SR Mariner NAV-5 Wind Vane

[Bob Poff]

The wind carried away the vane for my NAV-5. I have what they say is the replacement vane.

Has anyone replaced one of these?

How do you calibrate it afterwards?
Are there indexing marks at the sensor?

Or this a crank the puck until it reads say 90 ninety degrees, then put the vane on in position to agree?

 

[Bob Poff]

The word from SR...

Just in case anyone else still has one of these, here's what SR told me.

At the sensor pull the plug.
Put an ohmmeter across the red and black wires leading to the sensor.
Turn the sensor until you read an open (infinite resistance) on the meter.
Attach the vane pointing dead forward.

 

[Joe]

Re: The word from SR...

well it seems you've answered the question already. If you have a simple multi-meter, there's an ohm feature on it. It has the infinity sign on the selector position.

Remember that the vane measures apparent wind and simply shows you the angle in degrees that the wind is hitting the boat. If you're pointing directly into the wind, the meter will read zero. If the wind is coming directly abeam.....port or starboard.... it will read 90 deg. It is not related to compass headings. It is read like a pelorus, which is used to sight objects relative to the boat (again, dead ahead being zero) So to calibrate all you have to do is find the zero point on the sensor and mount it pointing forward.

 

[Ron20324]

I thought that's what Bob said, but in alot fewer words???

 

[Bob Poff]

Yep

I thought that's what Bob said, but in alot fewer words???

Uh huh.....
And yes my good old Simpson 260 DOES have an infinity symbol on the ohms scale. Something a DVM doesn't.

There is another method using the indicator though that he mentioned.
However reading the pot is the prefered method.

Turn the sensor to port through DEAD AHEAD until it switches into CLOSE HAULED mode on the port side (10 degrees to port).
Then turn the pot to starboard until the CLOSE HAULED light JUST goes off.
Put the vane on facing forward.

But then, why am I prattling on about this antique when I'm probably the only person who still has one?