No. As a requirement of compliance with the international Class B AIS Transponder standards, the WatchMate 850, WatchMate Vision, XB-6000 and XB-8000 must utilize its own built-in source of GPS data. It will not process GPS data sent to it on the NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000* ports. This regulatory requirement exists to ensure that GPS data cannot be inadvertently switched off and ensures the GPS receiver meets the strict AIS performance standards for accuracy and immunity to interference.
However, each of our transponders can be used as a primary or backup source of GPS data for other equipment on your vessel. All AIS and GPS data it receives is output on its USB, NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and WiFi* ports (when configured to do so, *Vision and XB-8000 only).