[CA] [CA11] ST1 to STng to NMEA2000

[Dfloeter]

I am starting with a suite of Seatalk 1 ST60 instruments that will be connected and communicating with a Garmin 942xs chartplotter which is in turn connected to a Standard Horizon GX6000 VHF via NMEA 2000. So far I have the 5 way STng block installed and a NMEA2000 backbone.

The NMEA2000 starts at the VHF with two Ts, the second of which is the power source. A 10 meter backbone cable connects to the other two Ts with one end being the input, and the chartplotter is connected one T and the other T had a RM Devicenet cable attached but the system was not working, therefore that T is now empty.

The STng 5 way is mounted below the NMEA2000 Ts and has the ST1 wire in the yellow port, and power in the left white port. On instruction from a RM tech, the ST1 wire is connected to the ST6002 Course Computer Seatalk output with the red wire clipped and not connected.

The same RM tech told me to connect the blue port on the STng to the NMEA2000 T and maybe not use the Devicenet wire. He said it was omething about too many Terminators. As in the photo, if it goes through, I have already plugged the extra white port and pulled the right side blue Terminator.

A cord that will connect Blue to NMEA2000 male is on the way from West Marine but I am hoping to confirm that this is all correct. Thanks.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Dfloeter,

The backbone which you have constructed is most definitely not correct. Spur sockets are not used to join backbones and as indicated the backbone must feature two and only two termination plugs ... one located within the unoccupied backbone socket found at the two opposite ends of the backbone. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how backbones which have been constructed from networking components of differing manufacturers may be joined to one another. Please additionally note that it may not be possible for the Garmin chartplotting products to the legacy Raymarine autopilot by using a SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter.

Should the Raymarine products be correctly interfaced the third party products featuring a NMEA 2000 communications interface via a SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter and the autopilot report No Navigation when commanded into Track mode (Navigation must first be commanded on the chartplotter), then it would be recommended that the autopilot and its control head be disconnected from the SeaTalk bus which is in turn connected to the SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter, Instead the autopilot course computer will be interfaced via NMEA 0183 communications to the Garmin chartplotting products. The autopilot's control head will be interfaced to and powered by one of the SeaTalk ports of the autopilot course computer. When so configured, instrument data will be passed to the Garmin chartplotter, which will in turn transmit this data to the autopilot via NMEA 0183 communications.