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Midnight Rider.
I have a 2017 Caracal with 2 Helix 10s (DI bow & SI console) and a Mercmonitor level 2. Would this setup have been prewired w/.NMEA200 backbone? Was wanting to share data between HBs and show ProXS data at HB console. Looking under console and menu on HB it does not appear to exist. I was hoping the network was there and just missing the gateway to connect the engine to the HB.
I suspect not, but you can get a NMEA 2000 starter kit for maybe $60 bucks. Plugs into the mercmonitor wiring harness (it should be labeled by Mercury) and includes the basic “box” you use to connect NMEA 2K cables to depth finders. I have heard stories about hummingbird not playing very nicely with NMEA 2000 (Don Weed on BBC) so I cant say anything there. But to connect lowrance depth finders it is trivial, and the starter kit is all you need unless you want to run a cable to the front of the boat to get all the depth finders on that backbone…
Those parts are not standard and for a NMEA output the gateway or a SmartCraft Monitor gauge is required, and that is tied into a NMEA backbone. That is all able to be order3d, though not standard and overall adds an estimated about $400 to the retail price overall.
The mercmonitor I have is a level 2 and has a NMEA 2K cable. So shouldnt I be able to drop down from the HB console and connect to it by adding T and the terminator??
Id refer that to Humminbird since Don had mentioned some NMEA 2000 issues with them specifically. BTW my mercmonitor is also a level 2 (installed it maybe 2 months ago). Next plan is to dig into NMEA 2000 myself to connect to my lowrance sonar units. And in this case, Don said it was much easier. I will report back when I get this done.
I dont have a Merc, but heres what I had to have to get the HB to pick up data from the Yamaha SHO ECM. Interface cable from ECM to NMEA 2000 backbone, a “drop” (tee) and terminator, the HB “black dongle” to convert the NMEA signal to an ethernet signal, the 5 port ethernet box from HB, ethernet cable to get to the front unit. I could never get the HB Helix 7 SI GPS Gn2 to provide engine data, other than RPM and Engine Temp, so swapped that unit to the front with the HD transducer, and put a Helix 10 Mega SI gn2 in the dash. Also installed an electronic sensor on the engine for water pressure reading to be fed into the ECM. In “gauge view” (which eats the entire screen, not a layover) I can now see RPM, Engine Temp, Water Pressure, Oil Pressure, GPH in real time, and could see Trim if I connected two wires together on the engine, but that would kill my analog gauge on the dash, so I havent gone there yet. HB is NOT as friendly as Lowrance to display engine data without all those “dongles” for lack of a better word. To get Speed on Gauge View, I think Ill need an external GPS puck. Or, I may be able to get it from the front unit, but havent dug into that function yet. It aint easy to set it all up, as the menu system is not particularly intuitive.The Helix units have 3 different gauge views…one is strictly digital, one is a combo of digital and “digital analog), and then you have the “dashboard” gauge view that is the one I prefer and have on a preset button. Its sort of looks like a car dash and is relatively easy to see the vitals. The three preset buttons on my 10 are SI/DI/SD; Lakeview Map/SI/SD; Gauge View. Of course, the SI/DI is useless when running, but two of the views always have the “regular” shoot thru hull view for depth at speed.
Midnight Rider all my research seems to imply HB and Merc lean to a closed system forcing you to convert to from/to their systems and w/HB Helix requires the conversion to Ethernet (=$$$). I believe if you have Solix you do not require the ethernet box and dongle/converter?? Seems the classic lesson is you cant get the lower priced units to do the same as the next tier without spending some good money….i.e. cant beat the system on the cheap. I suppose some folks are saying in my case why do you want to spend all that money to send the data to HB when you already have $600 Mercmonitor to do this. The best answer I have is the Mercmonitor is located low right of the dash on a small screen while the HB is right in my face as I drive on a large screen. My boat was from inventory and is a great boat so I am weighing the cost/benefits to change. On an order I might have checked on Solix or Lowrance Carbon to see if the overall cost and quality upgrade would have been better vs sinking more into the Helix setup. Either way I have blast learning all this stuff…it is fascinating.
Hmm? How about a tablet on RAM mount and a Vessel View Bluetooth system.
certainly would be a cheap solution ignoring the cost of the tablet. Vessel View works really well. About the only issue is rain + tablets is not a real good combination.
I think you are correct about the Solix units not requiring the dongle or box. And, with the Merc gauge, it may be much simpler to get the information you need.
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