I have a hunter 410 with a Raytheon ST60 wind instrument. The wind angle seems to "blow" out of calibration during high wind conditions. I recalibrate and it works well until the next high wind situation. I've contacted Raytheon tech support but they are not very helpful or knowledgeable about their instruments. Has anyone else experienced this difficulty and how was it solved? Thanks.
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other weirdness
I find that my ST60 wind instrument (also on a 410) loses calibration when I transmit on the VHF because of the proximity of the antenna to the sensor. If I hold down the transmit button I can actually watch my apparent wind move forward (on either tack.) Does this happen with yours, Bill? I replaced the first one under warranty because it wouldn't ever hold calibration after being turned off, but even the replacement one seems to need to be recalibrated on a monthly basis. I suspect that raytheon just hasn't worked all the bugs out of the design yet.
I find that my ST60 wind instrument (also on a 410) loses calibration when I transmit on the VHF because of the proximity of the antenna to the sensor. If I hold down the transmit button I can actually watch my apparent wind move forward (on either tack.) Does this happen with yours, Bill? I replaced the first one under warranty because it wouldn't ever hold calibration after being turned off, but even the replacement one seems to need to be recalibrated on a monthly basis. I suspect that raytheon just hasn't worked all the bugs out of the design yet.
John, I will check the "other wierdness" that you have indicated and get back to you. Maybe the things I'm experiencing are electrically induced---I never throught of that. Other notes: the factory did tell me that if the transducer line is disconnected from the instrument the needle should go to 0/360 degrees or straight up. That indicates proper factory calibration. If it does not the head needs to be sent back to the factory. Another wierdness involves an st60 multi (repeater) which I have at the nav station. The wind angle shows an inverse mirror image of the actual, ie, a port 30 degree wind will show up as starboard 150 degrees. The factory and the manual tell me that is what should show, but no one can tell me the reasoning behind it.
Ratheon Tech support leaves...
alot to be desired. My experience is that there are darn few people in tech support that were knowledgeable about my ST 80 instruments I was having problems with. There answer is take them off the boat and return them to us. That is not acceptable to me. My question is...how can they sell instruments that no one there knows little or nothing about.
alot to be desired. My experience is that there are darn few people in tech support that were knowledgeable about my ST 80 instruments I was having problems with. There answer is take them off the boat and return them to us. That is not acceptable to me. My question is...how can they sell instruments that no one there knows little or nothing about.
Ratheon Service
Ditto re Ratheon. My experience with dealing with them has been absolutely hopeless, that is when they dain to respond. My wind indicator also goes bananas when I press the speak button on the VHF. Yet the units are miles appart. Peter Milne S/V Blue heron
Ditto re Ratheon. My experience with dealing with them has been absolutely hopeless, that is when they dain to respond. My wind indicator also goes bananas when I press the speak button on the VHF. Yet the units are miles appart. Peter Milne S/V Blue heron
Raytheon Autopilot
Hi Guys, I can go one better. When my boat is under autopilot control and somebody uses the VHF the boat makes a sharp turn to starboard! On releasing the transmit button all returns to normal. This can be quite dangerous when sailing in narrow or congested waters.
Hi Guys, I can go one better. When my boat is under autopilot control and somebody uses the VHF the boat makes a sharp turn to starboard! On releasing the transmit button all returns to normal. This can be quite dangerous when sailing in narrow or congested waters.
Ditto and Ditto
Mine will not stay calibrated and the wind angle changes when I press to talk on the VHF. That is really interesting when sailing on wind vane steering autopilot!
Mine will not stay calibrated and the wind angle changes when I press to talk on the VHF. That is really interesting when sailing on wind vane steering autopilot!
tech support
Nice to hear that my boat isn't the only one haunted by wind instrument demons. I did have a positive experience with Raytheon tech support last summer. The radar went out as I was approaching Point Sur from the south. At night. In the fog. With two seasick crew, which meant that I had to stand watch all night. I pulled into Monterey the next morning, which was the Friday before the 4th of July weekend, and called Raytheon. Since there was virtually no chance of getting a repair guy to my boat until the following week, the tech support guy gave me a list of codes to punch into my unit, and had me read the self-diagnostics back to him. He was able to tell me exactly what had gone wrong with the radome, and gave me detailed instructions about what to do once I'd gone up the mast. Problem solved, although going up the stick after a sleepless night offshore is no treat. After we got the radar working again, one of my crew guys walked to the bus station and bought himself a ticket back to the bay area. I don't think that he's set foot on a boat since that time.
Nice to hear that my boat isn't the only one haunted by wind instrument demons. I did have a positive experience with Raytheon tech support last summer. The radar went out as I was approaching Point Sur from the south. At night. In the fog. With two seasick crew, which meant that I had to stand watch all night. I pulled into Monterey the next morning, which was the Friday before the 4th of July weekend, and called Raytheon. Since there was virtually no chance of getting a repair guy to my boat until the following week, the tech support guy gave me a list of codes to punch into my unit, and had me read the self-diagnostics back to him. He was able to tell me exactly what had gone wrong with the radome, and gave me detailed instructions about what to do once I'd gone up the mast. Problem solved, although going up the stick after a sleepless night offshore is no treat. After we got the radar working again, one of my crew guys walked to the bus station and bought himself a ticket back to the bay area. I don't think that he's set foot on a boat since that time.
something good about Raytheon
Guys, I as well have a 410 with exclusively Raytheon instruments including wind instrument. I've had very goo9d luck talking to the service department by cell phone while standing in the cockpit and "walking through" problems with the wind indicator, Autohelm, and speed indicator at differing times. I've not had the problem several of you mention with the wind direction indicator changing with use of the VHF or other instruments. Just wanted to give my experiences to balance the ledger. At one point, my wind direction indicator was in "boatshow demonstration mode" at which time I couldn't keep it calibrated and indeed I got reciprocal readings intermittently. Hope this may help someone. Chris Webb s/v Grand Cru II
Guys, I as well have a 410 with exclusively Raytheon instruments including wind instrument. I've had very goo9d luck talking to the service department by cell phone while standing in the cockpit and "walking through" problems with the wind indicator, Autohelm, and speed indicator at differing times. I've not had the problem several of you mention with the wind direction indicator changing with use of the VHF or other instruments. Just wanted to give my experiences to balance the ledger. At one point, my wind direction indicator was in "boatshow demonstration mode" at which time I couldn't keep it calibrated and indeed I got reciprocal readings intermittently. Hope this may help someone. Chris Webb s/v Grand Cru II
Masthead Transducer Troubles
The wind instrument is made up of three major components, masthead transducer, instrument head, cabling in the mast. A fault you are experiencing must be related to one of these three components. The process of "linearization" involves aligning the needle on the instrument to the vane on the masthead transducer. The D168 ST60 Masthead Transducer's direction transducer is fixed to the wind vane/feather my a 1.5mm allen wrench set screw. If the instrument is "falling out of calibration" in high winds then this is most likely related to the D168 masthead transducer rather than the instrument itself. The vane/feather has slipped on the wind direction transducer. This problem might be fixed by simply tightening this screw. If a wind instrument is seeing interference with a VHF transmission this most likely related to the reality that both the VHF antenna cable and the masthead transducer cable run parallel to each other for the entire length of the mast. This type interference can be combated by distance, supression ferrites and shielded cable. The D168 uses quality shielded cable so, under most circumstances, the first two are your only options. General practice calls for cabling to be run perpendicular to each other if they must meet. This is just not possible in the case of a wind instrument. s/v Christmas P26
The wind instrument is made up of three major components, masthead transducer, instrument head, cabling in the mast. A fault you are experiencing must be related to one of these three components. The process of "linearization" involves aligning the needle on the instrument to the vane on the masthead transducer. The D168 ST60 Masthead Transducer's direction transducer is fixed to the wind vane/feather my a 1.5mm allen wrench set screw. If the instrument is "falling out of calibration" in high winds then this is most likely related to the D168 masthead transducer rather than the instrument itself. The vane/feather has slipped on the wind direction transducer. This problem might be fixed by simply tightening this screw. If a wind instrument is seeing interference with a VHF transmission this most likely related to the reality that both the VHF antenna cable and the masthead transducer cable run parallel to each other for the entire length of the mast. This type interference can be combated by distance, supression ferrites and shielded cable. The D168 uses quality shielded cable so, under most circumstances, the first two are your only options. General practice calls for cabling to be run perpendicular to each other if they must meet. This is just not possible in the case of a wind instrument. s/v Christmas P26
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