Nmea 0183 — Codes New!

| ID | Device | |----|--------| | | GPS / GNSS | | GL | GLONASS | | GA | Galileo | | BD | BeiDou | | II | Integrated instrumentation | | EC | Echo sounder (depth) | | WI | Wind instrument | | RA | Radar | | AI | AIS | | AP | Autopilot |

Contrast this with the DBT sentence (Depth Below Transducer). This code bridges the gap between the physical world and the digital. It takes the raw acoustic ping of a sonar transducer and converts it into a linear measurement. This data is then cross-referenced with the vessel's position on a chart plotter, allowing the captain to see not just where they are, but what lies beneath. nmea 0183 codes

| Code | Name | Data | |------|------|------| | | Depth | Water depth (meters), offset from transducer | | MTW | Mean Temperature of Water | Water temperature (°C) | | MWV | Wind Speed & Angle | True/relative wind angle, speed (knots or m/s) | | VHW | Water Speed & Heading | Speed through water (knots), true heading (°) | | ID | Device | |----|--------| | |

We live in the age of NMEA 2000 and Ethernet-based navigation, where high-bandwidth video, radar overlays, and complex engine telemetry flow through a single cable like water through a fire hose. Yet, NMEA 0183 persists. It lingers in the depth sounders, the wind instruments, and the legacy GPS units that still power thousands of vessels. This data is then cross-referenced with the vessel's

The first two characters are the (e.g., GP for GPS, HC for Heading Compass).

While there are hundreds of data types, a few "core" sentences are used by almost every modern GPS unit.