Furuno 1721 MKII Compass input?? (long)

[Steve]

I'm upgrading from my 1720 to a 1721 MKII radar.. I had this same model on
my last boat and missed many of it's features.
I knew the 1721 was capable of with a compass or gyro input but it was too
expensive to add back then.

However I did learn to get by without 'North UP' that I always had on
shipboard radar..(this was my first pleasure boat radar) So even now I'm
content to do without it Noth UP.

Now I'm adding a Yeoman to my chart table and know that it can communicate
and plot on the 1721 radar, but when I get into the fine print of the
specifications I find that it requires that the radar have compass input
(heading sensor).

I already have a Si Tex flux gate compass with NNEA 183 output and the
spec./hookup info for the 1721 indicates I can interface it with the Gyro
input..

AT Last: Here is my question. If my Furuno 1721 MKII has the heading sensor
hooked up and the Yeoman is proving a plot, does the radar have to be in
North UP display??

I know I can manage it either way, but I would hate to have to reorient my
brain each time I happen to switch off the Flux Gate or Yeoman.

Or should I set everything up so the Radar and Flux Gate are always on
together and get use to North Up again??

Or is it possible that the Yeoman can provide radar plots with the radar
remaining in Bow UP mode?? (seems like it is all relative plotting then)

Confused, need help??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Bruce in Alaska]

I'm upgrading from my 1720 to a 1721 MKII radar.. I had this same model on
my last boat and missed many of it's features.
I knew the 1721 was capable of with a compass or gyro input but it was too
expensive to add back then.

However I did learn to get by without 'North UP' that I always had on
shipboard radar..(this was my first pleasure boat radar) So even now I'm
content to do without it Noth UP.

Now I'm adding a Yeoman to my chart table and know that it can communicate
and plot on the 1721 radar, but when I get into the fine print of the
specifications I find that it requires that the radar have compass input
(heading sensor).

I already have a Si Tex flux gate compass with NNEA 183 output and the
spec./hookup info for the 1721 indicates I can interface it with the Gyro
input..

AT Last: Here is my question. If my Furuno 1721 MKII has the heading sensor
hooked up and the Yeoman is proving a plot, does the radar have to be in
North UP display??

I know I can manage it either way, but I would hate to have to reorient my
brain each time I happen to switch off the Flux Gate or Yeoman.

Or should I set everything up so the Radar and Flux Gate are always on
together and get use to North Up again??

Or is it possible that the Yeoman can provide radar plots with the radar
remaining in Bow UP mode?? (seems like it is all relative plotting then)

Confused, need help??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Hi Steve,
Furuno Radars need the spacific Gyro or Compass inputs to that
seperate connection in order to do any special displays on the screen.
They don't use any of the data from the NEMA Stream for this input.
When I was building Electronic Suites for Fisherman, (10 Ywars ago or
more) Furuno came out with this input on their Medium and Large Radars,
and I installone of the first intigrated systems on the F/v Inian Queen.
We used the Sitex Dual Fluxgate Digital Compass, as it was the only
reasonably proced device that exported the required signals.
Gyrocompasses are just way to expensive for the under 80ft Fishing
Vessel. At that time the only added advantage was the radar would now
display the WayPoint LoolyPop of the NEMA Waypoint Sentance on the
screen, if the WayPoint was within the selected range of the radar, or
if not the radar would display a heading line to the NEMA WayPoint.
things are much more integrated today, but the Furuno Radar Gyro Input
requirements are still the same. You could check with Don Sr. @ G&L
to see if there has been any change in this by Furuno, but I really don't
think that anything has changed.

Bruce in alaska

 

[Steve]

think that anything has changed.

I think things have change (at least the way I read the manual).

The Furuno 1721 has both a NMEA 0183 input from the Nav. Equipment (GPS or
Loran, etc.).

The other connector is the "Gyro" connection which in fact can only except
the gyro input via a A-D converter AD-100 or directly from a heading
sensor..

"The heading sensor (FLUX-50, C-2000/3000) having AD-10S format or NMEA 0183
output data format can be connected instead of a gyrocompass. In this case,
you should select "MAG" instead of the "GYRO" on the INSTALLATION menu."

So if I read this correctly, I can have two seperate NMEA inputs. One from
the FLUX compass and the other from the GPS or YEOMAN.

According to the YEOMAN manual, the radar will follow the puke of the Yeoman
and place line of bearings 'lollypops' on the radar screen at locations I
select from the charts.. (bouys, channel turn points, other chart details
that wouldn't normally show up on the radar.)

However, as I understand it, the radar has to have the heading direction
otherwise the bearing to the nav aid or point (in magnetic or true) has no
meaning if the radar is in bow-up or relative mode. The Yeoman doesn't
really know the boats true or mag heading..

Something that Larry eluded to is incorrect IMHO. The radar doesn't and in
most cases can't plot using the Long and Lat from the GPS (or Yeoman). The
majority of even the new standard radars just aren't smart in that regard..
They just display the Long and Lat. at the bottom of the screen for the
information of the Navigator.. The ordinary radar does not use the heading
that is in the NMEA sentence either, again, not smart enough.. And to me the
heading info from the GPS is at best, unreliable, being history, not real
time..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions