: The first five characters following the $ indicate the talker ID (e.g., GP for Global Positioning System) and the sentence type (e.g., GGA for Fix Data).
While the newer NMEA 2000 standard (based on CAN-bus technology) is gaining ground, NMEA 0183 remains the "lingua franca" for millions of legacy devices and many modern budget-friendly instruments. This article breaks down the structure of NMEA 0183 sentences, the most common message types, and how to parse them effectively. nmea 0183 sentences pdf
NMEA 0183 is a combined electrical and data specification for communication between marine electronics, such as echo sounders, sonars, anemometers, gyrocompasses, autopilots, and GPS receivers. It has been slowly replaced by the newer NMEA 2000 standard, though it remains widely used for legacy system integration. : The first five characters following the $