Airmar GH2183 Network GPS Compass

The Airmar GH2183 combines GPS positioning and highly accurate heading information in one compact antenna. The GH2183 eliminates the need to install a GPS antenna above deck and an electronic compass below deck. Only one installation above the deck is required, saving installation time and money. The waterproof housing protects the internal components—all of which are solid-state (no moving parts). This means the GH2183 can withstand almost any condition that exists in the marine environment.

What sets the GH2183 above the competition is the 2° heading accuracy in dynamically changing conditions including rough seas, hard turns, and steep heeling. Airmar’s unique dynamic motion correction software is the key difference, allowing the GH2183 to maintain 2° of accuracy even if the vessel is pitching and rolling up to 30°. Also unique to the GH2183 is that the three-axis accelerometer and three-axis rate gyro are temperature compensated across the entire operating range, resulting in precise tilt and rate of turn data. The fast 10 Hz update rate, along with best-in-class heading and GPS data, make it the best choice for interfacing with autopilots, chartplotters, navigation software, and radar systems.

Product Features

• GPS and heading combined into one housing
• Saves installation time and money
• Better than 1° heading accuracy in static conditions
• Best-in-class 2° heading accuracy in dynamic conditions
• Three-axis solid-state compass provides heading data
• Three-axis accelerometer provides pitch and roll data
• Three-axis rate gyro provides rate-of-turn data
• Only recreational heading sensor that uses a three-axis rate gyro
• Perfect product for metal hulled boats
• WAAS GPS provides latitude, longitude, COG, SOG, time and date, and magnetic variation
• IPX6 waterproof enclosure
• Outputs NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000® data simultaneously
• Cables sold separately

Important: Airmar cables are sold separately. This unit does not ship with any cables. Standard NMEA 2000 connectors will not fit this unit. You must use the special Airmar cables which are available in NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000 versions, or as combination cables that enable both standards to be used. This unit has a special Airmar 9-pin connector at the base and only the Airmar cables will fit.

Calibration

Calibration of the compass can be carried out using the supplied Weathercaster software if you are using a combined NMEA 0183/2000 cable. If this unit is connected to an NMEA 2000 network only, you can use the built in auto-calibration mode. Each time that the device is powered up it looks for a continuous rate turn within the first 60 seconds of operation. If it senses a consistent rate of turn it waits until one complete revolution is complete and then it automatically goes into the calibration mode. The operator will know it is in auto-calibration as the data will temporarily disappear from the display screen. Once two additional revolutions are completed the data will re-appear on the display screen, signaling that the auto-calibration process is complete.

Terminating Airmar Cables

The Airmar NMEA 2000 cables used for the PB200, G2183, GH2183 and H2183 are available in lengths of 2M, 6M, 10M and 30M. The 2M and 6M cables are for use as drop cables, where the device is mounted no more than 6M from the network backbone. If you are using the 10M or 30M cables, these are too long to be drop cables under the NMEA 2000 standard. These longer cables should be installed so that they become one end of the network backbone. The 10M and 30M cables have an NMEA 2000 inline terminator built in to the cable, so that when you plug the cable into an Airmar device, that end of the backbone is correctly terminated without any need for a separate inline terminator.

Before May 2010, the inline terminator was built in to the Airmar devices, not the cable. This design was changed to better conform with the NMEA 2000 standard.