Vessel View Interfacing

[Firewater]

I have 3 gS 165 MFD's that use information from my Vessel View 7. The problem I am having is that on my data screen for fuel I only get fuel levels from one of my tanks, what the MFD calls tank 2 which is my port saddle tank. I also have a starboard saddle tank and a center tank. The MFD does pick up the total fuel amount from VV7 but not the other 2 tanks, in digital mode it shows 2 dashes, in analog mode it does not have a needle on the guage. Any ideas on how to correct this?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Firewater,

Raymarine MFDs receive tank level data via NMEA 2000 PGN 127505 - Fluid Level. Each tank is assigned an "instance number" and "fluid type". By convention in a vessel having more than one tank, instance number 0 would be assigned to the port tank. The next tank starboard of the port tank would be instance number 1. The next tank starboard of tank instance number 1 would be instance number 2 and so on. It is recommended that a NMEA 2000 CAN bus analyzer (ex. Actisense NGT-1-USB w/NMEA Reader PC software, etc.) be interfaced to the SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone to monitor traffic on the NMEA 2000 bus. I suspect that you will find that VesselView 7 is transmitting data for only a single tank, is using the same instance number for all fuel tanks, or has incorrectly identify the fluid type for the other tanks. If found to be so, then the correct path to resolving this issue would be that Mercury Marine be contacted to determine how to configure the VesselView 7 system so that it correctly instances the tanks and assigns the correct fluid type to the transmitted PGNs. Mercury Marine should additionally be contacted to determine whether your VesselView 7 system's software is current, and if not, update its software accordingly.

[Firewater]

Vessel View 7 was designed by Simrad for Mercury could this be a problem?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Firewater,

While it is possible that the Simrad partnership may be related, you may want to contact Simrad as well as Mercury Marine regarding the items specified within my prior response.

[Firewater]

I already updated the software on the VV7 and have been thru every menu option concerning tanks. I have sent an email to Mercury hopefully I can get some resolution as this is the last "punch list" item on this build

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Noted. As was implied within my prior response, the Raymarine MFDs are simply repeaters of NMEA 2000 tank level data from your VesselView system. From the standpoint of configuring the MFDs, the only configuration setting which need be configured is specification of the number of fuel tanks. Should the VesselView system transmit the correct instance numbers (0 (port), 1 (center), and 2 (starboard) and correct fluid type, then the MFDs will in turn repeat this data within its Fuel Tank 1, Tank 2, and Tank 3 Data application data items.

[Firewater]

I had an analysis done and what I can see is that on fluids the Vessel View(VV) is putting out my diesel tank as oil on instance 0, my port wing tank on instance 1, and my center tank on instance 5, and my starboard wing on instance 6, 2-4 are in my opinion ghost tanks. All the help I am getting on this end are trying to solve the problem on the Raymarine side which I don't think can be done but you tell me can it?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Firewater,

In order to have the Raymarine equipment report levels for the center and starboard tanks of this vessel, the instance numbers of the tanks would need to be:
0 for port
1 for center
2 for starboard

As the LightHouse II software is designed to simply repeat data from fixed instancing (port to starboard), the changes to the tank instancing must occur on the VesselView side of the system.