Posted • September 21, 2000
By • J. David Mitchell, Corporate Communications Officer, Canadian Centre for Marine Communications

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) recently released two new versions of the international NMEA 0183 interface standard. NMEA 0183 Version 3.0 was released July 1, 2000, incorporating new data sentences and other enhancements to accommodate new types of marine electronic systems. At the same time, the association published the NMEA 0183 HS standard, which has been adapted specifically for the latest generation of marine electronic products having requirements for moving more data and at higher speeds.

"The catalyst for many of the changes in Version 3.0 has been the introduction of universal automatic identification system (AIS) transponders, which will be mandated for certain types of vessels under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)," observed Larry Anderson, chairman of the NMEA Standards Committee. He noted that the NMEA 0183 standard will be unaffected by the planned release of a totally new standard, NMEA 2000, early next year. "Marine electronic manufacturers worldwide have designed products around the NMEA 0183 protocol, and we expect that it will continue to be widely used for many applications in the foreseeable future."

The NMEA 2000 standard is currently undergoing beta tests, and the beta version will be demonstrated to NMEA members at the association's national convention in October 2000. "The beta testing program has been very successful, and we are on track to release the NMEA 2000 standard in 2001," stated Anderson.

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