Simrad doesn’t do NMEA 2000, NOT!
“Such is the upsurge in demand for systems integration that any embedded system needs to communicate with both PCs and other equipment via open protocols such as the standard NMEA 0183 and/or the updated but slow-to-arrive NMEA 2000. So far, Simrad has stuck with the tried and tested NMEA 0183 protocol, although Raymarine offers both.”
That is SO wrong! I first saw Simrad’s very sophisticated NMEA 2000 support here at the NMEA conference two years ago. And that’s just one mistake in an IBI News feature on marine electronics (Aug-Sept issue) full of mistakes. I’ve ranted about this sort of thing before, but I don’t think I should stop. Can the media do worse than misinforming the trade (in this case) and public about issues they are already confused about? Now Simrad and all the other companies that have chosen to brand NMEA 2000 with their own name (SimNet) deserve some blame, but the media should be working hard to get the facts right. How about getting someone to do a technical edit, or even let the subject companies check the piece? IBI is often very interesting, by the way, as in yesterday’s rather gossipy bit about the state of Navman/BNT. Hopefully I’ll learn more about that story today, as well as see lots of new gear at the NMEA trade exhibit. Stay tuned.
I think that the bigger issue is manufacturer’s reps telling the consumers at boatshows that their proprietary comminacation protocalls are not NMEA 2000 compatible, when they actually are. Aside from being dishonest, it just doesn’t seem to make any sense that you would downplay this kind of great functionality, particularly when many customers want it. I certainly would not buy a chartplotter, radar etc. that was not NMEA 2000 compatible.