MarineBrandsDIRECTORY / 01AU AustraliaNo matches. Try a brand, product type or “budget”.
Make sense of a connected helm. Identify the sensor, the data it produces and the network that carries it; physical connectivity alone does not establish full compatibility.
Marine electronics guides →MarineBrands editorial definitions · Reviewed 5 October 2026 · Examples explain context, not operating procedures.
12 of 12 terms
Also find under: automatic identification system
Automatic Identification System: a radio-based system exchanging vessel identity, position and other data.
Receiving AIS targets does not mean your own vessel transmits, or that every nearby vessel is represented.
Also find under: network backbone
The main trunk of an NMEA 2000 network to which device connections are made.
A network drawing should distinguish the backbone from each device’s drop cable.
Also find under: drop lead
The branch cable linking an NMEA 2000 device to the backbone.
Record the branch arrangement when asking an installer to expand a network.
Also find under: software update
Software embedded in a device that controls its operation.
Record exact device and firmware versions when reporting a compatibility problem.
Also find under: global navigation satellite system
Global Navigation Satellite System: the general term for satellite systems used to determine position and related information.
GPS is one GNSS constellation; a receiver may use more than one system.
Also find under: global positioning system
Global Positioning System, the United States satellite-navigation system.
A product described casually as a GPS may actually combine receiver, chart display and other functions.
Also find under: MFD chartplotter
A screen and processing unit that presents several marine functions through one interface.
Check which functions need external sensors, modules, subscriptions or compatible network equipment.
Also find under: NMEA0183
A marine serial-data standard used by many instruments and navigation devices.
It is not directly interchangeable with NMEA 2000; interfacing requires the appropriate arrangement.
Also find under: N2K NMEA2000
A marine communications standard used to exchange supported data between compatible devices on a network.
Shared connectors do not guarantee that every desired data item or control function is supported.
Also find under: parameter group number
Parameter Group Number: an identifier for a data message group in NMEA 2000.
Check the supported send and receive PGNs for the particular information you want to exchange.
A system that uses radio-wave transmissions and their returns to detect targets and measure their relative position.
Its display needs interpretation; it does not make every small object or hazard visible.
Also find under: network terminator
A component used to provide the specified electrical termination at a network end.
A network end and an unused branch connector are not necessarily the same thing.
Original concise explanations for equipment research. Use these specialist resources for the wider technical context and the relevant current documentation for a particular product or activity.
Marine electronics guides →