NMEA gateway connecting wireless and wired devices.

This small waterproof device can receive transmissions from the SailTimer Wind Instrument™ and connect on wires to your GPS chartplotter. It can also connect any anemometer to our cloud server (e.g. through marina wifi, satellite or cellular) for crowdsourced wind maps and remote viewing.

The Air Link™ can also retransmit your NMEA 0183 wind and GPS data on UDP wifi to Android/iOS apps (NMEAremote, SailTimer, iSailor, MID WiFi, Sail Buddy, iRegatta, NMEA Sail, WinDis, Aqua Map, Sail Expert…) using port 56789. This way you can see your Wind Instrument data on a chartplotter and smartphone at the same time, or multiple smartphones on board can all receive the wind data simultaneously. Wind and GPS data sent to the Air Link via NMEA 2000 is also retransmitted in NMEA 0183 format on wifi.

The 4th-generation Air Link is completely redesigned for a much lower price ($75), NMEA 2000 compatability, and Over-the-Air Updates so that it actually gets better over time. The new model has been designed with a clear lid on the waterproof case to show LED indicators inside. The size is just 4″ x 2 3/4″ (10 x 6.7 cm), not including the mounting tab on each end. The waterproof case has a silicone gasket under the lid and a water-resistant wiring gland (IP66).

The Air Link is not an electrical adapter; click here for a sidebar on internal processing it does as a smart device. As in this LinkedIn announcement, it is also used on ships.

12-Volt Power
The SailTimer Air Link™ runs on 12 volts and comes with power and ground wires (part of the NMEA wiring bundle) that you can connect to. You can connect ordinary 14 (larger) to 18 (smaller) gauge stranded automotive-type wire. A range of 12-volt DC power  will work, such as a screw terminal with power from your boat battery, a car DC power socket, or an AC adapter wall plug that ouputs 12 volt DC power (e.g. with 3 Amps of output). Or it can be powered from a NMEA 2000 backbone.

Easy NMEA Wiring
Connect the Air Link to a GPS chartplotter or autopilot on NMEA 2000 and/or 0183. It can receive transmissions from the SailTimer Wind Instrument™ then connect on wires to a Multi-Function Display (MFD) like this one from B&G or the Garmin shown below. For NMEA 2000, the Air Link 4 has a connector socket as shown in this photo where the Air Link, power wires and a GPS antenna are connected to an NMEA 2000 backbone. For NMEA 0183, the Air Link uses 38,400 baud with two Input (Listener) and two Output (Talker) wires.

Quick Set-Up
The Air Link is too small to have a screen, so you can configure it with the Air Link app on Android and iOS. Just select your wifi network and enter your wifi password. Bring in wired or wireless wind data and retransmit on wifi. Full details in the Operating Instructions that come in the box.

Opto-Isolated
The inputs and outputs in the SailTimer Air Link™ are opto-isolated to prevent galvanic corrosion (when two different types of metal are connected to the circuit and in contact with the water), and to preserve your sacrificial zinc anodes below the waterline. This opto-isolation is a requirement of the NMEA standard. It means that we convert the data from electricity to light signals to prevent ground loops and also protect the device from voltage spikes.

FAQs: There are further technical details beyond what is covered in the Operating Instructions, in the Air Link FAQs.

Accessories: In case you need an AC wall plug or 12-volt lighter plug to power your Air Link: 12 volt power plug with on-switch and fuse, AC to 12v wall adapter, international wall plugs.