--
SOG kt
--
COG
--m
Depth
--
Lat
--
Lon
● CONNECTING
Dashboard
Engines · tanks · navigation
14:32:09 UTC
Port Engine
0
RPM
0.0
Oil Bar
--
Temp
Port Engine Detail
Fuel Flow-- L/h
Hours--
Status--
0.0
Knots
Speed Over Ground
--
COG
--
Depth
--
HDG
Stbd Engine
0
RPM
0.0
Oil Bar
--
Temp
Stbd Engine Detail
Fuel Flow-- L/h
Hours--
Status--
Charts
OpenFreeMap · OpenStreetMap · OpenSeaMap · viewed areas kept for offline use
--
Zoom
--
Waypoint
—
AIS
0
NAVTEX
0
Depth m0–22–55–1010–2020–5050+guide only · not for navigation
Waiting for GPS…
Autopilot
Heading Control · Relay Addr 40
RS485 --STANDBY
Viewing only. The autopilot and steering can only be operated from the helm display, so two screens can never steer at the same time.
HEADING · HDG RUDDER · --
STANDBYSTBY
Set heading--°--
Heading--°Error --°
Rate of turn limit
--°/min now--
Course changes (◀ 10, 1 ▶ …) are steered as a smooth turn at no more than this rate.
Navigation State
COG / SOG
--°
-- kt
ROT · XTE
--°/min
XTE --
Drive Settings
Dead Band
2°
Pulse Length
800ms
Max Rudder
30°
Relays
PORT STBD
Addr 40 · coil 0 / 1
Activity Log
Tanks
Level Monitoring · Signal K / NMEA 0183 / analogue inputs
--
Click a tank to rename it, change its data source, capacity or alarm level.
Digital Steering
Press and hold to steer · heading, speed, depth, rudder and cameras on one screen
AP STANDBY
--
---°--
HEADING
Speed (SOG)--knSTW -- kn
Course (COG)--°ROT -- °/min
Depth--m
below transducer
RUDDER--
The relay works only while you hold the button (max 5 s each press). It switches off by itself if this screen freezes or loses its connection.
Joystick — this page is ready for a joystick; its connection will be added in a later update.
Switchboard
DC Relay Control — R4D3B16 · RS485
--
Volt Meters — N4AIA08
Tap a switch to operate it, ✎ to edit it. Double-click a volt meter to rename it.
Weather
Boat position --
--
--
1

On-board weather station

Live readings from the boat's own instruments

--
2

Internet weather

--

--
3

5-day marine forecast

Wind, waves and rain first — times are this display's local time

--
Wind force:0–345678+· arrows show where wind and waves are going
DEMO: simulated forecast and waves. The real unit downloads them from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · Waves: NOAA WAVEWATCH III via NOAA ERDDAP · Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Symbols drawn by Helm-Matrix. Forecasts can be wrong — always check the official marine forecast and NAVTEX.
NavTex
518 kHz · NAVTEX receiver (USB radio)
NO RADIO
Receiver
Receiver
--
--
Signal
--dB
--
Frequency
518kHz
International · English
Messages
0
--
Last received
--
--
On the chart
0
yellow marks
Show
Message log
No NAVTEX messages received yet.
Messages that give a position put a yellow mark on the chart. The mark stays until you remove it: right-click it, or press and hold it on a touch screen. Repeats of the same message (the station sends it every 4 hours) do not bring a removed mark back.
DC Power
Battery Banks · Signal K / NMEA 0183
--
Battery Banks
Bus Voltages — N4AIA08
DC circuits are switched from the Switchboard page.
AC Power
Where the power comes from · total current · main breakers
--
--
Power source
--A total
-- V-- Hz-- kW
How this page works

The AC monitor measures the total current used on board, which supply is live (generator, shore power or inverter) and the state of the four main breakers.

Waiting for the AC monitor — its connection to Helm-Matrix will be added in a later update. Until then every value shows NO DATA.

Main breakers · tap ✎ to rename
A/V
Films, series and TV on the helm display, phones and tablets
--
Settings
Netflix needs your own Netflix subscription. The free TV services are free, legal and paid by adverts; which channels you get depends on the country the boat's internet connection is in. "My IPTV" is for a TV service you subscribe to yourself — use only services that have the rights to the channels. On the helm display each service opens in its own window: close that window (✕ at its top right, or “Close video window” here) to come back to Helm-Matrix.
Data Sources
Signal K network input · NMEA 0183 serial input (RS-422) · USB radios for AIS and NAVTEX
0 INPUTS LIVE
Boat-data service
Not connected
Updates/s
Errors
Screens
Signal K — network
read the boat's data from a Signal K server or gateway
--
NMEA 2000 instruments are connected through a third-party gateway that outputs Signal K. Helm-Matrix itself does not connect to an NMEA 2000 network.
NMEA 0183 — serial listener
listen on the serial ports below (receive only)
--
/dev/serial0 is the Raspberry Pi's own serial port (GPIO14 TXD pin 8, GPIO15 RXD pin 10, GND pin 6), where the galvanically isolated TTL→RS-422 converter is wired — its TTL side must be set to 3.3 V. USB RS-422 adapters appear as /dev/ttyUSB… Instruments: 4800 baud · AIS transponder (Class A / B) or AIS receiver: 38400 baud — all ships, aids to navigation and SAR aircraft it receives are shown on the chart and radar · NAVTEX receiver: 4800 baud — its messages (NRX sentences) appear on the NAVTEX page and chart like those of the USB NAVTEX radio. Do not use the RS485 port of the Modbus boards. NMEA 0183 is a standard of the National Marine Electronics Association; it is switched on here only where it is licensed for the unit.
USB radios — AIS and NAVTEX
Radio service: --
#RadioSerial no.TunerUsed for
No USB radio found.
vessels on the chart (RTL-SDR Blog V4 · 161.975 / 162.025 MHz) dB, or “auto” only for an active antenna or LNA that needs 4.5 V from the radio ppm (0 for TCXO radios) messages on the NavTex page, positions on the chart (RTL-SDR Blog V3, direct sampling) ppm
AIS: -- NAVTEX: --
Automatic: the radio with the R828D tuner (V4) receives AIS, the other one NAVTEX. If both radios show the same serial number, keep the setting on Automatic or choose by number. AIS needs a VHF marine antenna (a separate one, or a VHF/AIS splitter). NAVTEX needs an MF/HF wire antenna (5–15 m long wire or an active whip) on the V3's SMA input.
Incoming data
What each input is sending right now.
InputSentence / pathReceivedErrorsLastLatest value
Nothing received yet.
Settings
System Configuration
--
Unit & Phone Pairing
-- -- --
Phones and tablets on the boat network open the address above and enter the serial number once.
Charts & sea depths
Free chart for offline use--
Helm-Matrix keeps the free chart for the area round the boat on the unit, so it works without internet, and renews it every week and when the boat leaves the area. Full detail near the boat, less further out.
--
Official charts (ENC)
Sea depths
Your echo sounder's depths are added to your own chart while the boat is moving. The transducer depth is needed so depths are measured from the water surface; if your instruments send it, it is used automatically. Depth shading uses EMODnet Bathymetry (European seas) and NOAA ETOPO (elsewhere) — a guide only, not for navigation.
Share depths with other Helm-Matrix boats--
--
RS485 / Modbus
address address V to V
--
Engine controls (gear & throttle)
Engine controllers on RS485 (19200 baud): port, number of engines, calibration, limits and diagnostics. Technician PIN needed.
Autopilot
--
CCTV / NVR
#NameNVR chShowTalkTalk via camera IPTest result
Talk needs a camera with a speaker. If talk does not work through the NVR, enter the camera's own IP address. The password is stored only on the Helm-Matrix unit and is never sent to phones.
Wi-Fi
--
Modbus Console
Read or write any RS485 device — for checking boards and changing addresses (e.g. FC6 to register 255, unit 0 = broadcast). Writes ask for confirmation.
Unit FC Addr Count / value
System
Support
System Info & Diagnostics
System
ProductHelm-Matrix
Hardware--
Host--
ServicesHelm-Matrix Server hm-http (8347 / https 8443) · hm-nav · hm-engine · hm-radar · hm-radio · hm-go2rtc
Uptime--
CPU Temp--
Network
IP Address--
Wi-Fi--
Boat data--
RS485--
Licences & credits
Charts are built from community map data. They are not official nautical charts and do not replace the official charts required by SOLAS or national rules — always navigate with official charts and keep a proper lookout. NMEA, NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 are registered trademarks of the National Marine Electronics Association; Hikvision, Dahua, ONVIF and Raspberry Pi are trademarks of their owners. Helm-Matrix is not affiliated with, endorsed or certified by them.
Contact
DeveloperDelta Sierra Marine
Webhelm-matrix.com
LocationMalta, EU
CCTV
--
--
Official Charts
Official ENC charts (IHO S-57 / S-63) bought from any authorised chart distributor
--
--
This unit's User PermitS-63
--
Give this code to the chart shop when you buy charts. Your charts are then made for this Helm-Matrix only.
How to buy official charts
  1. Go to the website of any authorised ENC chart distributor (official ENCs in the IHO S-63 format).
  2. Choose the chart areas you need and enter the User Permit shown here.
  3. You receive the charts (an exchange set, a .zip or an ENC_ROOT folder) and a permit file (PERMIT.TXT).
  4. Add both here, or copy them to a USB stick and plug it into Helm-Matrix.
  5. Load the weekly updates the same way. Free official ENCs (for example NOAA, USA) can be added without a permit.
Add charts, updates and permits
Exchange set (.zip), PERMIT.TXT, or a single cell file (.000)
Paste permit lines instead
Charts on this unit
Chart display
Depths shallower than the safety depth are drawn darker blue and their soundings in black; set it to your boat's draught plus a margin.
Helm-Matrix shows official ENC data but is not a type-approved ECDIS. When a chart permit expires the chart stays visible but is no longer updated and must not be used for primary navigation. Always keep a proper lookout.