[CA] [CA11] a95 to Axiom 9 upgrade

[wingman]

Hi all,

I am contemplating an upgrade from the a95 MFD to the Axiom 9 and want to make sure it is compatible with other components already installed via SeaTalkng and find out what other considerations there are for this upgrade.

Thanks in advance.

Current system installation:

--a95 9-inch MFD
--i70
--p70
--pedestal Navpod
--HD Digital Radome (92142)
--wind vane transducer (R28170)
--DST-800 tridata depth transducer
--Airmar Shorty Speed and Temp sensor (S300 or ST300)
--AIS650 transceiver
--Evolution EV-100 wheel autopilot (T70152)
--EV-1 sensor
--ACU-100
--iTC5 (E70010)
--DST-800
--Rudder Angle Sensor
--external GPS antenna
--Standard Horizon Quest-X GX1500S 25 watt VHF/FM transceiver (TBD if networked)
--Garmin GPS MAP 421 (TBD if networked)

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome back to the Raymarine Forum wingman,

Please click here to view a FAQ addressing this subject. Of the Raymarine products listed (except for the a95 MFD), all of these products are compatible with an Axiom MFD. If simply seeking to supply the VHF radio with GPS data, then the E70196 VHF NMEA 0183 to STng Converter Kit may be added to the backbone to support this end. Alternatively, an Actisense NGW-1-ISO may be installed between the VHF radio and a spur socket within the backbone to additionally permit DSC position reports received by the VHF radio to be available to the Axiom MFD. As the Garmin GPSMap 421 appears to have a NMEA 2000 communications interface, it to should be capable of being interfaced as a spur to the backbone. Please note that radar, fishfinder, and cartography resources cannot be share between Raymarine and third party products.

[wingman]

Thanks for the advice. A couple more questions related to current configuration of system and what will need to be changed to accept the Axiom.

If I understand the FAQs correctly, the power supply cable/connector will have to be changed to go from the a95 to the Axiom (0183 to nmea2000). Are adapters available?

It also looks like the Axiom does not have a STng input. Is that correct?

The currently installed a95 is connected to the p70 via STng ports/cables.
Can the Axiom be connected to the p70 via an adapter cable?

The currently installed a95 also has a network input (not sure where that is coming from yet). Can this input go to the Axiom network port?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Q1a. If I understand the FAQs correctly, the power supply cable/connector will have to be changed to go from the a95 to the Axiom (0183 to nmea2000).
A1a. Correct

Q1b. Are adapters available?
A1b. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how to adapt the Axiom MFD's DeviceNet (M) socket to be mated to a SeaTalkng spur socket.

Q2. It also looks like the Axiom does not have a STng input. Is that correct?
A2. SeaTalkng communications protocol is simply an extension of the NMEA 2000 PGNs. Connecting the MFD's (or third party device's) DeviceNet (M) socket to the system's powered and properly terminated SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 backbone will permit both SeaTalkng unique PGNs as well as NMEA 2000 PGNs to be communicated via the backbone.

Q3. The currently installed a95 is connected to the p70 via STng ports/cables.
Can the Axiom be connected to the p70 via an adapter cable?
A3. Yes. Regarding the Axiom MFD, see the response to Q1b. The p70 requires no adapter and may simply be connected to a spur socket within the backbone via an appropriate length of SeaTalkng Spur Cable.

[wingman]

Sorry, I misspoke

The p70, i70, and a95 are each connected to the backbone via their own STng ports via a 5-way connector, which appears to be terminated on one end.

The a95 is in addition connected to something via a cable to one of its network ports. How can that be accommodated with the Axiom unit since there is only one network port on that unit?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

wingman,

Axiom MFDs feature a single Ethernet (RayNet) communications interface. As your system features only one compatible device having an Ethernet interface (i.e. the 4kW radome), the Digital Radar Cable will be interfaced to the single Ethernet socket of the Axiom MFD. The NMEA 2000 port of the Axiom MFD (found on the MFD's Power / NMEA 2000 Cable) features a DeviceNet (M) socket rather than a SeaTalkng (M) socket. This MFD's DeviceNet (M) socket may be adapted to be mated to the spur socket of the SeaTalkng 5-Way Connector via any of the following:
- A06045 / 15.7in (0.4m) SeaTalkng Spur to DeviceNet (F)
- A06075 / 39.4in (1.0m) SeaTalkng Spur to DeviceNet (F)
- A06082 DeviceNet (F) to SeaTalkng (M) Adapter and an appropriate length of SeaTalkng Spur Cable

[wingman]

Thanks for all the previous advice and information.

I’ve installed an Axiom 9 to replace the a95 and the rest of the components have remained the same as before.

The GPS, charts, and radar seem to be working normally, but there are some issues such as no AIS data and the instruments are not receiving certain data. I have not completely analyzed what is going on but am wondering if I need to initialize the new MFD or what next steps are required.

Thanks in advance.

[Chris - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello wingman,

The first thing to check is to go into the chart page and select menu. If you see targets as an option it is seeing the AIS unit. The next thing to check will be that the ais layer is turned on. If you do not see targets we would have to see why there is not communication between the ais and the Axiom. What specific data are the instruments not getting and how do we know this?

Chris,

[wingman]

Hi Chris,

No, I didn’t see targets as an option. At some point there was an option on the i70 to manually or automatically, I think it said initialize or calibrate, the ITC5. I didn’t take a pic so I can’t remember exactly what it said but after that AIS data was showing on the charts.

Data not showing up on the instruments is wind speed and boat speed.

I wasn’t able to do a thorough analysis, but I will do that next time I am on the boat and report back.

Thanks for your help.

[Chris - Raymarine - Moderator]

Your welcome,