Garmin 740 & Standard Horizon GX2100 install

[bluewaterpirate]

I removed my Garmin 2206 and ICOM 504 both working great and on their way to a new owner. They've served me well for the last 4.5 years.

Adding a Standard Horizon GX2100 VHF/AIS combo and a Garmin 740 with a GXM 51 smart antenna. As usual I bought everything from BOE .... you just can't beat their service and prices. Thanks Jim.

I'm fortunate in as much as I can install all the equipment off the boat and then take it to it when I'm finished. I connected everything up including the GXM 51 to test it out. While I had it on I called XM and cancelled my subscription for my GXM 31 connected to my Garmin 545 and added the GXM 51. The whole process including the call to XM and getting weather data on my 740 took 30 minutes start to finish.

Here's some pictures of the new install.

Initial install .......

The Garmin 740 and SH GX2100 are good products and have easy to use and understand display functionalities. The NMEA 0183 was easy to connect and provides a host of interactive AIS data via the GX2100.

Here are some videos of the 740's capablities.

Garmin 740 Display Functionalities

Fishing Charts .........

XM Weather Display GX51 Smart Antenna .....

G2 Vision Fish Eye View .........

G2 Vision Mariners Eye Views

Screen Views .......

There you go. Both units were easy to install and had good solid install instructions.

[wiredawg]

I like your work and info, quick question what type of board did you use. Also what did you coat it with? I find it hard to spend almost $50 every time I change the lay out in my ebox for new piece of starboard. I probally went thru $150 in starboard for the inside of my ebox, in the past 3 years I have owned my boat.

Jay

Edited June 10, 2010 by wiredawg

[bluewaterpirate]

I like your work and info, quick question what type of board did you use. Also what did you coat it with? I find it hard to spend almost $50 every time I change the lay out in my ebox for new piece of starboard. I probally went thru $150 in starboard for the inside of my ebox, in the past 3 years I have owned my boat.

Jay

Jay .....

Thanks for the compliment.

I used a half inch thick piece of oak that was 24 x 12 inches to start with which is the same type of wood in the used in my previous install. Served me well for 4 + years. I sprayed it with Valspar flat black paint from Lowes (5 coats). I put a little over 2200 hours on my Whaler with the previous install and no issues whatsoever. I fish offshore so it was put to the test on more than one ocassion.

Here's what my previous install looked like ... I removed the two pieces inside the electronics box.

Once I get my Whaler back ... having some glass work done ... it will just a matter of crawling in the space under my helm and installing the backboard. The electrical connections will be easy all I have to do is connect them to my fuse block.

I'm fortunate in that I have alot of space under my Helm area ... I can actually sit in there comfortably.

Edited June 12, 2010 by bluewaterpirate

[wiredawg]

Thanks for the info. I will try that next time vs. blowing another $50 on starboard.

Jay

[Boz]

Awesome job, Tom!

It's always great to see your detailed descriptions and captioned pictures.

You done good.

[bill erhardt]

Tom....I'm putting a Garmin 740s on a new Bluewater that should be completed in a couple of weeks. Does the GXM 51 smart antenna serve as an antenna for both XM radio and the GPS?

[bluewaterpirate]

Tom....I'm putting a Garmin 740s on a new Bluewater that should be completed in a couple of weeks. Does the GXM 51 smart antenna serve as an antenna for both XM radio and the GPS?

Thanks BOZ .....

Bill .....

The GXM 51 Smart Antenna provides both XM Weather and Music output. I'll take some pictures of the connectivity later this afternoon. It's a real easy connecttion.

Edited June 13, 2010 by bluewaterpirate

[bluewaterpirate]

Here you go ..........

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. The GXM 51 connectivity is straight forward. Once you get your NMEA 2000 backbone installed you connect the NMEA 2000 wire from the the GXM 51 antenna to it.

In this picture you can see the Garmin 740 is also connected to the backbone so any NMEA 2000 device connected to the backbone will send data to your 740. The green dot indicates where my GXM 51 connects and the yellow dot where my NMEA 2000 power source connects.

Here's what the GXM 51 connectors look like.

This is what your XM displays look like on the 740.

System display .... everything working normally.

XM Music control display .....

There you go .......

[pmagrady]

Very nice installation and great pics with graphics. Thanks!

I was wondering why you replaced the Icom. Does the new radio have more functions?

[bluewaterpirate]

Very nice installation and great pics with graphics. Thanks!

I was wondering why you replaced the Icom. Does the new radio have more functions?

I wanted the AIS functionality the GX2100 has.