The original Raymarine ST60+ instruments, although working fine were not communicating to the plotter, radar or any other system. It didn't seem a lot to ask that they all get along but it was not meant to be.
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It seems to be a natural progression of most ‘older’ boats that the wiring becomes organised chaos. Access to wiring can be difficult and is often hidden behind panels and woodwork. In my (limited) experience ‘as built’ boat wiring & electrics leave little room for future expansion or additional equipment. This anti-future-proofing has the effect of forcing the custodian into some creative wiring that is functional but not always obvious to the 4th, 5th add infinitum, successor. Which reminds me of a message from a good friend, describing his recent purchase:
Read MoreAt the time of purchase all electronics on-board were working (past tense) and separated into three distinct systems:
1. Instruments: anemometer, depth, log.
2. Navigation: Chartplotter, Autohelm, and VHF (for the AIS overlay).
3. Radar: Raytheon RX10 Radar.