How to enable NMEA output from C120W?

[alavarre]

Is there some setting in the C120W MFD to turn on and off NMEA output? I've spent hours examining the User Reference Manual to no avail...

I have the C120W MFD as well as ST-70 instruments including GPS, DSC radio, Depth, Wind...
**and importantly, the AIS 500 transceiver, according to my purchase records** but I cannot detect ASCII output and the AIS icon shows NOXAIS (except in simulator mode).

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The system was installed wired to a remote DB-9 RS-232 connector for connection to the RNS 6.2 software on a laptop.

Once upon a time it all "just worked", including the data to RNS, but excluding AIS detection.

Now I have changed laptops (and lost the Ethernet cable that did work with the prior laptop) and this laptop only has USB, so I bought a Gigaware to USB-to-Serial cable adapter.

The RNS runs under Windows 10 in a VirtualBox VM under Linux openSUSE Leap 42.1

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But first things first: I can find no ASCII output coming from the DB-9, I've tried a bunch of geek things:
• Linux recognizes the adapter
• minicom sees output but it is digital not ASCII as NMEA should provide

Is there some setting in the MFD to turn on and off NMEA output? I've spent hours examining the User Reference Manual to no avail...

Thanks in advance.

Andy