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 published in November 2008 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 $250 to members and $325 for non-members for the electronic version. A paper version is available for $325 for members and $400 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.


The NMEA 0183 Manufacturer's Mnemonic Code is provided gratis to the industry.  Click here for the form

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 $140 for members and $250 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.  (Price is per document)
 NMEA 2.00 Published January 1992  (NMEA 0183 migrated from RS 232 to RS422)

 NMEA 2.01 Published August 1994 

 NMEA 2.10 Published October 1995

 NMEA 2.20 Published January 1997

 NMEA 2.30 Published March 1998

 NMEA 3.00 Published July 2000

 NMEA 3.01 Published January 2002

 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.