Autohelm ST30 Wind Instrument

[J Stage]

Cups on top of mast are no longer rotating. Therefore no apparent wind speed, but wind direction still functional. When it first happened, they did not rotate for awhile and then came back on. Now they don't seem to rotate at all. Troubleshooting ideas? Do you buy a new wind instrument or send in for repair? Joan

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Sticking Problem

I noticed a similar problem earlier this year but in the end it proved out to be only low wind velocity. It seems that the sensor requires about 5 - 7 knots to get it turning but once it is turning it will record down to 1 - 2 knots. This is due to the built in directional indicator on the one vane causing a hysteresis effect.Now all of this may be of no help whatsoever, but do wait for a gust of about 5 - 7 knots before writing off the sensor. Next thought is: how old is the unit ? If more that 2 years old it is beyond the warranty. Drop Autohelm an e-mail, (can't remember the address but a GOOGLE search will quickly find it) as I have writtten to them on several other occassions and always found them to be very helpful.Hope this is of some help.Regards,s/v Island Hunter

 

[Sam Morris]

Sticking

No matter what, somebody has to go aloft and get the STS-30 anemometer and bring it down to check. It probaly is not an electrical problem as you still have wind speed. On my STS-50, some gunk had accumulated preventing the wind cups from rotating. I cleaned it up with mineral spirits and it rotates fine now. It could have been bird droppings. In any event, I'd check it out first. The entire assembly may easily be removed and reinstalled.

 

[Monty Miller]

Spider Webs

Ours gets stuck once in awhile because of spider webs. We usually wait a day or two for rain or winds to free the cups. It happens several times a year. The cups are very small compared to older models and it does not take much to stop them from spinning.Good luck!Monty