GPS/Humminbird Question

[GWDawg1]

Ok, here's the deal. I just bought a Humminbird 747c. I have a Magellan Explorist XL color GPS with a 3.5" screen. I was considering purchasing the Humminbird GPS antenna. What do you guys recommend? I am thinking of linking the GPS to the 747 and going from there. I don't have a large boat, Fisher 1648SS, and I think I could get by just purchasing the cable to link the two together. Is that not correct, and what would be the benefit of them being connected?

[Humminbird_Greg]

GWDawg1, I don't know if it will even work. We make a cable for the Magellan Sport Trak and Meridian to direct connect but I do not know if your Explorist uses the same (Magellan) connector as these do. If not, you would have to buy our AS-HHGPS cable and Magellans connection cable than wire them together. If the Explorist has an NMEA 0183 version 2.0 or higher output that is at a 4800 baud rate, than it should work - although I so far have not been contacted by someone who has done this.

If it does connect up and work, than the Humminbird unit wil treat the Explorist like a GPS antenna. It will only get position, speed and heading data from the Explorist. Waypoints, maps and the like will not be transferred from the Explorist to the Humminbird.

[GWDawg1]

I also have an older Meridian unit and I use the same cable on the Explorist that I use for the Meridian. I bet it will work.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Sounds like it should work to me to GWDawg1. Just be sure that the Explorist is sending the correct NMEA 0183 sentences as on some HHGPS you can select to send only some and not all NMEA 0183 sentences. Check the baud rate as well (needs to be 4800).

Let us all know if it works or not.