Garmin’s latest, in Serbia
Just yesterday, in my blogging birthday post, I commented on Panbo’s international reach, and today I’ve got some interesting evidence (and more tomorrow). That shot of the new Garmin 700 series above was recently sent to me by Petar Maksimovic of Info Team, Garmin’s Serbian dealer. And there’s more of interest on that screen than just the language. Info Team has been working for nearly a decade to create Serbian road and waterway maps under Garmin’s MPC system, and says that its latest SCG RoadMap includes official Plovput data for about 1,600 kilometers of rivers and canals. Apparently that effort was not only an innovation for inland Europe, but also helped Info Team create a market for marine electronics. In fact, the company demonstrated some gear at the recent Belgrade Boat Show that may not have been seen right here in the world’s largest ME market yet, as Petar explains…
“The Serbian distributor of Honda engines, Elko Marine, managed to obtain license from the inspectors to run outboard engine indoors occasionally, to present ‘digital gauges’ on NMEA2000 devices. Chosen engine was new Honda BF60,
and chosen display was Garmin GPSMAP 4008 due to it’s portability yet
large screen and VGA output (to present it on larger plasma display).
Beside 4008, we also connect smaller GPSMAP 421 to see if there are
difference in presented data on this portable plotter.
Latest software update was needed to get all readings properly, it
was done easily on both 4008 and 421 networked on N2K from one SD card
inserted into 4008, real simple, as all updates were in one file
downloaded from garmin.com. GPSMAP 4008 read slightly more engine data,
organized in ‘Engine dashboard’ page, and GPSMAP 421 access similar data
through ‘Fuel page’, or display them as number values on map page:
tachometer, trim, fuel rate, fuel economy. Both devices failed to
display gearbox information (F-N-R) and oil pressure, which is available
when Garmin’s GMI-10 is connected on Honda engines, together with
Honda’s ‘ECOmo’ display. It was interesting to learn that power has to be introduced to NMEA2000
bus to get data flowing, even though it looks like Honda interface cable
introduces power to the bus similar to what Yanmar engine does.”
“Another interesting electronic setup was at our Garmin
stand, where there was huge NMEA2000 network on display: six Garmin GPSMAP
plotters (new 6 & 7000 series, 720 etc…), wind sensor, VHF200 and
AIS 600 networked on same bus. Focus was on use AIS as new “safety
gadget”, as there is an Inland AIS implementation project ongoing in
Serbia by local waterway authority Plovput. The new Garmin Class B transponder with NMEA2000 was powered up,
and connected to VHF antenna, sending data over NMEA2000 to all
connected Garmin GPS plotters on stand. There were no transmitting
because everything was inside, without valid GPS fix available, so AIS
600 was working as a receiver only.
Configuration of AIS 600 was easily done via USB port and provided
software, programming demo MMSI and ship data was enough to start
receiving sentences from ships around: two passenger river cruisers on
Belgrade port on Sava river, and one cargo passing upstream Danube.” [Also see AIS screen at top.]
I’ll close with a sample of an Info Team river map, a thanks to Petar, and a note to all: Next week Garmin is kindly bringing me out to Olathe, Kansas, for a tour and a chance to meet some its marine team. If there’s something in particular that you think I should look into, please let me know in the comments below, or by email (ben dot ellison at panbo dot com).
OK – first item I need you to solve is how to connect the GHP10 autopilot to an old Perkins diesel. The GHP10 wants RPM info from the engine and this old Perkins has a mechanical tach.
I have emailed and spoken to tech support trying to figure this out for a couple of weeks now. No Joy. The phone call left me thinking that tech engineers really don’t understand how the system works and how it can be bypassed. I am sure there is an elegant solution but they need to have this ready for customers. I understand the need at 30 knots. But at 8.5 knots, who cares?
Second issue, push them for a diesel fuel management system. Currently they only do gas.
If you solve the first problem I will be most indebted to you.
The new install:
Garmin VHF 300 AIS Radio Item # 36368
Garmin VHF 200 Marine Radio Item # 34170
Garmin GPSMAP 4212 Network Bundle Item # 30141
Garmin 200/50kHz, 12/45Deg, Bronze Thru-Hull Mount Transducer w/Depth, Temp, & Speed Item # 14157
Garmin GHP10 Corepack Item # 33670
Garmin GHC 10 Remote Control f/GHP 10 Item # 34277
Garmin 2.1 Liter High Performance Pump Kit Item # 33673
Garmin GMR 24 HD 24″ Radar Dome Item # 32010
Seaview SM-24-R Radar Mast Platform for 24″ Raymarine Radome Item # 16807
Garmin VCA500L – Puget Sound to Port Hardy – SD Card Item # 30397
Digital 532-VW-R 16′ White VHF f/RUPP Mounts Item # 33209
Shakespeare 410-R Mounting Kit Item # 10660
Is it just me or is Cattledog rude and imposing?
Cattledog,
you can just ignore RPM info on this engine, as there are no difference in vessel maneuverability on different RPM’s.
We did few installations of GHP10 on old engines like that Perkins. And few of them gave very strange reading on their tacho W wire. So we just ignore it in GHP setup as those boats was steel displacement hulls with same handling on all RPM range…
Cattledog, Besides being able to interface with a standard tach from a mechanical engine, the Garmin GHP can be used with a simple magnetic RPM counter. I’ve seen it done, though I can’t recall which counter Garmin recommended. On the other hand, as Petar notes, you may not even need tach input for the GHP to work OK. But if I were you, I’d get a professional Garmin installer involved in this, and then you’ll also get an extended warranty, I think.
As for diesel fuel flow, your best bet is to install a FlowScan sensor system with a FloNet NMEA 2000 gateway. I tested a demo FloNet with a Garmin display system, and it worked great. This entry links back to a whole series of fuel flow entries:
https://panbo.com/archives/2010/03/my_bad_is_edc_fuel_flow_accurate_.html
Couple of things ben for garmin
(1) autopilots for sailboats when
(2) the new 620 is a replacement for the great 276 but can u really use a touch screen bouncing around on a RIB at speed you had some hope with the buttons none with the touchscreen
(3) to really round out the instrument range garmin really needs to add analogue displays for wind, speed etc just like everyone else. Will they ?
(4)the new 6000 and 7000 plotters are really very deep with
close to 6 inches is needed behind the units what’s all that case space for it’s all heavy aluminium castings too, most helms on sailboats have nowhere near the depth to accomadate that
(5) most of garmins connectors are screw lock type great but the lock ring is plastic and very easily can be overtightened and then it snaps leaving the connector without any locking, could we have metal please.
(6) this one is a pet peeve, in the older units you could adjust the size of the text associated with things like spot depths to reduce screen clutter on the newer units you can adjust symbol sizes but not the spot depth label size which is quite big ad standard and generates a lot of clutter. Software mod garmin please
there how’s that
dave
Thank you Ben and Peter for the feedback!
Does anyone know installers in Port Townsend or LaConner area?
If my post was rude or imposing, I apologize. I really didn’t mean to be.
Two grand for the Floscan just seems, ummm, well, more than a little steep and it would take about 10 years to pay for itself. I wonder if they ever come up used?
Ben,
one question from me to Garmin in Olathe:
Can we expect to see RPM output on NMEA 2000 from GHP-10 autopilot? It’s a pitty not to share collected analogue RPM data with other devices on N2K bus…
Garmin had a booth at the Hunting and Fishing in Russia expo in Moscow earlier this year. So I assume they also have waterways maps for at least some parts of Russia. Just wondering how extensive their maps are since they are still testing/checking maps for the large areas of European Russia.
A couple of little ones for Garmin. Love their gear
Would love to see the ability to drag a cursor back on the 4/5/6/7000 series sea temp log graph and be able to plot a waypoint at a certain temp or see the cursor of the relevant position on the chart when you select a point on the graph
Also would be great to be able to have a track that changes colour as the sea temperature changes
Great for gamefisherman, I think I have seen it done on the Furuno NavNet 3D
Dennis,
here is the link for Russian waterway maps: http://www.garmin.ru/products/maps/s/259/… for those who can not read cyrilic, there are maps of Black, Azov, Caspian sea, Balkai and some other lakes.
All of those maps have been produced with data from ChartPilot company, working in ENC production bussines for different authorities: http://www.chartpilot.ru/chart-pilot-ltd/view?set_language=en
I’m not sure, but I do believe that this is one more MPC licensed product, like our maps in Serbia, not directly connected to Garmin cartography department.
Main problem is that MPC maps can not contain all data and features like Garmin own BlueChart g2Vision maps… And it’s a pitty that you can not find European Inland maps in a regionaly divided prodcut like BlueChart maps are.
Ben,
I have been looking at the new gpsmap740 unit as an upgrade for my sailboat and I am also a Mac OS user.
You might ask Garmin about their support of the Mac OS with their software applications. They pledged several years ago to support the Mac but their commitment to that pledge seems to be a bit lackluster.
I would like to be able to transfer waypoints and routes to the gps from my Mac and transfer tracks back without resorting to Bootcamp and windows.
Neither their Mapsource program nor their Trip and Waypoint Manager program is currently available for Mac OS.
Thanks,
Tim