NMEA 0183 Standard

The NMEA 0183 Interface Standard defines electrical signal requirements, data transmission protocol and time, and specific sentence formats for a 4800-baud serial data bus. Each bus may have only one talker but many listeners. This standard is intended to support one-way serial data transmission from a single talker to one or more listeners. This data is in printable ASCII form and may include information such as position, speed, depth, frequency allocation, etc.

Version 4.00 cancels and replaces NMEA 0183 V 3.01, published in January 2002, and constitutes a technical revision. Version 4.00 has been completely reformatted. Version 4.00 includes 59 new sentences. There is also a new methodology of linking different sentence formatters for multiple sentences, called TAG Blocks. Version 4.00 has been expanded to include shipboard and land base equipment and networks for maritime use and information. It is in theory backward compatible to version NMEA 0183 2.00.

Version 4.00, the latest version of the standard, sells for $235 to members and $300 for non-members for the electronic version. A paper version is available for $310 for members and $385 for non-members, plus shipping/handling. Any updates to Version 4.00 within a one-year period from the date of purchase can be downloaded at www.nmea.org or e-mailed to you at no charge. All funds are in U.S. dollars.


There is also a high-speed addendum to NMEA 0183 V 4.00, called NMEA 0183-HS (High Speed) Version 1.01. This standard operates at a 38.4K-baud rate. Specific sentence formats are common to both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 0183-HS and are defined in the NMEA 0183. The NMEA 0183-HS sells for $125 for members and $225 for non-members for the electronic version. A paper version is available for $200 for members and $300 for non-members, plus shipping/handling. All funds are in U.S. dollars.

Archived versions of NMEA 0183 are available. 
 NMEA 2.00
 NMEA 2.10
 NMEA 2.30
 NMEA 2.40
 NMEA 3.00
 NMEA 3.01
 NMEA HS 1.00

Contact info@nmea.org.

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Please note that certain websites offer explanations and examples of NMEA 0183 sentences. In most cases they are very old versions or incorrect interpretations and should not be depended upon for accuracy.
 The NMEA 0183 Interface Standard is a COPYRIGHTED document and available only from NMEA. Other Internet offerings are not authorized and may constitute a copyright infringement. NOTE: ALL SALES ARE FINAL.