good marine electrician locally; someone who has a good working knowledge of the electronics on your boat. So, if you have a B&G or Simrad system go to a Simrad partner.
2) Be specific about what you want. i.e. I have a Simrad system and I want to extract NMEA 0183 data from it.
3) Get a good laptop. Our software will run on Windows 7, 8 or 10. If you have many devices attached to your boats network you will be generating a lot of data.
4) Go for a laptop with a good screen that you can view in the sunshine.
5) Don’t assume that it will work first time and don’t let the engineer off the boat until you’ve seen the system work. Ideally go for a short sail to make sure it all works.
6) We found with our test system that we had to start the instruments in a specific order to get the data flowing and that flow of data wasn’t instant. It took time for the different modules attached to the system to transmit any data. We also found we only got certain GPS sentences when the boat was moving, so static testing on the dock wasn’t that useful.
As with all boat related setup it will take longer than you think.
Once the data is flowing you need to make sure that you have correctly calibrated your instruments. That we will be covering in another article.
If you get stuck we are more than happy to offer advice on what we have found does and doesn’t work. You can contact us via the Contact link on the Rockit website here: