STOL71
Well-Known Member
Calibrating to ascertain deviation: does it have to be done during slack water?
Calibrating Raymarine ST2000 tiller pilot
- Thread starter STOL71
- Start date
STOL71
Well-Known Member
No thoughts on this? There's nothing in the manual, unfortunately.
macd
Well-Known Member
When I had them I made of point of setting them up when there was little or no current. Whether I was right or not, this seemed implicit in the requirement to go slowly round in circles.
Spyro
Well-Known Member
I don't think it matters that much, never even gave it a thought when I did mine. When you complete the circles what's the chances you are back at the point you started? Wind might have an effect as well if you were really concerned
macd
Well-Known Member
...on the other hand (cf post #3), for reasons which now escape me I did once calibrate one satisfactorily by simply rotating it slowly in the cockpit of a stationary boat. So a slow, steady change of bearing seems to be important, rather than actually moving along a circular course.
rob2
Well-Known Member
The autohelm detects heading, but not position, so why would it matter? As others have said, it requires a slow steady change of heading. I rather like the idea of simply rotating the autohelm , sitting in the cockpit rather than trying to find a quiet enough traffic situation to allow you an uninterrupted circular course (Red Funnel don't have a great record of giving way, especially if they're in the main channel and you cut across them).
Rob.
Rob.
STOL71
Well-Known Member
Many thanks, question answered.
crackle
New Member
It is more important to perform the calibration in calm waters and very low wind, as the wind will affect the rate of turn as you come round into the wind.
Buck Turgidson
Well-Known Member
Rotating it whilst sitting in the cockpit is not going to give you a good calibration unless you can move your engine around at the same time!!!! Deviation.
lw395
Well-Known Member
But it might erase a complete nonsense calibration and enable normal service to be resumed.
Mostly, so long as the deviation isn't huge, you just want the pilot to hold a course and it doesn't matter much if that's a few degrees out. It is a nuisnace when 'auto tack' takes you through a random number of degrees like 60 or 120 instead of 90-ish.
chewi
Well-Known Member
I don't think the calibration affects the autotack angle does it?. From memory its fixed at 100 degrees.
lw395
Well-Known Member
Not familiar with the exact model, but if it's trying to do 100 degrees and it's got a really daft deviation card calibrated in, then what you get might be much more or less than 100 degrees?
crackle
New Member
Yes that is possible, if the engine mass attracts the compass a little from turning then the boat may turn 100 deg but the compass only detects 90 deg. The results would be different for every heading.
GregDufour
New Member
Hi.. I have just purchased the ST2000 and mounted it and calibrated it and it’s giving me a correct compass reading to what’s on my boat compass.. as soon as I pointed my boat into the direction I want to go and press auto it just goes off on a tangent.. does anyone have any thoughts please? Greg
Kwik Decision
Well-Known Member
As tiller pilots can be mounted either side of the tiller, there's a way of changing which way it goes when the computer says "go to port". There's a reasonable chance yours is currently the wrong way round. That's certainly why ours took us off in the wrong direction, with alarms going off, when we first got it. On the ST4000 that's fixed by swapping two wires in the control box. For the ST2000, I'm afraid you'll need to check the manual...
GregDufour
New Member
That’s probably exactly what it is.. I’ve been going crazy.. thank you so much
garymalmgren
Well-Known Member
Hi Greg
It sounds like the calibration was not 100% successful.
This can be a bit of a fiddle.
Did you hear the little beep that tells you that the calibration?
I had to do my friend's calibration three times until it set itself properly and now works fine.
Try to calibrate again.
Kiwi Decision has mentioned the mounting position. The ST 2000 is factory set for port side mounting.
In the manual there are simple instructions to reset the unit to starboard.
A last point.
My unit was fitted when I bought the boat.
I was not really satisfied with the operation of my ST 1000 tillerpilot over a 5 year period. Something just seemed off.
Sometimes really accurate and sometimes wandering.
I re-calibrated it, but it made no difference.
The pivot point is on the cockpit coaming and because of the cockpit locker hatches that was the only place it could be fitted.
I measured and found that it was 40 mm short of center on the port stroke, so I made up a short extension that put the pivot point exactly on center of stroke.
Works perfectly now. Long story short. The tillerpilot MUST be fitted so the ram is at exactly center stroke when tiller is centered.
Gary
It sounds like the calibration was not 100% successful.
This can be a bit of a fiddle.
Did you hear the little beep that tells you that the calibration?
I had to do my friend's calibration three times until it set itself properly and now works fine.
Try to calibrate again.
Kiwi Decision has mentioned the mounting position. The ST 2000 is factory set for port side mounting.
In the manual there are simple instructions to reset the unit to starboard.
A last point.
My unit was fitted when I bought the boat.
I was not really satisfied with the operation of my ST 1000 tillerpilot over a 5 year period. Something just seemed off.
Sometimes really accurate and sometimes wandering.
I re-calibrated it, but it made no difference.
The pivot point is on the cockpit coaming and because of the cockpit locker hatches that was the only place it could be fitted.
I measured and found that it was 40 mm short of center on the port stroke, so I made up a short extension that put the pivot point exactly on center of stroke.
Works perfectly now. Long story short. The tillerpilot MUST be fitted so the ram is at exactly center stroke when tiller is centered.
Gary
GregDufour
New Member
It is mounted on the port side . Also I have checked the critical measurements and I believe they are correct
Plum
Well-Known Member
It is still worth checking that the autopilot is, in fact, set for the port side. Press the +1 and -1 buttons together for 5 seconds to toggle the operating sense, the display then shows port or stbd for 5 seconds.
It is easy to inadvertently switch from port and starboard mounting as pressing those same +1 and -1 buttons together, for less than 5 seconds, will switch the display illumination if in "standby" mode or switch the auto seastate mode if in "auto" mode
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chewi
Well-Known Member
an easy way to know if its set wrong is to use the + or - 10 buttins while in standby. For Port mounting the green +10 button should retract the rod, and the red -10 button should extend it.
If it works the opposite way round you need to read the manual and see how to switch it. I've had mine 27yrs and its a good autohelm.
If it works the opposite way round you need to read the manual and see how to switch it. I've had mine 27yrs and its a good autohelm.
