B&G Vulcan 7 and Raymarine Autopilot Integration

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Schwarz633

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Jul 3, 2021
36
Tartan 33R Lake Michigan
I just purchased an old sailboat with fairly new instrumentation and am wondering if there's a way to operate the autopilot from the Vulcan 7, as the P70S is inconveniently located down on the cockpit sidewall.

Here's a list of the networked devices:

B&G Vulcan 7 Chartplotter (N2K/eNet)
B&G ZG100 GPS/Compass/Heel/Trim (N2K)
B&G ???? Wind Speed/Direction (N2K through WS310 cable interface)
B&G ???? Radar (eNet to Vulcan 7)
Raymarine P70S AP Control Head (N2K)
Raymarine ACU-100 AP Actuator Controller (N2K)
Airmar DST800 Speed/Depth/Temperature (N2K)
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,110
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I think you can get along with just a SimNet to n2k adapter cable. You might double check with simrad customer service, or a tech counter person at west marine, to verify. Don't be afraid to buy it from WM... here's the male version, female is a bit less.
 
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Schwarz633

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Jul 3, 2021
36
Tartan 33R Lake Michigan
I believe the Raymarine components use SeaTalkNG cabling and are already connected to the N2K network. The Raymarine autopilot uses the compass heading provided by the ZG100. My question is whether the Vulcan 7 has the ability to duplicate the functions on the P70S head (auto/standby/course setting).
 
BarryL

BarryL

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May 21, 2004
1,037
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hello,

The answer is NO. You cannot control a Raymarine autopilot from a B&G plotter.

To control the plotter you MUST use a Raymarine controller. If your controller is in a bad place and you don't want to move it, I suggest you buy a smart controller.

www.raymarine.com

SmartController | Autopilot Control Head | Raymarine

The Raymarine SmartController allows boaters to take full onboard control of their Raymarine SeaTalk autopilot system. Lightweight and compact it's the perfect onboard companion.
www.raymarine.com www.raymarine.com

Good luck,
Barry
 
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Schwarz633

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Jul 3, 2021
36
Tartan 33R Lake Michigan
I think I'll just move the P70s into a new NavPod alongside the Vulcan 7. I don't like the existing Edson pod that houses the Vulcan 7 anyway. Unfortunately, I have a Yacht Specialties pedestal with 12.5" spacing on the guard, so this gets a bit more complicated. NavPod has a replacement top plate to convert the Yacht Specialties pedestal to 12" spacing. Then I'll need to replace the existing 12.5" guard with a 12" angled guard and get a 12" spacing NavPod. Looks like about $1000 for those 3 items. This will also allow me to address some minor core rot issues where the guard feet and cable penetrations are in the cockpit sole
are.

IMG_2337.JPG
 
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shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,352
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
The picture of that cockpit brings up a lot of memories of the time I spent on a Tartan 33. Almost seems like home.
 
S

Schwarz633

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Jul 3, 2021
36
Tartan 33R Lake Michigan
Schwarz633 said:
I just purchased an old sailboat with fairly new instrumentation and am wondering if there's a way to operate the autopilot from the Vulcan 7, as the P70S is inconveniently located down on the cockpit sidewall.

Here's a list of the networked devices:

B&G Vulcan 7 Chartplotter (N2K/eNet)
B&G ZG100 GPS/Compass/Heel/Trim (N2K)
B&G ???? Wind Speed/Direction (N2K through WS310 cable interface)
B&G ???? Radar (eNet to Vulcan 7)
Raymarine P70S AP Control Head (N2K)
Raymarine ACU-100 AP Actuator Controller (N2K)
Airmar DST800 Speed/Depth/Temperature (N2K)
Click to expand
Today I discovered that the boat also has a Raymarine EV-1 on the network. I guess that would explain why I was seeing slightly different headings on the Vulcan 7 and the P70S. Is there a way to make both instruments use the same transducer?
 
Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

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May 17, 2004
5,407
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Schwarz633 said:
Today I discovered that the boat also has a Raymarine EV-1 on the network. I guess that would explain why I was seeing slightly different headings on the Vulcan 7 and the P70S. Is there a way to make both instruments use the same transducer?
Click to expand
In the Vulcan settings it should be possible to go into the Network settings and Sources menu to pick the device to provide the compass heading.
 
M

marcham

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Jun 17, 2022
137
Hunter 380 Comox BC
Most likely, you will be limited to heading and wind track mode. I recall something about the Raymarine autopilots requiring extra sentences that only exist on Raymarine chartplotters (and maybe Open CPN).
 
BarryL

BarryL

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May 21, 2004
1,037
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Clarification on this point.

With a B&G plotter system and Raymarine autopilot you can expect the pilot will
-Steer to a heading
-Steer to a wind angle (assuming you have a wind instrument)
-Autotack
-Follow a route

This has worked for me on my last boat (With Vulcan plotter and raymarine wheel pilot) and on my current boat (Zeus 3S / H5000 CPU and Raymarine below deck drive unit and ACU).

Barry


marcham said:
Most likely, you will be limited to heading and wind track mode. I recall something about the Raymarine autopilots requiring extra sentences that only exist on Raymarine chartplotters (and maybe Open CPN).
Click to expand
 
dmdiehl64

dmdiehl64

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Jul 30, 2018
60
Beneteau 321 Tawas MI
It’s not possible by just simply having the Seatalk NG and NMEA2000 networks integrated. We have the same setup and I’ve wasted many calories looking for an easy solution.

However! It is possible using software like OpenCPN or qtvlm. You can connect to the Vulcan 7 wireless network by default and you can connect to the ST NG network using something like a yachtdevices wifi Transmitter. Then, with OpenCPN you connect and integrate both networks.
 
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