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+--- Thread: Airmar p79 (/showthread.php?tid=1673)
Airmar p79 - ddelorme - 2019-02-14
I have a cheap airmar p79 depth sounder It is the non nmea version with a dumb little display. Has any one tried to read the data off of one? I suspect that all the processing is done on the unit and the nasty display is just that a display.. I am wondering how i could see what is coming off the unit so i could read it and convert to nmea or SignalK.
I would really like to collect data to share as many of the anchorages do not have good depth data...
It has 3 wires from what i can tell they are depth+ ,depth - and shield. I have know idea about voltage voltage levels.
Yes I do hit bottom a lot but it is generally mud and i have become quite good at getting loose.. Lake Winnipeg can have a change in depth of up to 3ft depending on the wind direction. It is like a unpredictable tide. I would like to up date this once I have good depth data and contribute to Open sea map. There is also some good stuff on youtube on how rough this lake can get. If your curious about this inland sea I included a guide that is our main source of info.
A sailing guide to Lake Winnipeg
I could get a new depth sounder but I would rather solve this puzzle and save on a new transducer.
Airmar p79 - abarrow - 2019-02-15
Humm. Everything I'm reading on the P79 seems to indicate it is an NMEA 0183 device. Have you tried connecting it to an RS 485 converter?
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RE: Airmar p79 - ddelorme - 2019-02-16
(2019-02-15, 03:14 PM)abarrow Wrote: Humm. Everything I'm reading on the P79 seems to indicate it is an NMEA 0183 device. Have you tried connecting it to an RS 485 converter?There is some OEM types with different wiring and protocols
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I have the real crappy one But i am suspecting it just gives values. I found some drawings online. I have to go to the boat and pull the unit and gage to test. This is probably a project for next winter.
I wish we could share pictures as it is easier just to post a diagram
RE: Airmar p79 - manitu - 2019-02-16
I got the P79S NMEA2000 sensor in my dinghy.
The classic P79 (CW) sensor is available with connections for Furuno, garmin, Lowrance and raymarine displays.
The P79S is made in both 0183 and 2000 + simrad and furuno connector version
If I remember correctly , the CW version gives a fishfinder view , not just depth.
.manitu
RE: Airmar p79 - CVL - 2019-03-12
(2019-02-16, 04:04 PM)manitu Wrote: I got the P79S NMEA2000 sensor in my dinghy.
The classic P79 (CW) sensor is available with connections for Furuno, garmin, Lowrance and raymarine displays.
The P79S is made in both 0183 and 2000 + simrad and furuno connector version
If I remember correctly , the CW version gives a fishfinder view , not just depth.
.manitu
I had the P79 in a Garmin-version on my boat, linked to a (pretty old) Garmin chart-plotter, where it does work as fishfinder as well. As I am not a fisher-man, I put the NMEA0183-version in the fitting and cabled to OP in order to have just depth on my cockpit display.This uses far less power than the Garmin screen feeding NMEA to OP.
The old sensor is still left next to the fitting, if I'd ever wanted to find fish, I can just change the sensor and start the Garmin.
You can find the hardware set-up of the P79 sensors on the airmar web-site, but they don't give hints on the protocol with which the Garmin device and the sensor communicate. It would be probably necessary to do some eaves-dropping on the sensor, but for this you would need to have real data from the sensor ...
RE: Airmar p79 - JeroenAdam - 2019-03-14
One only needs the algorithm developed by Actisense
https://www.actisense.com/product/dst-2/
RE: Airmar p79 - Godina - 2019-03-22
So Actisense modules are what you want to go for this?
RE: Airmar p79 - JeroenAdam - 2019-03-22
(2019-03-22, 12:35 PM)Godina Wrote: So Actisense modules are what you want to go for this?
Yes, or an old Raymarine/NavmanGarmin depth unit with or without working display, as long as the controller still works. https://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/new_depth_old_transducer_ducer