I installed and calibrated an ST400+ this weekend, and an interesting thing occurred. After doing my calibration circles, the unit indicated 0 deviation (or is it variation ?). However, whe returning to standby, or Auto mode, the autopilot compass read an exact reciprocal course, exactly 180 degrees from the actual course being steered. This happened twice. Although I corrected it using "Heading Alignment", the fact that I got identical 180 degree reciprocal courses 2 times in a row makes me wonder....? Anyone with some thoughts, or a similar problem ? Thanks.....Jeff
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Chuck
ST4000 Weirdness
Jeff, bet you installed your compass facing aft. That is fine, and you made the appropriate correction. If you had installed it facing forward, that correction wouldn't have been necessary.
Jeff, bet you installed your compass facing aft. That is fine, and you made the appropriate correction. If you had installed it facing forward, that correction wouldn't have been necessary.
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Derek Rowell
More strange behavior
First for Chuck - you cannot install the compass facing the wrong way! It's gimballed. I had my first trial of a new ST4000+ Mk2 on Saturday. Did the calibration circles etc. It seemed to work well on an east-west heading, but then when heading due south it was bizarre. The autopilot would slowly turn me to starboard - away from my course - until the error was about 15 deg., the it would suddenly make a jump to port to bring me almost back on course (not quite) and then the wheel would start to creep to starboard again and the procedure would repeat. The result was that the ST4000 was steering me away from my course, and the error on the "rudder-bar" was always off to one side. I played with the rudder gain but that didn't help the basic problem. I had to reset the direction every five minutes or so. I mentionned this to a friend yesterday and he said that he had exactly the same problem on an older ST4000 when heading due south. Has anybody else seen this? I have emailed Raymarine Tech Suppport. Derek
First for Chuck - you cannot install the compass facing the wrong way! It's gimballed. I had my first trial of a new ST4000+ Mk2 on Saturday. Did the calibration circles etc. It seemed to work well on an east-west heading, but then when heading due south it was bizarre. The autopilot would slowly turn me to starboard - away from my course - until the error was about 15 deg., the it would suddenly make a jump to port to bring me almost back on course (not quite) and then the wheel would start to creep to starboard again and the procedure would repeat. The result was that the ST4000 was steering me away from my course, and the error on the "rudder-bar" was always off to one side. I played with the rudder gain but that didn't help the basic problem. I had to reset the direction every five minutes or so. I mentionned this to a friend yesterday and he said that he had exactly the same problem on an older ST4000 when heading due south. Has anybody else seen this? I have emailed Raymarine Tech Suppport. Derek
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Allen
I've had similar problems....
I just installed an ST4000+ about 3 weeks ago. There were 2 things wrong with it, one of which is fixed. I can't get the Autopilot compass to agree with the boat's compass on all headings. From 90 degrees to about 180 it's off by between 10 & 15 degrees. I can't seem to reconcile it, even though the deviation value is within the proper limits. I'm still working on that one. The other problem I fixed. I used to have a perfect course when heading northerly, but it would "hunt" for the proper course on a southerly track. This was fixed by doing 2 things: 1. Install the compass under the steps leading from the cockpit so that it was facing forward. My previous location, on the port bulkhead in the quarterberth (only about 3' away from the permanent location) was too close to a magnetic field, probably caused by the engine wiring harness going to the instrument panel via the port lazarette. The new location gives a deviation value of 8. You want the compass to be as close as possible to the waterline, and as close as possible to the center line of the boat with a minimal magnetic field. Every boat is different, so you'll have to find yours. 2. Adjust the calibration settings. These are the values that worked best for me. I don't have the rudder sensor, but it now seems to hold a very good course (+/- 3 degrees, even in a chop). Try these out: 1. Rudder Gain = 2 2. Response = 1 3. AutoTrim = 2 4. AutoAdapt = North 5. Cruise Sp = 6 6. Variation = 15 East (it should be different for you, I'm in Boston) If you're like me, you've tried a million different combinations of things to try to get it to work. If that's the case, I recommend you start over by resetting the unit to the default levels (page 98 of the manual), swinging the boat's compass & getting a new deviation level. Next, turn on your GPS or Loran, if you have it. The autopilot uses this information to help calibrate the AutoAdapt function. If you don't have a GPS or Loran hooked up, then set your Latitude to your position. Try the default settings above & hopefully it will work. I hope this helps...give me an email at allens@mathworks.com if you need more help, ok? Believe me, it's WELL WORTH the frustration to get it working. I love it & I'm really impressed with it's ability to hold a course, even in varying winds and following seas. Good Luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30, Hull# 632
I just installed an ST4000+ about 3 weeks ago. There were 2 things wrong with it, one of which is fixed. I can't get the Autopilot compass to agree with the boat's compass on all headings. From 90 degrees to about 180 it's off by between 10 & 15 degrees. I can't seem to reconcile it, even though the deviation value is within the proper limits. I'm still working on that one. The other problem I fixed. I used to have a perfect course when heading northerly, but it would "hunt" for the proper course on a southerly track. This was fixed by doing 2 things: 1. Install the compass under the steps leading from the cockpit so that it was facing forward. My previous location, on the port bulkhead in the quarterberth (only about 3' away from the permanent location) was too close to a magnetic field, probably caused by the engine wiring harness going to the instrument panel via the port lazarette. The new location gives a deviation value of 8. You want the compass to be as close as possible to the waterline, and as close as possible to the center line of the boat with a minimal magnetic field. Every boat is different, so you'll have to find yours. 2. Adjust the calibration settings. These are the values that worked best for me. I don't have the rudder sensor, but it now seems to hold a very good course (+/- 3 degrees, even in a chop). Try these out: 1. Rudder Gain = 2 2. Response = 1 3. AutoTrim = 2 4. AutoAdapt = North 5. Cruise Sp = 6 6. Variation = 15 East (it should be different for you, I'm in Boston) If you're like me, you've tried a million different combinations of things to try to get it to work. If that's the case, I recommend you start over by resetting the unit to the default levels (page 98 of the manual), swinging the boat's compass & getting a new deviation level. Next, turn on your GPS or Loran, if you have it. The autopilot uses this information to help calibrate the AutoAdapt function. If you don't have a GPS or Loran hooked up, then set your Latitude to your position. Try the default settings above & hopefully it will work. I hope this helps...give me an email at allens@mathworks.com if you need more help, ok? Believe me, it's WELL WORTH the frustration to get it working. I love it & I'm really impressed with it's ability to hold a course, even in varying winds and following seas. Good Luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30, Hull# 632
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Lee Hadjiosif
ST 4000+
My ST 4000+ works fine except when I press the Push to Talk button on the VHF mike. Then it goes haywire. There is no way I can separate the autopilot head from the VHF which is mounted next to the autopilot but as long as I know when and why this is happining, I can live with it.
My ST 4000+ works fine except when I press the Push to Talk button on the VHF mike. Then it goes haywire. There is no way I can separate the autopilot head from the VHF which is mounted next to the autopilot but as long as I know when and why this is happining, I can live with it.
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Dave
same issue - 180 off
I had the same problem. The deviation in my case was 2, but the heading was close to 180 off actual. Correcting it via the heading screen and it has been fine. No idea why it was that far off with default setting.
I had the same problem. The deviation in my case was 2, but the heading was close to 180 off actual. Correcting it via the heading screen and it has been fine. No idea why it was that far off with default setting.
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Jeff Bacon
Relocate Compass ??
Great responses from everyone...thanks. I installed my compass below one of the floorboards on a stringer exactly on the centerline of the boat, and thought I was pretty smart to use that location. However, it just occurred to me that in my effort to locate away from all the metal sources on the boat, I may have overlooked the most obvious one.... the keel. I think I am about 1 1/2 feet above the keel, but, it's still 5000 pounds of pure lead. I may try a relocation to see if that helps in any way. By the way, although not mentioned in my original post, my boat definitly "hunts" as others have mentioned. I will relocate and report back Jeff
Great responses from everyone...thanks. I installed my compass below one of the floorboards on a stringer exactly on the centerline of the boat, and thought I was pretty smart to use that location. However, it just occurred to me that in my effort to locate away from all the metal sources on the boat, I may have overlooked the most obvious one.... the keel. I think I am about 1 1/2 feet above the keel, but, it's still 5000 pounds of pure lead. I may try a relocation to see if that helps in any way. By the way, although not mentioned in my original post, my boat definitly "hunts" as others have mentioned. I will relocate and report back Jeff
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Derek Rowell
Jeff - Lead keel should not affect you....
Lead is a non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metal and should not affect your compass. I believe that the the hunting behavior is the result of the rudder-gain and auto-trim settings. Take a look at Allen's reply. Derek (I haven't heard back from Raymarine yet...)
Lead is a non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metal and should not affect your compass. I believe that the the hunting behavior is the result of the rudder-gain and auto-trim settings. Take a look at Allen's reply. Derek (I haven't heard back from Raymarine yet...)
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Jeff Bacon
Lead Keel
Derek: You're right, although I have seen a lot of modern keels rust. I wonder if they use steel as a filler or add in to the lead ? Jeff
Derek: You're right, although I have seen a lot of modern keels rust. I wonder if they use steel as a filler or add in to the lead ? Jeff
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Chuck Wayne
st4000 wierdness
my new st4000+ hunts, too- my dealer says that you have to enter the dealer cal routine, and set the latitude to correct this-although it's only supposed to happen when heading north, mine hunts heading south, too-I'll report back after i set it
my new st4000+ hunts, too- my dealer says that you have to enter the dealer cal routine, and set the latitude to correct this-although it's only supposed to happen when heading north, mine hunts heading south, too-I'll report back after i set it
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Dave
Iron keel
To reduce costs, many of the high production manufacturers use cast iron keels as opposed to lead. Cheaper. They do rust if not taken care of properly.
To reduce costs, many of the high production manufacturers use cast iron keels as opposed to lead. Cheaper. They do rust if not taken care of properly.
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Victor Robert
re: VHF & Autopilot
Lee mentioned a problem with the autopilot going nuts when the VHF send key was depressed. I had a similar issue with my depth finder head, which is located next to the radio. It almost killed the depthfinder. I can hardly see the LCD display anymore. The problem was that the antenna connector on the back of the radio had come loose and was leaking RF energy to the nearby electronics. Check your connections !
Lee mentioned a problem with the autopilot going nuts when the VHF send key was depressed. I had a similar issue with my depth finder head, which is located next to the radio. It almost killed the depthfinder. I can hardly see the LCD display anymore. The problem was that the antenna connector on the back of the radio had come loose and was leaking RF energy to the nearby electronics. Check your connections !
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Tom LaRocco
180 degrees out??
If your control head compass reading is 180 off from your binnacle compass suggest you check fluxgate connection to control head. The lines may be reversed. Hope this helps Tom L.
If your control head compass reading is 180 off from your binnacle compass suggest you check fluxgate connection to control head. The lines may be reversed. Hope this helps Tom L.
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