Friday, April 29, 2016

NMEA 2000 Device Score Card

At various times I've made comments about how frequently I find problems in the NMEA 2000 interfaces on devices.  A while ago I made a rough tally, but decided it would be good to be a bit more methodical about it.

So here's a table showing all the devices I've worked with, where I found problems, and most importantly which ones have been fixed.  When issues have been fixed, I have included the software/firmware revision that resolves the problem(s).  I'll do my best to keep this up to date, and if anyone hears of fixes, please let me know.

Please note that just because a device has issues with its NMEA 2000 interface doesn't necessarily make it unusable.  Many of the problems only show up under certain circumstances, and many times the problems do not completely impair operation of the device, or can be worked around in one way or another.  I continue to use a number of the devices below even though they still have problems.

Also please note that this is just about the device's NMEA 2000 interface, and not about other aspects of the product.  I've reported on a number of other products that have serious issues, but they are not directly related to the N2K interface, so not reported here.  Maybe someday I'll do a score card looking more broadly at products, but not here and now.

NMEA 2000 Device Score Card


Manufacturer Device N2K problems found Fixed?
Simrad AP24 Yes No
AP28 Yes No
AC12 Yes No
AC42 No -
RF25 Yes No
FU80 Yes No
NSO EVO2 Yes No
GS15 No -
NAIS400 Yes No
RS35 Yes No
OP40 No -
RC42 No -
% broken/fixed 67% 0%
Maretron WSO100 No -
TLM200 No -
TLA100 No -
TMP100 No -
FPM100 No -
RIM100 No -
USB100 No -
IPG100 No -
J2K100 No -
SSC200 No -
GPS200 Yes Yes (v1.1.0.1, 3.7.1.1, 4.0.1.1)
DSM250 No -
% broken/fixed 8% 100%
Furuno
IF-NMEA2K2 No -
NavPilot 700 Yes No
TZTouch2 MFD Yes Yes (V3.01)
NavNet3D MFD12 No -
GP330B No -
% broken/fixed 40% 0%
Hemisphere GNSS Simrad HS70 Yes Yes (v1.6.2)
V103 No No
% broken/fixed 50% 100%
ICOM M506 Yes No
% broken/fixed 100% 0%
AMEC NK80 Yes No
% broken/fixed 100% 0%
Bennett Trim Tab Indicator Yes No
% broken/fixed 100% 0%
RosePoint NT50 Yes Yes (v1.30)
% broken/fixed 100% 100%
Airmar DT-200 No -
PB200 No -
% broken/fixed 0% 0%
Actisense NGT No -
NGW Yes No
% broken/fixed 50% 0%
Offshore Dynamics 4272 Tank Sender Yes No
% broken/fixed 100% 0%
Industry-wide % broken/fixed 35% 17%