IEC 61162-1-2024 PDF

Full title and description

St IEC 61162-1-2024 — Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems — Digital interfaces — Part 1: Single talker and multiple listeners. This edition defines the one‑way serial printable‑ASCII sentence format, timing and electrical interface constraints used to interconnect navigation and radiocommunication instruments where a single talker transmits to one or more listeners.

Abstract

IEC 61162-1:2024 (Edition 6) specifies requirements for low‑bandwidth, one‑way serial data transmission from a single talker to multiple listeners using printable ASCII sentences. It covers sentence structure, character set, field and checksum rules, timing guidelines (typical messages ~11–79 characters, generally not more than one message per second) and notes limitations for safety‑critical or high‑bandwidth applications; higher‑rate or networked applications are covered by other parts of the IEC 61162 family.

General information

• Status: Current / published (Adopted as IEC international standard and adopted by multiple national bodies as EN/UNE/BS versions).
• Publication date: April 4, 2024 (IEC edition 6 published in April 2024; national adoptions occurred in mid‑2024).
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); adopted versions are published by national members (e.g., CENELEC/EN, AENOR, BSI).
• ICS / categories: 47.020.70 (Navigation and control equipment) and related radiocommunication ICS classes.
• Edition / version: Edition 6.0 (IEC 61162-1:2024, sometimes referenced as IEC 61162-1:2024 ED6).
• Number of pages: Core IEC edition and national adoptions vary; IEC edition 6 is published as the 2024 international edition and national EN/UNE/BS adoptions report document lengths in the ~194–198 page range (page counts vary with national front matter and annexes).

Scope

This part contains requirements for data communication between maritime electronic instruments, navigation and radiocommunication equipment when interconnected by an appropriate system. It is intended to support one‑way serial data transmission from a single talker to one or more listeners using printable ASCII sentences that convey navigation and related data (for example position, speed, depth, frequency allocation). The standard is aimed at low‑bandwidth instrument interconnection and explicitly excludes high‑bandwidth applications such as radar imagery, video or intensive file/database transfer; for higher throughput or multi‑talker networked environments other parts of the 61162 series apply.

Key topics and requirements

• Single‑talker / multiple‑listener model: rules for one‑way serial transmission and receiver behaviour.
• Data format and framing: printable ASCII sentence structure, delimiters, field separators and checksum rules.
• Message sizing and timing: typical messages about 11 to 79 characters; general guidance to transmit no more rapidly than about one message per second for typical sentences.
• Electrical and physical interface constraints: definitions for serial links used in instrument interconnection and explicit limitation against using this part for high‑bandwidth transports (see related parts for Ethernet/high‑speed).
• Interoperability notes: alignment with established sentence conventions (historically related to NMEA‑0183) and guidance on reserved symbols and character sets.
• Safety and application guidance: limited error‑checking and no guaranteed delivery — caution recommended for safety‑critical uses; references to IEC 61162‑2, IEC 61162‑450 and IEC 62320 where appropriate.

Typical use and users

Used by maritime equipment manufacturers, ship system integrators, testing/laboratory teams and classification societies to design, test and certify interconnections between GPS/GNSS receivers, log/speed sensors, depth sounders, AIS interfaces and other bridge instruments that exchange low‑bandwidth navigational sentences. System architects consult this part when implementing serial instrument links or when ensuring backwards compatibility with legacy NMEA‑0183 style equipment.

Related standards

Key related documents include IEC 61162‑2 (single talker/multiple listeners, high‑speed serial), IEC 61162‑450 (multiple talkers/listeners — Ethernet interconnection, "Lightweight Ethernet") and IEC 62320 (AIS shore‑based equipment interfaces). The IEC 61162 family also conceptually aligns with NMEA specifications (NMEA‑0183, NMEA‑2000) for sentence/content definitions and with subsequent IEC 61162 parts addressing networked, multi‑talker environments and safety/security.

Keywords

IEC 61162-1, maritime digital interfaces, single talker multiple listeners, NMEA‑0183, printable ASCII sentences, serial instrument interface, shipboard interconnection, RS‑serial, low bandwidth, Edition 6 (2024).

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 61162-1:2024 (Edition 6) is an international standard that specifies one‑way serial digital interfaces for maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment where a single device transmits printable ASCII sentences to one or more listeners.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers sentence format (characters, delimiters, checksums), timing and message size guidance (typical 11–79 characters, generally no faster than one message per second), and electrical/physical interface constraints for low‑bandwidth instrument interconnection; it explicitly excludes high‑bandwidth and guaranteed‑delivery applications.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Equipment manufacturers (GPS, AIS, ECDIS, depth sounders), ship integrators, test houses and regulatory/classification bodies use it to ensure interoperable serial connections between bridge instruments and to maintain compatibility with legacy NMEA‑style devices.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: This is the current international edition published in 2024 (Edition 6) and it revises earlier editions (for example the 2016 edition). National adoptions (EN/UNE/BS) followed in mid‑2024.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — IEC 61162 is a multi‑part family. Commonly referenced companion parts include IEC 61162‑2 (high‑speed serial), IEC 61162‑450 (Ethernet interconnection / Lightweight Ethernet) and other 61162 parts addressing multi‑talker networks and safety/security topics.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Single talker, multiple listeners, printable ASCII, NMEA‑0183, serial interface, message framing, checksum, IEC 61162, maritime navigation interfaces, Edition 6 (2024).