NMEA 0183 AIS & GPS Network Integration (Pro Feature)

We are excited to announce full support for external AIS traffic and live GPS positioning data in Luna Marine Charts. With this update, users can ingest, process, and render live positioning and target data streamed over a network connection (Wi-Fi or LAN) or via direct serial interface (desktop only).

Key Capabilities

Live Vessel Integration: Connect directly to your boat’s NMEA network to display real-time AIS traffic targets and high-precision GPS positioning on your charts.
USB Hardware Support (Desktop Only): Ingest GPS data from a wide variety of USB-attached GPS receivers.
Standard Protocol: Native support for the NMEA 0183 data standard.
NMEA 2000 Gateway Compatibility: Most Wi-Fi gateways designed for NMEA 2000 networks translate and output data in the NMEA 0183 format over TCP/UDP, allowing you to connect Luna Marine Charts directly to your NMEA 2000 network without additional conversion hardware.

Availability Notice: External NMEA data integration is a Pro feature. If you are using the Free version of Luna Marine Charts, you will need to upgrade to Luna Marine Charts Pro to access connection management features.

How to Set Up a Data Connection

If you are running the Pro version, a new Connections option is now available in the main App Sidebar.

Step 1: Open the Connection Manager

Navigate to the App Sidebar and select Connections.
In the Connections dialog, click Add Connection.

Step 2: Select Connection Parameters

In the Add Connection dialog, define the following basic parameters:

Name: A custom label to identify the data source (e.g., "Helm Wi-Fi Multiplexer" or "Deck USB GPS").
Type: Select one of the supported interface types:
- Network TCP
- Network UDP
- Serial Port (Desktop only)

Step 3: Configure Interface Settings

For Serial Port Connections (Desktop Only):

Select the correct Serial Device from the available system hardware list.
Choose the appropriate Baud Rate. Refer to your device documentation to confirm required speed settings. Typical standards include:
- GPS Devices: 4800 or 9600 baud
- AIS Receivers/Transponders: 38400 baud

For Network Connections (TCP or UDP):

Enter the target network IP Address.
Enter the host Port Number provided by your NMEA-to-Wi-Fi gateway or multiplexer.

Step 4: Assign Sentence Parsing

Use the checkboxes in the dialog to specify how Luna Marine Charts should process the incoming NMEA 0183 sentences:

GPS: Enable to use this connection for primary vessel location and positioning metrics.
AIS: Enable to parse and display surrounding AIS targets on the chart view.
Both: Enable if your source stream multiplexes both positioning and traffic data into a single output.

Managing Existing Connections

Once created, all configured streams will appear in the main Connections dialog. From this list, you can:

Test Connection: Verify incoming sentence data, check socket statuses, or debug connection issues in real time.
Edit: Adjust IP addresses, ports, or baud rates as hardware setups change.
Remove: Delete inactive or unused connection profiles.
The Display Settings dialog also has an option to toggle the display of AIS targets.