Our 87 Catalina 22 came with non-functional Signet Depth, Speed, and Wind Direction units.
The cost of replacing the missing components, and getting the system running, made me investigate other options.
It's not the 80s, and technology has come a long way. Being a bit of a nerd, my first possible option was to use a small laptop/netbook, combined with sensors, and open source software like Open CPN.
After a bit of research I decided to use the following:
1) USED Lowrance Mark 4 (Greyscale version of the Elite series, with GPS, Depth, and Charting Capabilities) $60 private sale.
2) USED Pantech Element IP57 Rated Android Tablet $69 on ebay.
3) NEW Yakback "Bi-Directional NMEA to WiFi Bridge" $70 USD + Free Shipping
Assuming you already have a Depth finder with NMEA output, and a tablet, you only need to buy one device to connect them.
A "NMEA Wifi bridge"
This is a device that accepts NMEA data from a NMEA enabled device and makes it available wirelessly via Wifi.
NMEA WiFi Bridge units are usually expensive for what they do.
Many have more features than the average boat would need.
Because of this, some nerds make their own devices.
But, what can you do if you just want a simple device, and can't make your own ?!
I found a product from a company in Australia.
They make a VERY small unit that is simple to use, and is inexpensive. ($70)
http://yakbitz.com/YakBak.aspx
http://yakbitz.com/Default.aspx
In this case GPS and Depth data from our Lowrance Mark 4 is sent out wirelessly to the Pantech Element and our android phones.
In the future the YakBak could easily send data other devices like the handheld DSC radio we want to eventually buy.
(The YakBak unit is the more expensive model, which allows Bi Directional data. this would allow it to send data from the charting software, to an autopilot if required.
To do this on our boat, we would need an additional multi input NMEA unit to handle more devices, in addition to an autopilot, but it is nice to have that option for future use.)
The units appear to be well made, and the price is great.
Go online and compare it with other products and you will see what I mean.
It comes with Free Worldwide Shipping and a 2 Year Warranty.
Yakbitz is a small Australian company.
I see that as a huge benefit. Large companies have a tendency to be unresponsive to customers, and try to lock you in to their equipment.
I have yet to need to call them for support, but based on what i have read online it appears they should be good to deal with.
Connecting it all together was easy.
1)Run 12vdc power to the Yakbak
2) connect the 3 wires from the Mark-4's NMEA cable to the Yakbak.
3) turn on power to yakback and Mark-4
4) connect tablet/phone to the Yakbak's Wifi Hotspot using the default password of 12345678.
Connected just like any other Wi-Fi Hotspot.
5) Using a browser on the tablet/phone, go to http://192.168.6.1
6) Configure a new Wifi password, baud rate, and communication settings.
We used the baud rate that the Mark-4 allows, and the default of UDP port 2000 for sending the data over wifi.
7) In the browser, use Yakbak's NMEA data debug screen, to make sure the Yakbak is sending and receiving data.
8) Launch the navigation software on the tablet and configure it to use the data.
(on Navionics Boating HD, the data simply appeared on the screen. No additional configuration was needed)
Here's a photo of the Lowrance Mark 4 in Simulation mode, feeding GPS and Depth to with the tablet connected to the WiFi hotspot created by the YakBak Unit. (the observant will notice that the tablet shows 24 ft when the Depth finder shows 30. the tablet obviously hadn't updated in the split second of the photo being taken)
Note: Being an older 2012 model, the Pantech Element only supports up to Android 4.0.4. This prevent us from using the latest version of Boating HD on the tablet.
(of course we can run the newest version on our phones)
We plan on testing the "i-Boating" app this summer. It currently supports older android tablets.
For those of you choosing to use iPads, you have more options for Nav software to run on your tablet.
Keep in mind that some software only supports connection to "authorized" hardware, even though it's NMEA 0183 data being passed. Some users have had success with tricks to get SOME of those apps to use data over a Wifi connection to "unofficial" device, but that is far beyond the scope of this post.
The cost of replacing the missing components, and getting the system running, made me investigate other options.
It's not the 80s, and technology has come a long way. Being a bit of a nerd, my first possible option was to use a small laptop/netbook, combined with sensors, and open source software like Open CPN.
After a bit of research I decided to use the following:
1) USED Lowrance Mark 4 (Greyscale version of the Elite series, with GPS, Depth, and Charting Capabilities) $60 private sale.
The charting on this unit is limited, and like most proprietary marine stuff, the maps are expensive. Since it supports NMEA 0183 output, along with GPS and Depth, it is a great inexpensive unit to use with a tablet based solution.
Any depth finder with NMEA 0183 output would work though.
Check the specs on your unit.
Any depth finder with NMEA 0183 output would work though.
Check the specs on your unit.
2) USED Pantech Element IP57 Rated Android Tablet $69 on ebay.
This waterproof android tablet, is only 8.5" x 6" so it take up little space.
That is a big plus with a small C22.
It also allows use of a sim card so it can have data via Wifi and Cellular. You can also make phone calls on it it you wanted.
The screen is bright and viewable in sunlight.
Unfortunately this tablet is discontinued, so it can be hard to find in as-new condition.
That said, you can get waterproof cases for both iPads, and android tablets. No need to buy anything fancy. The tablet you already have will work fine as long as it is not too old.
That is a big plus with a small C22.
It also allows use of a sim card so it can have data via Wifi and Cellular. You can also make phone calls on it it you wanted.
The screen is bright and viewable in sunlight.
Unfortunately this tablet is discontinued, so it can be hard to find in as-new condition.
That said, you can get waterproof cases for both iPads, and android tablets. No need to buy anything fancy. The tablet you already have will work fine as long as it is not too old.
3) NEW Yakback "Bi-Directional NMEA to WiFi Bridge" $70 USD + Free Shipping
Assuming you already have a Depth finder with NMEA output, and a tablet, you only need to buy one device to connect them.
A "NMEA Wifi bridge"
This is a device that accepts NMEA data from a NMEA enabled device and makes it available wirelessly via Wifi.
NMEA WiFi Bridge units are usually expensive for what they do.
Many have more features than the average boat would need.
Because of this, some nerds make their own devices.
But, what can you do if you just want a simple device, and can't make your own ?!
I found a product from a company in Australia.
They make a VERY small unit that is simple to use, and is inexpensive. ($70)
http://yakbitz.com/YakBak.aspx
http://yakbitz.com/Default.aspx
In this case GPS and Depth data from our Lowrance Mark 4 is sent out wirelessly to the Pantech Element and our android phones.
In the future the YakBak could easily send data other devices like the handheld DSC radio we want to eventually buy.
(The YakBak unit is the more expensive model, which allows Bi Directional data. this would allow it to send data from the charting software, to an autopilot if required.
To do this on our boat, we would need an additional multi input NMEA unit to handle more devices, in addition to an autopilot, but it is nice to have that option for future use.)
The units appear to be well made, and the price is great.
Go online and compare it with other products and you will see what I mean.
It comes with Free Worldwide Shipping and a 2 Year Warranty.
Yakbitz is a small Australian company.
I see that as a huge benefit. Large companies have a tendency to be unresponsive to customers, and try to lock you in to their equipment.
I have yet to need to call them for support, but based on what i have read online it appears they should be good to deal with.
Connecting it all together was easy.
1)Run 12vdc power to the Yakbak
2) connect the 3 wires from the Mark-4's NMEA cable to the Yakbak.
3) turn on power to yakback and Mark-4
4) connect tablet/phone to the Yakbak's Wifi Hotspot using the default password of 12345678.
Connected just like any other Wi-Fi Hotspot.
5) Using a browser on the tablet/phone, go to http://192.168.6.1
6) Configure a new Wifi password, baud rate, and communication settings.
We used the baud rate that the Mark-4 allows, and the default of UDP port 2000 for sending the data over wifi.
7) In the browser, use Yakbak's NMEA data debug screen, to make sure the Yakbak is sending and receiving data.
8) Launch the navigation software on the tablet and configure it to use the data.
(on Navionics Boating HD, the data simply appeared on the screen. No additional configuration was needed)
Here's a photo of the Lowrance Mark 4 in Simulation mode, feeding GPS and Depth to with the tablet connected to the WiFi hotspot created by the YakBak Unit. (the observant will notice that the tablet shows 24 ft when the Depth finder shows 30. the tablet obviously hadn't updated in the split second of the photo being taken)
Note: Being an older 2012 model, the Pantech Element only supports up to Android 4.0.4. This prevent us from using the latest version of Boating HD on the tablet.
(of course we can run the newest version on our phones)
We plan on testing the "i-Boating" app this summer. It currently supports older android tablets.
For those of you choosing to use iPads, you have more options for Nav software to run on your tablet.
Keep in mind that some software only supports connection to "authorized" hardware, even though it's NMEA 0183 data being passed. Some users have had success with tricks to get SOME of those apps to use data over a Wifi connection to "unofficial" device, but that is far beyond the scope of this post.
Last edited: