Manual Port Configuration

Select Manual Port Configuration when you already know which port needs to be configured, when editing an existing port configuration, or when setting up a connection type that cannot be detected automatically. This includes UDP or TCP network connections and serial ports using non-standard baud rates (other than the usual 4800 or 38400).

After selecting Manual Port Configuration, choose one of the available configuration options.

Add/Configure Serial Port (NMEA0183):

Select this option to manually configure a new port or modify an existing COM port (serial or USB-to-serial adapter). The first screen allows you to select the COM port and baud rate:

Note: The Advanced button is reserved for Technical Support only. Do not modify advanced settings unless instructed to do so.

Once a COM port is selected, NMEA0183 sentences should appear in the display window below. Valid NMEA sentences:

  • Start with "$" or "!"

  • Followed by 5 characters:

    • The first 2 characters indicating the type of sensor sending the data (such as "GP" for GPS, "AI" for AIS, "EC" for Electronic Compass, "II" for multi-sensor, etc...)

    • The next three characters identify the sentence type (for example, GGA, GLL, RMC for position; VTG for speed; DPT or DBT for depth)

  • Followed by a series of data separated by ","

If no data appears, try selecting a different COM port or verify the wiring. If unreadable or random characters are displayed, select a different baud rate (such as 4800, 9600, or 38400) and ensure that the signal wires are not reversed.

Tips: If the desired COM port does not appear in the list, verify that the USB-to-serial adapter driver is correctly installed in the Windows Device Manager. If TimeZero does not list an existing COM port, press and hold the CTRL key while clicking the COM port selection field to manually enter a COM port number.

The next page of the wizard displays the list of configured ports on the left, including the port you have just added or modified:

On the right, all detected data types are automatically enabled. You may disable specific data types for a given port if you do not wish to use them. For example, it is generally not recommended to use position or heading data from a port connected to an AIS receiver.

Note: In some cases, TimeZero may not automatically detect certain data types. This can occur, for example, with AIS receivers that are not transmitting target data at the time TimeZero analyzes the data stream. If you are certain that the data is present (for example, if you observed “!AI” AIS sentences on the previous screen), you may manually enable the corresponding data type.

Click Next to proceed to the Data Source page, where you can adjust port priorities.

Add/Configure NavNet Connection:

Furuno MFDs can bridge NMEA 2000 data over the network, making this navigation data available to TimeZero. In addition, some NavNet sensors may provide numerical data (such as depth information from a fish finder) that must be configured in the Connection Wizard as a NavNet NMEA port.

When adding a NavNet NMEA connection, the following options are available:

  • "NMEA & AIS": Select this option when the computer is connected to a Furuno NavNet MFD, a Furuno AIS (FA-30, FA-50, FA170), or a Furuno Sounder. This option provides standard navigation data, including GPS, AIS, and sounder data such as depth, water temperature, and speed.

  • "Fast Heading" is used when the NavNet network contains a Furuno MFD that is able to bridge Heading data at a faster rate

  • "ARPA" is used when the NavNet network contains a DRS radar and when you want to use the ARPA data of the antenna (as opposed to the TimeZero ARPA algorithm).

After checking the corresponding options, click on "Next" and follow the same steps as when configuring a Serial COM port.

Add/Configure UDP / TCP connection (NMEA0183):

Select this option to configure a network-based NMEA0183 connection using UDP or TCP. This configuration is typically used with serial-to-Ethernet converters, NMEA network gateways, or Wi-Fi multiplexers that transmit NMEA0183 data over an IP network. These devices convert serial NMEA 0183 sentences into network packets and broadcast or stream them on the local network using either the UDP or TCP protocol.

When configuring this connection, you must select the IP address of the computer corresponding to the network interface (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) connected to the NMEA network, and enter the port number configured on the serial-to-Ethernet converter or gateway.

For TCP connections, the IP address of the NMEA device must also be specified, as TimeZero establishes a direct connection to the data source. For UDP connections, only the port number is required, as data is broadcasted on the network:

Confirm that NMEA0183 data is flowing and press on "Next". Follow the same steps as when configuring a Serial COM port.

Add/Configure NMEA2000 connection:

This option is used when an Actisense USB-NGT-1 or USB-NGX-1 adapter is connected to the computer. The Actisense USB-to-NMEA2000 gateway provides TimeZero with direct access to NMEA2000 data (PGNs), supporting both data input and output (for pilot data only).

Before configuring an NMEA2000 connection in TimeZero, ensure that the appropriate Actisense drivers have been installed. Once installed, the Actisense gateway will appear as a virtual COM port in the Windows Device Manager.

Because a single Actisense gateway provides access to all data available on the NMEA2000 bus, there is no need to manually select a COM port in the Connection Wizard. TimeZero automatically detects the first Actisense gateway it finds.

Simply click Next to allow TimeZero to detect the gateway and then follow the same steps as when configuring a Serial COM port.

All NMEA2000 data is received by TimeZero through a single port. While port priorities can be adjusted on the Data Source page of the Connection Wizard, individual NMEA 2000 device priorities cannot be set directly within the wizard. Instead, TimeZero determines device priority based on the NMEA2000 device instance number. For example, if multiple GPS sensors are present on the network, the device with the lowest instance number is given the highest priority. For more information about NMEA2000 device priority and how to adjust it, please make sure to read the How to adjust priority on NMEA2000 chapter.

IMPORTANT note for the NGT1-USB: Note that TimeZero requires the NGT1-USB firmware to be v2.690 (or above) and also require the NGT1-USB to operate at a baud-rate speed of 115200bps (which should be the default operating speed of the NGT1-USB). If you need to upgrade the firmware of your NGT1-USB, you can download the latest version from the Actisense website. If the baudrate speed of the NGT1-USB is not set to 115200bps, you can adjust it using the Actisense NMEA Reader tool that can be downloaded from the Actisense website:

IMPORTANT note for the NGX1-USB: TimeZero is compatible with both the default 115200bps mode or high speed 230400bps mode of the NGX1-USB. If you have a large NMEA2000 bus, it is recommended to switch the baudrate of the NGX1-USB to the high speed mode using the NMEA Reader. Please remember that the older NGT1-USB is not compatible with the high speed mode (not stable).

To remove a connection:

If you want to remove a specific port from TimeZero:

  • Open the Connection Wizard

  • Select "Data Source" and press "Next"

  • On the Input Ports configuration page, press the "Delete" button in front of the port you want to delete

  • Press "Next" and revue the "Master" setup (especially if you have deleted a Port that was previously used as a Master for a specific data type)

  • Press "Next" and "Finish" to close the Connection Wizard