What I've learned so far...my depth and speed do need replaced as I had expected, and I am still hoping to add a wind gauge even though I won't be doing a lot of offshore sailing in this boat, but will be crossing the Great Lakes and live in FL so will come in handy in the Gulf and crossing to places like Cuba and The Bahamas.
My AP and CP do not need to be replaced even though AP is older Raymarine (NMEA 0183), but the Garminn CP (also older) is both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. My vhf is 0183 and doesn't need replaced although the wire is spliced in the mast and could be replaced along with the antenna (depends on how much all the other stuff will cost since these are currently working).
I've spoke with a B&G rep, Garmin rep, and West Marine folks, haven't heard back from local Raymarine rep, which lines up with what I've been told so far from more than one person. The B&G, Garmin, and West Marine reps recommended against a wireless wind gauge for various reasons including limited range, problems with compatibility with the CP, which is just as well since wired ones seem a little less expensive.
I can get warranty repair work done if I can provide a receipt from a legitimate provider of my instruments, but there is a risk in buying at a discounted price because manufacturers are trying to enforce the MSRP prices. That said, I have looked at Defender, P2 Marine, and Hodges to comparison price. However, I am waiting to purchase because ultimately, anything I buy will need to be compatible with my Garmin CP if I want things to work together and not just provide read outs on non-connected head units. As for upgrading the transducer, it was recommended to check with the Garmin rep to see if compatible (and that goes for just about anything that will need to connect to my CP, which will in turn affect the performance of the AP).
I haven't looked into connectors to make the units talk to each other yet but will also keep that in mind if I talk with the reps again.
Thanks for all the input and more phone calls will be required to Garmin once I know what size transducer is currently installed to see which ones will be not only compatible with my CP but will also fit in the current holes in the bottom of my boat. As for the recommendation for an ultrasonic transducer, the Garmin rep didn't find any information on it at all which means it's too new for them to know if it's compatible, which means I'm definitely holding off on that technology at this point, but thanks for the suggestion.
My AP and CP do not need to be replaced even though AP is older Raymarine (NMEA 0183), but the Garminn CP (also older) is both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. My vhf is 0183 and doesn't need replaced although the wire is spliced in the mast and could be replaced along with the antenna (depends on how much all the other stuff will cost since these are currently working).
I've spoke with a B&G rep, Garmin rep, and West Marine folks, haven't heard back from local Raymarine rep, which lines up with what I've been told so far from more than one person. The B&G, Garmin, and West Marine reps recommended against a wireless wind gauge for various reasons including limited range, problems with compatibility with the CP, which is just as well since wired ones seem a little less expensive.
I can get warranty repair work done if I can provide a receipt from a legitimate provider of my instruments, but there is a risk in buying at a discounted price because manufacturers are trying to enforce the MSRP prices. That said, I have looked at Defender, P2 Marine, and Hodges to comparison price. However, I am waiting to purchase because ultimately, anything I buy will need to be compatible with my Garmin CP if I want things to work together and not just provide read outs on non-connected head units. As for upgrading the transducer, it was recommended to check with the Garmin rep to see if compatible (and that goes for just about anything that will need to connect to my CP, which will in turn affect the performance of the AP).
I haven't looked into connectors to make the units talk to each other yet but will also keep that in mind if I talk with the reps again.
Thanks for all the input and more phone calls will be required to Garmin once I know what size transducer is currently installed to see which ones will be not only compatible with my CP but will also fit in the current holes in the bottom of my boat. As for the recommendation for an ultrasonic transducer, the Garmin rep didn't find any information on it at all which means it's too new for them to know if it's compatible, which means I'm definitely holding off on that technology at this point, but thanks for the suggestion.