TimW451
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 1,246
- Reaction score
- 1,925
- Points
- 227
- Location
- Sassafras River, Chesapeake Bay
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2011
- Boat Model
- SX
- Boat Length
- 24
TL;DR: I may be on track to “home repair” the OEM GPS module. I have not closed the loop, but want to memorialize what I know in the event I don’t complete the mission or someone else wants to pick up from where I am.
I went out a few weeks ago and had a “speed comm“ error on my port tach and the speedometer just swept back and forth like a windshield wiper. Luckily “no wake” and cruise control still worked (so I guess they really do go off engine RPM and not speed). After some thought I was like “damn, this is gonna be another $300 and a project to source the GPS module. I did check the wiring, but did not plug/unplug anything while floating, and didn’t see any issue. It still didn’t work on the return.
I verified the pain of repair by checking threads around the 3D cover @Bruce makes. There were some very good pics in there, but best of all was a thread by @tdonoughue about splicing in the VHF to the GPS line for coordinates that verified the GPS signal is standard NMEA 0183. With that I searched the source of all truth, Amazon, for a NMEA 0183 GPS module/receive, because wouldn’t one that is designed to plug into a VHF radio be a fit to replace the Yamaha OEM one?
I found a few boards, just like what is inside the OEM GPS puck, but had no idea what config I needed. I was able to find a couple of data sheets on the OEM module which confirmed it was NMEA 0183, RS232, GPS (not GNSS), and 4800 baud rate. I was then able to search for similar specs. I found a company frequently the seemed to have a lot of different modules, and had to go to there website to see the full product line up. I then found myself back on Amazon as the manufacture would ship direct from China, which meant shipping costs as much as the module and would take 30 days. (The price isn’t horrible, I’m justcheap, err frugal.) I also swung back to Amazon and think I’ve found an even more accurate replacement. The manufacturer reached out to me since I didn’t complete the order. I’m going to send them all the specs on the OEM module and what I know about how it is wired up from @tdonoughue ’s experience and ask them what the correct module to use is.
Now, I went out of the boat yesterday and saw the GPS cable was “laying down” and going under the helm cover instead of staying up high and going across, so I repositioned it. I also noticed all the nuts fell off of the GPS, so it is just sitting there! (I’m pretty sure I found some of the nuts on the floor of the helm when I bought it years ago and didn’t know where they came from.) Anywho, the GPS and speed worked, so my sense of urgency is reduced, but who knows what will happen next time, I’d like to complete this puzzle, and if we can find a $30 GPS replacement that would be awesome!
In case I do lose my initiative, someone has more initiative than me, I get hit by a bus, or win a billion dollars tomorrow night:
Here is the company that makes the GPS module:
I thought it was the 357 or 280, but now I think it is the 880. The letter codes refer to GPS vs GNSS, and TTL vs RS232, and package size
Attached are two spec sheets for the OEM module.
I went out a few weeks ago and had a “speed comm“ error on my port tach and the speedometer just swept back and forth like a windshield wiper. Luckily “no wake” and cruise control still worked (so I guess they really do go off engine RPM and not speed). After some thought I was like “damn, this is gonna be another $300 and a project to source the GPS module. I did check the wiring, but did not plug/unplug anything while floating, and didn’t see any issue. It still didn’t work on the return.
I verified the pain of repair by checking threads around the 3D cover @Bruce makes. There were some very good pics in there, but best of all was a thread by @tdonoughue about splicing in the VHF to the GPS line for coordinates that verified the GPS signal is standard NMEA 0183. With that I searched the source of all truth, Amazon, for a NMEA 0183 GPS module/receive, because wouldn’t one that is designed to plug into a VHF radio be a fit to replace the Yamaha OEM one?
I found a few boards, just like what is inside the OEM GPS puck, but had no idea what config I needed. I was able to find a couple of data sheets on the OEM module which confirmed it was NMEA 0183, RS232, GPS (not GNSS), and 4800 baud rate. I was then able to search for similar specs. I found a company frequently the seemed to have a lot of different modules, and had to go to there website to see the full product line up. I then found myself back on Amazon as the manufacture would ship direct from China, which meant shipping costs as much as the module and would take 30 days. (The price isn’t horrible, I’m just
Now, I went out of the boat yesterday and saw the GPS cable was “laying down” and going under the helm cover instead of staying up high and going across, so I repositioned it. I also noticed all the nuts fell off of the GPS, so it is just sitting there! (I’m pretty sure I found some of the nuts on the floor of the helm when I bought it years ago and didn’t know where they came from.) Anywho, the GPS and speed worked, so my sense of urgency is reduced, but who knows what will happen next time, I’d like to complete this puzzle, and if we can find a $30 GPS replacement that would be awesome!
In case I do lose my initiative, someone has more initiative than me, I get hit by a bus, or win a billion dollars tomorrow night:
Here is the company that makes the GPS module:
I thought it was the 357 or 280, but now I think it is the 880. The letter codes refer to GPS vs GNSS, and TTL vs RS232, and package size
Attached are two spec sheets for the OEM module.
Last edited:
.