The control head for my 4000+ autopilot failed and had to be replaced by Raytheon. Like the old unit, the new control head runs version 14 of the software. Until the failure, the old system ran quite well, but I am not having trouble setting the parameters for stable control. All settings that I have tried result in unstable operation. The relevant variables are turn rate, rudder gain, and response. Can anyone with a boat similar to a 340 with a functioning 4000+ system tell me their working settings? Also, the Raytheon service rep throught that my electronic compass may have failed, even though the heading readout on the control head seems correct. This diagnosis seems unlikely to me. Has anyone ever seen their compass fail? (The turn rate setting can be found by going into the "dealer setup mode" - hold "standby" for 14 seconds then, after the "setup" title appears, press +1 and -1 at the same time, then scroll through the settings by pressing the lamp button.) Thanks, Larry North C
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Jim Russell
Will respond after next visit to my 340
Hopefully you'll get an informed quick response. However never fear that help is coming <grin>. I'll check my 340 on my next visit this weekend and respond if no one else has done so before then. I do wonder if you still are having problems with something in your system if you cannot get a decent reading out of any of the settings that you have used. Jim
Hopefully you'll get an informed quick response. However never fear that help is coming <grin>. I'll check my 340 on my next visit this weekend and respond if no one else has done so before then. I do wonder if you still are having problems with something in your system if you cannot get a decent reading out of any of the settings that you have used. Jim
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Geoff porter
4000 compass failure
I have a st4000 system on my 340 and are in the third year of use - a few weeks ago the auto function failed to operate and issued a 'No data' warning - the compass heading did not change as the boat heading changed - it was the first time I had sailed single handed on the boat!! - it has functioned on and off since but failed again completely last weekend - e-mails to Raytheon have failed to get a reply. All the other displays work fine so can only assume the elctronic compass has failed.
I have a st4000 system on my 340 and are in the third year of use - a few weeks ago the auto function failed to operate and issued a 'No data' warning - the compass heading did not change as the boat heading changed - it was the first time I had sailed single handed on the boat!! - it has functioned on and off since but failed again completely last weekend - e-mails to Raytheon have failed to get a reply. All the other displays work fine so can only assume the elctronic compass has failed.
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Chuck Wolfe
Autohelm400+ woes
The problem can be almost anything. Call Autohelm 800-839-5539. I have been going through this for a year now. At least something finally smoked. When the drive unit itself starts to fail it pulls too much power from the control head (the computer). I got various messages such as Sea Talk Failure (cute-I don't use Sea Talk) off track errors when I wasn't in Track Mode and on and on. Finally, the unit failed entirely and it wouldn't go into auto mode. When I borrowed my neighbor's 4000+ head, it would go into auto mode at the dock and then, at random intervals, would start turning 2 or 3 degrees etc. I pulled the drive unit and head and sent them to Autohelm at their suggestion. When the drive unit starts to fail, it screws up the head. chuckwolfe@mail.com
The problem can be almost anything. Call Autohelm 800-839-5539. I have been going through this for a year now. At least something finally smoked. When the drive unit itself starts to fail it pulls too much power from the control head (the computer). I got various messages such as Sea Talk Failure (cute-I don't use Sea Talk) off track errors when I wasn't in Track Mode and on and on. Finally, the unit failed entirely and it wouldn't go into auto mode. When I borrowed my neighbor's 4000+ head, it would go into auto mode at the dock and then, at random intervals, would start turning 2 or 3 degrees etc. I pulled the drive unit and head and sent them to Autohelm at their suggestion. When the drive unit starts to fail, it screws up the head. chuckwolfe@mail.com
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Edmund Shanahan
Rudder gain
On my H40 with the Raytheon 4000 + I found backing the rudder gain from the default of 5 down to 2 helped tremendously. When I first obtained the boat, on the delivery trip, I could not get that thing to steer straight for anything. We named it "Random". It would start steering just fine, but in about 10 minutes, it would need to make ever increasing course changes to stay on track. Eventually it seemed to just get confused, over correcting back and forth until we shut it down. Finally, I took the book and started adjusting whatever I could. When I tried the rudder gain, the unit's response changed. On such a long trip, I tried all the rudder gain settings until 2 worked with the best combination of steerage and response time. The unit has been running fine since....Go figure...Good luck
On my H40 with the Raytheon 4000 + I found backing the rudder gain from the default of 5 down to 2 helped tremendously. When I first obtained the boat, on the delivery trip, I could not get that thing to steer straight for anything. We named it "Random". It would start steering just fine, but in about 10 minutes, it would need to make ever increasing course changes to stay on track. Eventually it seemed to just get confused, over correcting back and forth until we shut it down. Finally, I took the book and started adjusting whatever I could. When I tried the rudder gain, the unit's response changed. On such a long trip, I tried all the rudder gain settings until 2 worked with the best combination of steerage and response time. The unit has been running fine since....Go figure...Good luck
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Ray Spindle
Drive type
Our 4000+ was all over the place too. I tried all the various settings. I found that the drive type was set on 2. I set it to 1 and the autopilot went straight as an arrow. Just one more setting to check.
Our 4000+ was all over the place too. I tried all the various settings. I found that the drive type was set on 2. I set it to 1 and the autopilot went straight as an arrow. Just one more setting to check.
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Chuck Wolfe
Drive Type on 4000+?
So what is "Drive Type" on a 4000+.Rudder Gain I understand. Drive Types I don't. ChuckWolfe@mail.com
So what is "Drive Type" on a 4000+.Rudder Gain I understand. Drive Types I don't. ChuckWolfe@mail.com
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Joe O
Same problem!
Larry..I got the same problem. Just replaced my ST4000 system with a ST4000+ on my H34. It wouldn't hold a course either. This past Labor Day weekend I single handled the boat and spent hour adjusting the settings. I too like the other guys found that reducing the rudder gain helped big time. I'm on a setting of 3 now, but after reading the other responses, I think I'll go to 2. I finally got it to sail a straight course under steady winds. But gusts do present a problem...but eventually it does get back on course...and I no longer get the off course alarm. I've also set the response rate to 2. There's also another setting for turn rate, which I set on 3 (or 4) for light-to-medium displacement sailboat (read the manual). Anyway, it's a complicated pilot with lots of setting variations, but I guess it's just a matter of spending time with it and fine tuning (experimenting) the settings. Good luck! JoeO
Larry..I got the same problem. Just replaced my ST4000 system with a ST4000+ on my H34. It wouldn't hold a course either. This past Labor Day weekend I single handled the boat and spent hour adjusting the settings. I too like the other guys found that reducing the rudder gain helped big time. I'm on a setting of 3 now, but after reading the other responses, I think I'll go to 2. I finally got it to sail a straight course under steady winds. But gusts do present a problem...but eventually it does get back on course...and I no longer get the off course alarm. I've also set the response rate to 2. There's also another setting for turn rate, which I set on 3 (or 4) for light-to-medium displacement sailboat (read the manual). Anyway, it's a complicated pilot with lots of setting variations, but I guess it's just a matter of spending time with it and fine tuning (experimenting) the settings. Good luck! JoeO
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