Question in regards to ECDIS and Furuno

Scuttlebutt
1

This probably pertains more to 2nd Mates, but if you do know how to do this please chime in.

How are you able to put a track from a Transas Ecdis to a Furuno radar?

I’ve seen it before, but I’m having some issues on the boat I’m on currently. I saw that you can export the route from the ECDIS to a Furuno format, but the issue is finding where to plug in the flash drive.

What options do I have?

2

Wait what?!

I’ve looked pretty seriously into this, and concluded that the track files are in a proprietary format that has been obfuscated beyond intelligibility. The files all begin with “OTP” which is a big fuck you to anyone trying to reverse engineer them. Transas tech support confirmed my impression that the files are non-portable, and offered to convert one into a video file with the playback function, which according to their policy at the time (5 - 10 years ago) was the way the would make the data available for court proceedings etc.

Please do tell if you crack this one.

3

I don’t know how to direct transfer that data. I suspect @Klaveness is correct and there is no easy way.

Here is how we did it:

First the route is created / modified on ECDIS. On the ECDIS the route file is converted to MS excel file and is exported from the ECDIS to a USB drive. The excel file is then loaded into a PC with a printer where it can then be printed.

Then the waypoints are then manually entered into Waypoint for Windows (Waypoint for Windows v3.01(a) is NOT compatible with the latest 64-bit Windows 7 operating system. It is a 16-bit software program which only run on 32-bit systems.)

Then the waypoints can be exported from Waypoint for Windows to the Furuno GPS provided you have the right cable. You may have to mess around with this sort of stuff as Furuno is not an option.

GPS Uploader/Downloader

  • Link your on-line library of waypoints to a GPS unit.

  • Save hours of inputting library positions into your GPS. Uploads in only minutes!

  • Back up your GPS library positions and routes

  • Built in upload/download GPS support for:
    Leica (Magnavox) MX100, MX200, MX300
    Magellan Nav DLX-5000 and DLX-10
    Trimble Navigation NavTrac and NT200D

  • GPS units that accept the NMEA-0183 $GPWPL - Waypoint library position protocol are also supported

  • Create custom NMEA-0183 compatible sentences using the NMEA sentence builder.

From the Furuno GPS which is already interfaced to the Furuno radar it is just a matter of following the instruction in the manuals.

There very well may be easier ways. Several tech savvy second mates took a crack at this before it was solved by a second mate how had previously been an IT guy at Microsoft.

4

…and then it dawned on me that we’re talking about routes, not tracks. Makes more sense, I suppose. Should also be way easier to solve.

5

Not sure but I believe that the Transas will export gpx files. The trick was NEMA sentences that the Furuno GPS likes.

. If a Furuno ECIDS is being used I believe that the data can be transferred to a Furuno radar via LAN.

EDIT: The context here is this problem has to be solved by mariners with limited expertise and/or time to futz around with this stuff.