Electronic help in navigation is becoming more and more common on boats. Fishermen
and competitors can no longer sail without it. Portable computers are genaraly
found on board small and medium ships. Marine navigation software that used to
be available only to professionals is now available to all in order to use all
information coming from instruments. Liesure boats now have access to routing
functions as well as establishing polars for a safe and controlled navigation.
These programs recive information from only one communication port, the most important
being the GPS signal. On board electronics are also sources of NMEA data such
as the log, anemometer, wind vane, depth sounder, compass, etc.
The NMEA transmitor can aslo be used without necessarily being connected to a
computer as when more than 2 NMEA sources are transmitted to the the auto pilot.
It can combine different brand instruments for the NMEA protocol is standarized
for all developers.