With NMEA 0183 you can set up a whole data network for a couple bucks in wire.” That’s probably close to a hundred bucks just in cabling. Just to connect a GPS to an antenna you’d need two of each, plus the drop cables and backbone. “Here’s a T-fitting for $14 and an end fitting for $7.50. He went on to show me drawer after drawer of NMEA 2000 parts and complained that what was supposed to be so simple really involves lots of bits and bobs-bits and bobs that vary slightly from one manufacturer to another. My partners and I miss good old NMEA 0183, where you could just connect everything up to a single bus and be done with it.” How many times have you connected to a data network and had it work the first time? It’s buggy and complicated. One experienced electronics installer (who prefers to remain anonymous lest the NMEA send its goons after him) lamented to me, “It’s still a data network. Still, NMEA 2000 may not be all it’s cracked up to be. These problems don’t have to do with the NMEA 2000 standard itself, but are instead due to marketing, competition and vested interests in existing technology. The cost is negligible, but there have been some obstacles in bringing certified products to market. For a device to be NMEA 2000 Certified, the manufacturer must purchase the standard and license each individual product.
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