I have been trying to interface my Lowrance Link-8 AIS/DSC VHF Radio with my Garmin 740 Chartplotter using NMEA2000.
This boat is fairly new to me, and I just started trying to figure out some of the electronics the PO had installed.
Despite having a NMEA 2000 backbone, and both of the devices connected, neither could "see" the other. Finally realized that there was no power input to the NMEA network.
Ordered a Garmin NMEA2k power cord, wired it in, and viola! The Chartplotter suddenly had access to AIS data from the radio. And the radio shows the Garmin 740 on the list of GPS sources....Success!
Well, not so fast....
Still had that *^%}|€££| alarm from the radio and an error saying that it had no GPS data. Checked all of the connections, checked all of the settings on both devices, but still no GPS data on the radio.
Today I was searching the web for more help, and found articles that say that there is a known issue with the Link-8, and that it won't (despite supporting NMEA2k), read the GPS data from a chart plotter.
But wait! They released a software patch that can be downloaded to an SD card, loaded in an MFD connected to the network, and upgrade the radio.
THE "CATCH"------The instructions say "a compatible Lowrance MFD".
I have a feeling the upgrade won't work from my Garmin 740, but I have the software patch loaded on an SD card to try the patch tomorrow.
Here is a link to the Lowrance Link-8 upgrade site if anyone is in the same boat. The update was released in November 2015.
http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Link-8-Software/
If anyone else is using a Link-8 with a Garmin chart plotter successfully, I would love to hear how you did it.
Greg
This boat is fairly new to me, and I just started trying to figure out some of the electronics the PO had installed.
Despite having a NMEA 2000 backbone, and both of the devices connected, neither could "see" the other. Finally realized that there was no power input to the NMEA network.
Ordered a Garmin NMEA2k power cord, wired it in, and viola! The Chartplotter suddenly had access to AIS data from the radio. And the radio shows the Garmin 740 on the list of GPS sources....Success!
Well, not so fast....
Still had that *^%}|€££| alarm from the radio and an error saying that it had no GPS data. Checked all of the connections, checked all of the settings on both devices, but still no GPS data on the radio.
Today I was searching the web for more help, and found articles that say that there is a known issue with the Link-8, and that it won't (despite supporting NMEA2k), read the GPS data from a chart plotter.
But wait! They released a software patch that can be downloaded to an SD card, loaded in an MFD connected to the network, and upgrade the radio.
THE "CATCH"------The instructions say "a compatible Lowrance MFD".
I have a feeling the upgrade won't work from my Garmin 740, but I have the software patch loaded on an SD card to try the patch tomorrow.
Here is a link to the Lowrance Link-8 upgrade site if anyone is in the same boat. The update was released in November 2015.
http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Link-8-Software/
If anyone else is using a Link-8 with a Garmin chart plotter successfully, I would love to hear how you did it.
Greg