DCS interface to MFD

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Pdog1989,

Please note that the SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter is not designed to bridge DSC position polling information. Correspondingly, it is recommended that the VHF radio be interfaced via 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications to the MFD. It is important to note that, such wiring must be installed to support bi-directional communications. Has the Ray240 been interfaced for bi-directional 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications with the e-Series MFD (i.e. have all four NMEA 0183 leads of the VHF radio been interfaced to the corresponding NMEA 0183 leads of the MFD)? If so, then it is recommended that the MFD's NMEA 0183 Port 1 Rx buffer be inspected to determine whether it is receiving any NMEA 0183 DSC/DSE sentences when a DSC position report is received by the VHF radio. If not, then the cabling between the NMEA 0183 output of the VHF radio to the MFD should be tested. Should no fault be found, then the VHF radio should be serviced by Raymarine’s Product Repair Center.

Test Procedure:
1) Configure the MFD's NMEA 0183 Port 1 to NMEA 4800 (HOME->SET-UP->SYSTEM SETTINGS->NMEA SET-UP->NMEA INPUT PORT 1->NMEA 4800).
2) The MFD's NMEA 0183 Port 1 buffer will then be monitored to verify that it is receiving NMEA 0183 DSC/DSE sentences. The MFD's NMEA 0183 Rx buffers may be viewed as follows:
a) HOME->SET-UP->MAINTENANCE->DIAGNOSTICS->INTERFACES->NMEA0183-1->BUFFER
b) DIRECTION->RX
c) Configure the DIRECTION function key to Rx
d) START BUFFER
3) a DSC position polling message will then need to be received by the interfaced VHF radio.
4) Should DSC/DSE NMEA 0183 sentences be observed within the buffer featuring the Rx direction indicator, then the MFD's NMEA 0183 Port 1 would be deemed to be operational and receiving the required sentences from the VHF radio. Should the MFD not respond accordingly, then the received DSC/DSE sentence content should be logged and attached to this thread for further Analysis.
5) Should no NMEA 0183 DSC/DSE sentences be observed within the buffer featuring the Rx direction indicator, then it may indicate a fault with the MFD's NMEA 0183 port, the wiring between the VHF radio and the MFD, or the VHF radio itself. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how to test the MFD's NMEA 0183 ports. Should the MFD's NMEA 0183 ports be deemed to not be operational, then the MFD should be serviced by Raymarine's Product Repair Center. Should the MFD's NMEA 0183 ports be deemed operational and the interface between the MFD and VHF radio be correctly installed, then the VHF radio should be serviced by Raymarine's Product Repair Center.