Topic: Humminbird GPS antenna puck wiring color codes

[Keaton63]

Hello all, I am trying to hook up a Hummingbird AS GRP Model # 408920-1 gps puck to my existing Raymarine C80 display using the NMEA outputs. I tried calling Hummingbird to confirm the wiring color codes, so I could cut the main cable and hook up the right individual wires, but they refused to tell me the wiring colors. Does anyone know what they are?

Only wiring display I could find on Hummingbird website showed just the pigtail connections that would come from a Hummingbird control unit AFTER it had processed the signals.  I need to know the direct NMEA connections to make from the gps puck's main cable itself, including the power wiring connections to the puck.

I assume Red will probably be power, and White is usually the NMEA Input (+ve) from the puck, but am not sure what the main power negative is (Black?) or the NMEA Input (-ve) is. Would that again be black or other color - my Raymarine manual shows possible green or gray colors for the NMEA wires can also be normal? 

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Keaton63,
The AS-GRP should have a short pigtail wire that comes out of the connector that has a Green, White and Black wire.  Using the Green and Black wires should give you a direct NMEA 0183 feed from the GPS Receiver itself.  There is no need to cut the main GPS cable.

[Jim Jack]

I did something similar with my DSC VHF. What I did was use the Y cable that came with the HB GPS, The GPS puck plugs in to the bottom of the Y.I cut off and sealed the accessory side and cut the plug off of the NMEA side of the Y.  Inside the the insulation of the NMEA arm of the Y cable use Red wire for 12v+, bare wire is for 12 ground. Then use the pigtail wires to hook up to raymarine unit using the green wire as GPS NMEA out and black wire as GPS NMEA ground.

[Jim Jack]

Greg's way will work as well if you have a the GPS plugged in to a HB unit. There are 2 communications methods available using the pigtail direct from GPS module (green + black wires) and from the unit (white + black wire).

My way is if you do not have an HB head unit to connect the GPS module to.

[Keaton63]

Thanks Greg and Jim Jack.  Jim Jack is correct in that I don't have a HB head unit, so can't only use the green and black wires on the pig-tail, but also need to connect the power wiring to the puck itself.  I'll try Jim Jack's method.  Thanks everyone for clarifying the wiring colors. 

But I'm not quite clear on one point, Jim Jack.  In the picture above under Greg's post, it looks like both the main cable and pig-tail go into the one plug connector labeled NMEA-Com.  If I cut that plug off, as I believe you're instructing me to, then how is the pig-tail part still attached so I can use it's green and black wires?  Isn't that basically the same as just cutting the main cable?  Or were you talking about a different Y cable "to cut the plug off" than the one pictured above, which I think is the only one that will come with the AS GRP antenna puck.  (I've ordered it, but its not been delivered yet, so can't look at the actual cable yet for clarification.  It may be obvious once I receive it.)

Are the green and black wires in the pig-tail also the exact same color wires in the main cable? It still seems to me that it might be easier just to cut the main cable off before the NMEA-Com plug at whatever length is needed to reach my Raymarine unit, and connect those four wires directly.  (The red for 12v+ power, the bare for 12v ground, the green for NMEA IN and the black for NMEA ground, assuming they're the same colors.)

Thanks again for both your responses.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Keaton63,
I believe that he is using the AS-YC cable here.  I believe that one will come with your GRP GPS Receiver.  It would be better to cut the connector of the AS-YC cable off than that of the GPS.  Reason being is if later you buy a Humminbird unit and want to use it with that unit or if you have to send the GRP in for service.  Cut the connector off and they can charge you for physical damage which voids your warranty.  The same colors are used in the AS-YC cable.

[Keaton63]

Well guess what was waiting in the mailbox when I got home! 

I just received the GRP receiver antenna, and as Greg says, it does come with an extra accessary Y cable.  So now I see what Jim Jack was talking about, where before I wasn't quite getting it, thinking there would only be the one main cable with the pigtail coming from the receiver puck, like in the picture above.  I'll leave the main cable alone, and cut the Y cable for the power connections like posted earlier.

Thanks again you two for all your help.

[Keaton63]

Hi Greg in particular, or if anyone else knows.  I hooked the HB receiver antenna up per above, but it is not working where the Raymarine can read it.  The Raymarine control unit shows its getting something, but its unrecognizable.  Per the Raymarine tech svc, they said one thing to confirm is that the HB gps antenna will communicate at a 4800 baud rate, which is the only baud rate the Raymarine C80 can receive NMEA 0183 (its an older 2002 unit with slower rate of that day).

I saw in the HB  manual that there is a way to change the baud rate, but that is with the HB control unit.  What baud rate does the HB antenna puck put out by default, if just hooked up as we've discussed above.  And is there any way to make it 4800 if that is not the default rate?

Thanks.

[Keaton63]

I received a reply from Greg via email.  In case anyone ever has a similar question, this was the answer:

"The GRP will power up at 9600 baud.  It can only be changed to 4800 when connected to a Humminbird unit.  The GR16 and GR50 (we no longer make the GR50) power up at a 4800 baud rate."

So in my case, the GRP cannot be used as a replacement NMEA antenna with my Raymarine unit or any other non-Humminbird unit unless that unit uses a 9600 baud rate.

So does anyone want to buy an almost new HB - AS GRP antenna, minus the accessory Y cable?