Yes, Michael you nailed what I was after. The link was great. I had discounted 485 before, as I inherited a system with it that had many problems. Can I get away with a bus that runs down the center of the ship that is tapped into by the nodes? Do I need to be concerned with any effects from the cable and or connectors? What kind of speed can I expect? Would I use the serial port with a 485 driver? How many nodes have you used?

Bobby

P.S. Jez, I am using a 2.4 GHz radio modem as the data link from ship to shore.