(SEVERNA PARK, Md.) — For the first time, the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and British Marine will offer two full-day marine electronics installer training courses at METS on Monday, Nov. 14, the day before the world's largest marine equipment show opens. The sessions will run concurrently, and will be held at the METS RAI Convention Center venue from 0800 to 1600.
British Marine and NMEA, which teach installer courses in their home territories, last year joined forces to offer the NMEA 2000 Network training session at METS. Due to the success of that event, the NMEA Marine Electronics Installer course (MEI) was added to the schedule this year.
NMEA's MEI Program promotes a high level of professional expertise in entry-level and mid-level technicians. This training is targeted at boat builders, marine electronics installers, marine electricians, product designers, surveyors, etc. It is an introductory course in marine electronics installation that clarifies and defines competent installation practices, regardless of equipment manufacturer. Topics include: Ohms law, grounds, battery and battery chargers, DC wiring, EMI, coaxial cables, antennas, AIS, marine VHF radios, transducers, radar, heading sensors and NMEA data interfacing. Passing the MEI exam is an indication of a working knowledge of NMEA's 0400 Installation Standard. British Marine instructor Richard Broden-Cowell will lead the MEI course.
The NMEA 2000 Network course is primarily targeted for the beginner or those who have been installing NMEA 2000 but would like more information, more clarity and an opportunity to share ideas with others who have installed the network. Topics include: cables, connectors, specifications, physical planning and documentation, power sources and distribution, voltage drop calculations, data messages (parameter group numbers or PGNs), connecting to other data sources, network setup and troubleshooting. Students will learn the near- and long-term benefits of NMEA 2000-certified equipment, and accepted installation practices for NMEA 2000 backbone cable and products, including selection of cable, power application points, and alternatives that make the network work best.
Students will also gain sufficient working knowledge of NMEA 2000 to successfully troubleshoot problems when they arise and correctly identify/repair/replace the faulty device(s) or network cabling problems. British Marine instructor Simon Ward will lead the NMEA 2000 course.
Attendees can register for either the MEI or NMEA 2000 course by contacting the following organizations:
British Marine
www.britishmarine.co.uk
phone: +44 1784 223631
email: lwhetmore@britishmarine.co.uk
NMEA
www.nmea.org
phone: (410) 975-9425
email: dcompere@nmea.org
For more information on METS, visit www.metstrade.com.
