Help with identifying GPS wires on the back of older Icom VHF

[Island Dreamer]

I'm debating if I should sell my Icom 502 and just pay $200 for a new VHF radio with built in GPS. Ive got a Furuno GPS unit on the roof but the wire runs down and screws in to the back of my chart plotter. That chart plotter has its own built in GPS but the connection at the end point of the wire does not couple with the back of the VHF.

These wires have got me stumped since the last owner splice something on. One should be for GPS and the other is for speakers. See the ICOM manual pic below. Which wire was for speakers and which one was for GPS?

 

[Kendall Brown]

The molded connector is the external speaker connector.
The butt splices are your NEMA GPS connections. It’s hard to tell from the pictures but there should be a YELLOW wire coming out of the cable jacket, this would be the +NEMA, a GREEN wire coming out of the cable jacket and this would be the -NEMA, there would have been an RCA connector here from the factory (ICOM).

This is an example of a male and two female RCA connectors.

 

[Island Dreamer]

The GPS on the roof is an older Furuno unit on a 12 inch post. The end of the cable looks like a RCA connector but it is threaded.Like this. Is it possible to adapt this to the two + and - NEMA wires on the VHF and have a gps signal coming in?

 

[Kendall Brown]

That connector should go to your plotter. The VHF should go to a NEMA 0183 network hub or a network connector on the back of the plotter. The plotter would send the GPS info to your radio.

 

[Island Dreamer]

That connector should go to your plotter. The VHF should go to a NEMA 0183 network hub or a network connector on the back of the plotter. The plotter would send the GPS info to your radio.

 

[Island Dreamer]

Thank you for your help with this. I ended up upgrading my radio to a VHF unit that had built-in GPS from West Marine for $199. I’m going to sell my older ICOM 502. I did speak to Furuno today regarding my 1870 F chart plotter and the only way to get it to communicate with the older vhf would be to purchase a Furuno Fi 5002 box which works with nema 2000. The cables in the box would’ve ran well over $200 so it made sense just to upgrade the vhf.

 

[warthog5]

The VHF will want a NMEA 0183 siginal....It will work correctly with Only 2 of the wires Plus a GND.

BUT.....The Standard Horizon model GX1400G is a Super unit....Why S/H? Because it has a Smaller footprint than a Icon and takes up less space, Yet its Just as Powerful and reliable.
I've installed several and If it was mine.....Thats what I'd do.

 

[Island Dreamer]

For $199 the gx1400 Standard Horizon is a great small VHF. It was easy to install and acquired the GPS signal within a few seconds.