Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting A Manual for Boatowners and Marine Technicians

152 marine electronics installation and troubleshooting

take the language the talker is using and trans-

late it for the listener. You may also find an

additional black box, called a multiplexer, that

will distribute data to multiple instruments.

See the sidebar on page 191 in Chapter 17 for

more on networking terminology.

How do you use them? One example

would be to connect a combiner/multiplexer

box to a piece of NMEA 0183 equipment

with a computer via a RS-232 port, or connect

to a Raymarine device that is networked via

that company’s proprietary SeaTalk system.

Radar

Similar to satcom, radar may require the ser-

vices of a manufacturer-trained specialist to set

up the initial calibration and tuning of the unit.

This need will depend on the boatowner’s

familiarity with radar. In many cases, a trained

professional is the best choice for an initial run-

through of the unit’s operational characteristics.

Although all these units operate on the same

principles, software access, system menus, and

control functions can be confusing at first, and

often the instruction manuals provided with

these units are absolutely confusing!

This does not, however, preclude boat-

owners or marine electricians from performing a

radar installation if they desire. Most radar units

marketed for the recreational boating market are

“pre-tuned” and calibrated at the factory, so

there are only a few issues to deal with.

Installation guidelines:

• You must use the cabling provided by the
  equipment manufacturer.


• You must not alter the length of those
  cables. If you need longer cables than
  those supplied, all the manufacturers offer
  optional longer cables, which you must
  use to ensure proper operation.


• Consider the ergonomic issues already
  discussed—viewing angle, display
  settings, etc.

inverter display/

monitor

tank level gauge

VHF radio

Raymarine interface

translator box

battery monitor

Black boxes like this one are often required to allow talker and listener devices to communicate across differ-

ent protocols or languages. While not perfect, they meet the need.