arzenmaster
Active Member
Hello to all. Nice web board to share information.
I just bought a used 2018 Tracker Pro Team TXW 175 60HP with 15 hrs on it to replace my ancient 1976 Alumacraft.
The boat has a Bmini top vinyl floors and was reportedly garage kept. It is bone stock sans the bimini, and the Lowrance Hook 4 GPS at the console. The boat came with a 4x without GPS chart plotter.
I added a Level "0" Mercmonitor. (Level 0 has an NMEA0183 input for speed) I tried to purchase the monitor through two local dealers. Bass Pro was somewhat helpful. In both cases, the local dealer and Bass Pro tried to talk me in to using Vessel View, and to stay away from the Mercmonitor and or Smartcraft. I'm guessing Vessel view is what they had in stock.
I have lost keys, dropped phones, fishing rods, and even had to go home and get my dry suit to retrieve a friends shotgun that took a plunge in ten feet of water. Needless to say I wanted something that provided good info that wasn't primarily a hand-held device, or somewhat less than IPxx rated for total immersion waiting to be retrieved.
I was pretty much sold on an instrument panel mount. I bought off of eBay ($513) after a short time deciding that for such a small boat I really didn't need NMEA2000 capability.
Finding install info, manuals or just directions prior to purchasing is very difficult. Considering this thing is plug and play and incredibly easy to install, I would have thought there would be a good write up smewhere.
This a picture of the items you need to make it all work. with part numbers.
Mercmonitor: 79-8M0119406,
Male to Male plug Canbus adapter (Harness adapter): 879982T20
CanBus harness: 892452T01
I wanted two things to function other than the basic engine monitor data. 1. Trim information 2. Speed data. Trim information more for not having to swivel in the seat or aggravate my neck arthritis. Speed info is necessary for the ECO function to work, which is kind of unnecessary for this kind of boat but since it is easily activated by adding a small NMEA0183 GPS receiver I figured I'd plug that in too. (I know I could have changed out the Lowrance Hook 2 and Hook 4 chart plotters with NMEA2000 I/O etc. added a backbone etc. yadda yadda.) I just didn't think it was necessary for me.
Here is the $45 eBay purchase of a NMEA0183 GPS to activate the Speed made good function (ground speed if you will) on the Mercmonitor.
Dimensions: 2” x 1.5” x 0.65”; Mounting holes distance: 1.9”; Cable length: 4’ (48”), mounting screws are not included.
Accuracy: 3M-CEP
Wiring:
White pulse signal is not used, the green wire is NMEA0183 out.
Here is the wiring diagram found to connect the GPS to the Mercmonitor (Same as CmartCraft gauges.) this part of the system work.
I ran the single canbus wire from the front of the console to the engine harness by using an old piece of conduit with a piece cut out to hold the canbus plug up and not get hung up pushing it through.
You can see the blue Canbus cable in front of the console, and the last picture here is behind the Throttle under the gunnel. I loosened the rear side panel screw to allow the canbus connector room to go through.
The connection to the engine is routed along the gunnel and through the engine control rubber pass through by drilling a slightly undersized hole in one of the empty quadrants and making a razor slice in the rubber to allow the blue cable to slide into the newly drilled hole.
Here is the cable routing inside the upper cowl.
Here is the yellow terminator plug removed where the canbus adaptor plugs in.
The digital trim sender part number: Mercury 8M0109720 - TRIM SNDR 40-60 $112
The instructions included for this are very thorough and detailed included in the package.
Please see next post, The web board will only allow me to post 10 files.
I just bought a used 2018 Tracker Pro Team TXW 175 60HP with 15 hrs on it to replace my ancient 1976 Alumacraft.
The boat has a Bmini top vinyl floors and was reportedly garage kept. It is bone stock sans the bimini, and the Lowrance Hook 4 GPS at the console. The boat came with a 4x without GPS chart plotter.
I added a Level "0" Mercmonitor. (Level 0 has an NMEA0183 input for speed) I tried to purchase the monitor through two local dealers. Bass Pro was somewhat helpful. In both cases, the local dealer and Bass Pro tried to talk me in to using Vessel View, and to stay away from the Mercmonitor and or Smartcraft. I'm guessing Vessel view is what they had in stock.
I have lost keys, dropped phones, fishing rods, and even had to go home and get my dry suit to retrieve a friends shotgun that took a plunge in ten feet of water. Needless to say I wanted something that provided good info that wasn't primarily a hand-held device, or somewhat less than IPxx rated for total immersion waiting to be retrieved.
I was pretty much sold on an instrument panel mount. I bought off of eBay ($513) after a short time deciding that for such a small boat I really didn't need NMEA2000 capability.
Finding install info, manuals or just directions prior to purchasing is very difficult. Considering this thing is plug and play and incredibly easy to install, I would have thought there would be a good write up smewhere.
This a picture of the items you need to make it all work. with part numbers.
Mercmonitor: 79-8M0119406,
Male to Male plug Canbus adapter (Harness adapter): 879982T20
CanBus harness: 892452T01
I wanted two things to function other than the basic engine monitor data. 1. Trim information 2. Speed data. Trim information more for not having to swivel in the seat or aggravate my neck arthritis. Speed info is necessary for the ECO function to work, which is kind of unnecessary for this kind of boat but since it is easily activated by adding a small NMEA0183 GPS receiver I figured I'd plug that in too. (I know I could have changed out the Lowrance Hook 2 and Hook 4 chart plotters with NMEA2000 I/O etc. added a backbone etc. yadda yadda.) I just didn't think it was necessary for me.
Here is the $45 eBay purchase of a NMEA0183 GPS to activate the Speed made good function (ground speed if you will) on the Mercmonitor.
Dimensions: 2” x 1.5” x 0.65”; Mounting holes distance: 1.9”; Cable length: 4’ (48”), mounting screws are not included.
Accuracy: 3M-CEP
Wiring:
White pulse signal is not used, the green wire is NMEA0183 out.
Here is the wiring diagram found to connect the GPS to the Mercmonitor (Same as CmartCraft gauges.) this part of the system work.
I ran the single canbus wire from the front of the console to the engine harness by using an old piece of conduit with a piece cut out to hold the canbus plug up and not get hung up pushing it through.
You can see the blue Canbus cable in front of the console, and the last picture here is behind the Throttle under the gunnel. I loosened the rear side panel screw to allow the canbus connector room to go through.
The connection to the engine is routed along the gunnel and through the engine control rubber pass through by drilling a slightly undersized hole in one of the empty quadrants and making a razor slice in the rubber to allow the blue cable to slide into the newly drilled hole.
Here is the cable routing inside the upper cowl.
Here is the yellow terminator plug removed where the canbus adaptor plugs in.
The digital trim sender part number: Mercury 8M0109720 - TRIM SNDR 40-60 $112
The instructions included for this are very thorough and detailed included in the package.
Please see next post, The web board will only allow me to post 10 files.
