I’m not holding my breath though, as this battle has been ongoing since NMEA 2000 came out…. However, there has to be a middle ground where end users can see the data reasonably. Someone spitting data onto an N2K network without having it be tested and certified could be dangerous, especially if it messed with navigational data you rely on. I’m not suggesting that every random DIY’er like myself should be allowed to create and connect devices without being certified, as that could definitely be a problem.

It would not only make troubleshooting easier, but it would most likely increase the amount of people and devices using NMEA 2000 networks.

I think it is unfortunate that NMEA has this policy of not sharing this information. Lots of folks have figured out the data in a PGN and helped document things that NMEA refuses to make public. In almost all cases, there will be data on an N2K network that another manufacturer’s tool won’t even understand and shows up as proprietary. This makes it very hard to troubleshoot things without paying for an interface or product that is certified and understands all of the data on the network. For example, the NMEA publicizes which messages exist and which fields they contain, but they do not disclose how to interpret the values contained in those fields.“ “ NMEA divulges some information regarding the standard, it claims copyright over the standard and thus its full contents are not publicly available. The bigger challenge in troubleshooting data on the network is actually the body that governs it – NMEA. It’s not the best network in the world, and has a lot of drawbacks and issues, but it is the standard we have to deal with for now. CAN was released in 1986 with NMEA 2000 coming in the late 1990s, so it is already nearly 20 years old, and based on 30+ year old technology. NMEA 2000 networks are electrically similar to a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus network which can be found on cars and trucks. Software is more complex and expensive, but can help diagnose device configuration issues. Most people should start with a hardware method to ensure the basic electrical properties of their network are sound. There are two main ways to troubleshoot a NMEA 2000 network – hardware and software.

Nmea 2000 network updater