Keeping the legacy alive, installing the Raystar 130

It was dead period. No pulse, and its faded chalky pallor were indicators it had joined thems what's dearly departed. Its destiny is a pauper's landfill grave gently swathed in a plastic garbage bag along with the remnants of last nights Chinese food take out dinner.

The Raymarine classic C-80 is still in mourning, and something has to be done. It's currently a really expensive repository of non-moving electronic charts. There are two things that have to be considered. The old Raystar 120 GPS needs to be replaced, and whatever is selected, we have to install.

There are two good scenarios available to the owner, one being more expensive than the other. Our C-80 can use either a NMEA 0183 output GPS engine, or we can use Raymarine's Raystar 130 NMEA 2000 version with an adapter to convert it to the legacy Seatalk format.

The least expensive route is to get a NMEA 0183 output GPS. In round numbers a decent unit will cost somewhere between $150 to $200 bucks. If you shop till you drop there are less expensive options available, but they may require some creativity to install.

So if this is the cheapest way to go, why isn't this fix a no brainer? It's a good question but there are other things to mentally masticate on. One is it has to be installed and connected to the NMEA 0183 input, and we only have one. 

Regardless of what system you have, a NMEA input may not be easily available (multiplexer usage possible at more expense, batteries not included). The C-80 only has one NMEA 0183 input (happy green and white wires) and it might already be in use. It's a prudent boater who checks this out first before spending the dinero. The not so prudent boater may end up selling a slightly used GPS on eBay.

The second thing to consider is our C-80 although working well now is long in the tooth. Although it usually can still be repaired it has opted to sign a DNR and save its kin folks the pain of a long and lingering passing. So what if it passes next week? The owner will let it join the Raystar 120 in its austere resting place and go buy a new system. What then do you use your newly installed NMEA slow as molasses in January 4800 baud 0183 GPS for? It's now the proverbial tits on a boar.

Option two costs a bit more. The Raystar 130 and the SeatalkNG to old style Seatalk converter can be bought bundled together (T-70133). Prices vary, but this one cost about $365. 

The big plus is this is usable on not only a new Raymarine system but if you add an adapter cable it's good on almost anyone's new system. It's also simpler to install as we will see.

The picture of the Seatalk converter bits you see above isn't quite correct. The Seatalk output cable comes with the old style Seatalk plug attached. This would be good news if I could use it, but I can't and surgically amputate it.

Installation of this kit is very simple. Mount the interface block in a convenient location. Plug the red/black cable into a white socket and connect it to ship's power. Plug the RS 130's antenna cable into the other white socket. Put the two termination resistors into the blue sockets, and plug the seatalk output cable into the yellow socket. Then find the seatalk wire the original antenna was connected to. Just reconnect the the new cable to the old cable. There are only three wires, Red, (power) Yellow (data) and Bare (ground).

The summary goes something like this. For a few more dollars you get a faster and more up to date GPS, and there is now a NMEA 2000 (SeatalkNG) backbone installed and ready for newer tech. In our case there is some minor legacy related nuance. The C-80 will not display the satellite position or signal strength bars, and never will. It had its last software upgrade some time ago. It does show you the HDOP (Horizontal Dilution Of Precision) value, and WAAS is automatically enabled. You don't need to turn on the differential feature.

I guess there was a third option available. You could leave a bottle of bourbon, and a gun with a single bullet next to the console overnight and see if the C-80 wil do the honorable thing so you can buy that new Ray e125 MFD.