Nmea??

[Barnacle Bill]

Can someone explain this to me in english? As I understand it, you can plug you NMEA compatible GPS into an autopilot which makes sense. But what about NMEA compatible fishfinders. Do you plug your GPS into the fishfinder? For what purpose? Does it put GPS data on the fishfinder or fishfinder data on the GPS? Any links that explains this?

[Moose1am]

NEMA is just a standard. It's done to give everyone that makes devices that can communicate with other devices a stand language to use.

GPS unit's output data in many different ways. Some are propriatory and some or NEMA signals. You can choose the type of output of most GPS units in the setup screens.

If you were trying to make a map of a lake and were using a data logger to record the latitude and longiture along with the depth and time of the signals ever second you would most likely set the devices up to use the NEMA standard signals.

You can use the NEMA signals to talk between a depth finder and the GPS unit I suppose. Or you may have a Garmin system that has it own propriatory signals that are used to communicate between the two devices.

Like we use commas, periods, capital letters, sentence, paragraphs, chapters etc to communicate the signals between two electrical devices have to have a way of knowing what each device is trying to say.

Are you familiar with an data base programing language?

You can google up the term "NEMA" to find out more about how it's used.

Can someone explain this to me in english? As I understand it, you can plug you NMEA compatible GPS into an autopilot which makes sense. But what about NMEA compatible fishfinders. Do you plug your GPS into the fishfinder? For what purpose? Does it put GPS data on the fishfinder or fishfinder data on the GPS? Any links that explains this?

[Barnacle Bill]

Thanks Moose. That clears it up a lot for me. If some of the write ups I've read had just said it was a standard for that type equipment. I'd understood it better.