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GPS serial output?

bsacks05

bsacks05

Well Known Member
I just got my ADI from TruTrak and in order to get the heading display you need to get the signal from the serial output from your GPS. I have a Lowrance Airmap 1000 and don't see anything on the unit or in the manual about any outputs. The guy at TruTrak says that it has been done with the 1000 but he doesn't know how and Lowrance doesn't answer their help line. Plan "B" is to send the ADI back and have the built in GPS installed for $150.

Anyone have ideas on this predicament?

Thanks,
Bruce
N659DB
 
bsacks05 said:
I just got my ADI from TruTrak and in order to get the heading display you need to get the signal from the serial output from your GPS. I have a Lowrance Airmap 1000 and don't see anything on the unit or in the manual about any outputs. The guy at TruTrak says that it has been done with the 1000 but he doesn't know how and Lowrance doesn't answer their help line. Plan "B" is to send the ADI back and have the built in GPS installed for $150.

Anyone have ideas on this predicament?

Thanks,
Bruce
N659DB
Click to expand...
I was just on the Lowrance site the other day looking at the manual for the Airmap 1000.
It mentioned that a Com port existed and the description implied that an optional combination power/communications cable was necessary. There must be the serial pins available in the power port.
-mike
 
Aviation or NMEA

bsacks05 said:
I just got my ADI from TruTrak and in order to get the heading display you need to get the signal from the serial output from your GPS. I have a Lowrance Airmap 1000 and don't see anything on the unit or in the manual about any outputs. The guy at TruTrak says that it has been done with the 1000 but he doesn't know how and Lowrance doesn't answer their help line.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the Lowrance but you need to configure the serial port to output NMEA at 4.8K or "Aviation" data at 9.6K. TruTrak will understand either of these protocols.
 
Lowrance NMEA serial data

I just got my ADI from TruTrak and in order to get the heading display you need to get the signal from the serial output from your GPS. I have a Lowrance Airmap 1000 and don't see anything on the unit or in the manual about any outputs. The guy at TruTrak says that it has been done with the 1000 but he doesn't know how and Lowrance doesn't answer their help line. Plan "B" is to send the ADI back and have the built in GPS installed for $150.

Anyone have ideas on this predicament?
Click to expand...


Yep. The Airmap 1000 has a serial port that will send NMEA data. Since I am using the 1000 with an EZ-Pilot, I don't know if the ADI will see the data it needs from the 1000, but more than likely it will.

The menu options for setting up NMEA are in the 1000 manual, pages 82-83. You will need a PC-DI2BK data cable:

http://www.prosourcegps.com/gps/656/

You can also power the 1000 through this cable by feeding it with 12vdc from the avionics bus. More than likely you will decide to cut off the d-sub connector, but there is no reason you couldn't install a D-sub behind the panel and plug the data cable into it.

The wiring diagram can be found in the Airmap 100 (not 1000) manual, page 59:

http://www.lowrance.com/manuals/Files/AM100_0145-63.pdf

The pinouts for the 1000 and 100 are the same. Lowrance doesn't list a data cable for the 1000, but the 100 data cable works perfectly with identical pinouts.

If you are not comfortable with hacking cables, you might want to consider the built-in GPS from TruTrak.

Sam Buchanan
 
Last edited:
I Get It

Hey thanks,

I never would have figured that out. The diagrams are what I need and I did not realize the power port can also be used for data. I will pass this on to the TruTrak guy.

Thanks again,

Bruce
 
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