Looking to find a Nmea 0183 T connector to hook up GPS to VHF Radio to get DSC

[FriscoRon]

My old Nav398 RaymarineGPS is Nmea 0183 compliant.

My new Standard Horizon 1300 eclipse VHFradio with DSC is Nmea 0183 compliant.

I want too connect my VHFradio to my GPS to get Digital Selective Calling.

Appears I need to connect only 2 wires from radio to GPS. Both manuals call for a yellow and green wire for data input to data output plus and minus.

My issue: Is that I cannot find a Nmea 0183 T connector with 6 pins.
I can only find a Nmea 2000 T Connector with 5 pins like the picture attached.


If I can find a Nmea 0183 T connector this would be a easy install. Both my Radio and GPS is side by side on the console on my sailboat helm.

Can anybody tell me where to find a Nmea 0183 T Connector? Please!

 

[LeslieTroyer]

Don’t know why you would need a T connection. Put ring terminals on the end of the 4 wires and use a small 2 terminal block to connect them together.

 

[dlochner]

The network structure for 0183 and 2000 are very different. There is not such thing as a 0183 T connector, there are bridges and as @LeslieTroyer said, use terminal strips.

NMEA 0183 is networking from the dark ages and has significant limitations.

 

[Benny17441]

I used to welcome any technological advancement that would serve sailing; GPS, Chart Plotters, Auto Pilots but I sense I was passed by technology a little ways back because I have no idea of the benefits of hooking up a GPS to a VHF Radio to get DSC. Is that a local thing , I thought the range of a VHF radio was around 25 miles tops.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

The advantage is two fold 1) a single button will make a distress call for you giving position and boat info to potential searchers. 2) you can call friends and people you have the mmsi for like a phone call ( or group of friends) and not a intercom system requesting a response

 

[JohnShannon]

The DSC is a "mommy" button that transmits your exact location to the Coasties and others with no error. The social networking "meh".

 

[dlochner]

DSC is Digital Selective Calling. It uses a MMSI, Maritime Mobile Service Identity, number that allows a DSC enabled VHF (all fixed VHF radios now have it) to send and receive calls directly to another vessel. Enter the other vesssel's MMSI hit the send button and the VHF on the other vessel sounds an alarm. Using DSC avoids using Channel 16 to hail the other vessel, reducing traffic on Channel 16.

When the VHF is connected to a GPS or if it has GPS built in, pressing the distress button sends a distress signal that contains the vessel's location and the MMSI number. All VHFs within range will hear the distress signal. When the CG receives the distress message, they know where to look for the bodies. They also know the vessel's name, owner, emergency contact, and type of vessel. All stations receive the vessel's coordinates. This is a far more efficient and accurate way of issuing a distress call than issuing a MayDay call. The Distress calls are also logged.

If you have an AIS transponder and an MMSI, the two are useful for tracking and hailing large commercial vessels. Instead of hailing "The big freighter over there" use DSC to call the freighter directly. The probability of getting through to them on the VHF is greatly enhanced. Works both ways, the freighter can call you directly instead of hailing "the white sailboat about to get run over."

The BoatUS website has good information on DSC, MMSI, and AIS.