J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment How to Make PC control navigation with Tacktick

We're getting so close to sailing. I have installed the new Tacktick T104 system and use a Standard Horizon CP150 chartplotter. This is input to the NMEA IN interface. The NMEA OUT is then connected to terminal strip where the DSC Radio and the Autohelm and the PC with Nobletech software. That picks up all the data from the transmitters.
So far so good, as long as the waypoints are controlled from the GPS.
What I would like is to use the PC to input and control waypoint and route information to the system.
In the current configuration that is not working out.
My serial connections to the PC are on pins 2/5 going to the NMEA OUT at the terminal strip.
Suggestions?
Thanks

Have you tried using a terminal emulator on the PC to see if you're actually receiving data?

It's possible. Look at the [url=http://j30.us/files/Rhapsody/Rhapsody_Schematics.pdf[/url] and note the bottom center of the 1st page that ties certain handshake signal pins on the RS-232 9 pin connector. I tested my setup and had the PC using Offshore Navigator drive the autohelm. Make sure that you don't have two devices sending tracks at the same time. You should setup the devices (e.g. GPS, PC) to minimize just the NMEA sentences you need. I turned off all the Garmin proprietary stuff on my GPSMAP 276c.

I also found out that the TackTick NMEA interface sometimes doesn't reliably drive 3 loads. Remember to set your PC serial interface for 4800 baud, 8 data bits, no party and 1 stop bit.

Bill, What do you mean to do with those modem connections on the DB9 conector. Conect 1,6,4 to what, each other? 7,8 ?
Please explain.
Thank You
Don

connect 1, 4 & 6 together. connect 7&8 together. These are handshake lines per EIA-RS-232 (request to send, clear to send, etc.). Some serial communications programs will not transmit data without the handshake signals. It effectively bypasses handshaking and allows data to be transmitted at any time. At 4800 baud you should never have a problem filling the UART buffer used for serial communications.

Understood, Thank you I will do it tomorrow.
Don

Many thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I found the magic bullet here. On my Standard Horizon 150 GPS Chartplotter (antique by some standards) I found in the advanced menu the NMEA sentences. By turning off the RMB sentence, which is waypoint information, I can use the PC as the waypoint information source for the RMB sentence to the instruments. This elliminates the conflict caused when you connect two navigation sources to the Tacktick System. When not using the PC for navigation, I turn the RMB back on on the SH 150 and away we go. The Tacktick listens to the GPS for waypoint information.
Thanks again. I love this website.