Connecting autopilot alarm to speaker or loud hailer

[Irish Rover]

I'm hoping this is not an entirely stupid question. On a recent visit my son [who is a lot more technically minded than his old fellow] managed to get my Garmin GPS Map 750 plotter to connect with and talk to my Raymarine ST6001 auto pilot. It works quite well and is a big help when I'm single handed. It alarms before each turn and needs a confirmation before making the turn. The alarm is difficult to hear over the sound of the engines etc unless I'm right by the auto-helm unit. I'm wondering if it's possible to connect the alarm to a speaker or loud hailer and, if so, what do I need to do and does it matter which kind of speaker or loud hailer I use?

 

[prv]

Yes, you can connect an external alarm to the plotter. Instructions are in its installation manual:


If you can find a buzzer that uses less than 0.1 amps, you can omit the relay they show there and connect the buzzer directly between the red wire and the yellow wire.

Pete

 

[Irish Rover]

Yes, you can connect an external alarm to the plotter. Instructions are in its installation manual:
View attachment 76257

If you can find a buzzer that uses less than 0.1 amps, you can omit the relay they show there and connect the buzzer directly between the red wire and the yellow wire.

Pete

Thanks. However it's the autohelm unit which alarms when it needs to make a turn rather than the plotter.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks. However it's the autohelm unit which alarms when it needs to make a turn rather than the plotter.

You could fit a Raymarine E85001 interface, which as an alarm output. Unfortunately, it's out of production, so you'd need to find a used one.

But, you can also set an arrival alarm on the plotter and wire as Pete pointed out above.

 

[Irish Rover]

You could fit a Raymarine E85001 interface, which as an alarm output. Unfortunately, it's out of production, so you'd need to find a used one.

But, you can also set an arrival alarm on the plotter and wire as Pete pointed out above.

Thanks for your input. Will the arrival alarm work when I reach an intermediate way point or only when I reach my final destination waypoint?

 

[Irish Rover]

A bit of drift from my original question [still haven't found a solution] but maybe somebody can satisfy my curiosity. To recap I have a Garmin GPS Map 750 plotter talking to Raymarine ST6001 auto pilot. I've been playing around with it and the responses I'm getting are not consistent. If I set a course with a number of turns the AP usually alarms before each turn and I have to confirm by pressing "TRACK" for it to make the turn. Occasionally, however, it makes a turn all on it's own with no alarm and no intervention by me. Today, for instance, my first turn was around 1 mile from my start position and it made it on its own but alarmed and needed my confirmation for 2 subsequent turns. Is there any sense to it or is it the fairies playing with my mind?

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks for your input. Will the arrival alarm work when I reach an intermediate way point or only when I reach my final destination waypoint?

You can set the alarm to go off at the final destination, or each waypoint and the final destination. The alarm can be configured to go off a set time or distance from the waypoints, so it could, for instance, be set to go off a few seconds before arrival, making you aware that the autopilot will need the course change confirmation shortly.

 

[vas]

slightly confused,

so say you get your garmin and a/p talking each other and giving instructions, fine
then you say that on each turn you have to confirm, else what? boat goes straight to the rocks (or beach) where it's heading?
What's the point of confirming before turning? forgive me but I find it absurd, cant you just turn the warning off and tell the a/p to just follow the instructions given by the garmin?
Admittedly mine is a garmin only system, but once it's engaged, that's it, it's engaged and you can enjoy the sun, or your cooking or whatever (OK, someone is on watch obviously...)

cheers

V.

 

[cobolt]

slightly confused,

so say you get your garmin and a/p talking each other and giving instructions, fine
then you say that on each turn you have to confirm, else what? boat goes straight to the rocks (or beach) where it's heading?
What's the point of confirming before turning? forgive me but I find it absurd, cant you just turn the warning off and tell the a/p to just follow the instructions given by the garmin?
Admittedly mine is a garmin only system, but once it's engaged, that's it, it's engaged and you can enjoy the sun, or your cooking or whatever (OK, someone is on watch obviously...)

cheers

V.

Are you a Motor-boater perchance? Can be a bit hairy and/or disastrous if a sail-boat changes course without someone on the sheets appropriately.

Equally, regardless of boat-type, it is prudent to have an alarm or required confirmation before a course change....it allows the watch keeper to check the new course is clear of other vessels/obstructions before the boat turns blindly in that direction.

 

[PaulRainbow]

slightly confused,

so say you get your garmin and a/p talking each other and giving instructions, fine
then you say that on each turn you have to confirm, else what? boat goes straight to the rocks (or beach) where it's heading?
What's the point of confirming before turning? forgive me but I find it absurd, cant you just turn the warning off and tell the a/p to just follow the instructions given by the garmin?
Admittedly mine is a garmin only system, but once it's engaged, that's it, it's engaged and you can enjoy the sun, or your cooking or whatever (OK, someone is on watch obviously...)

cheers

V.

Your Garmin plotter has a feature called "Auto Guidance", this works pretty much like the SatNav in your car. It will create a route and follow it, allowing for depth and clearance setting that you have entered. Your Garmin auto pilot will follow this route, if it is connected to the plotter by NMEA 2000.

The Raymarine autopilot and plotter do not have this feature, even if both devices are Raymarine.

The Garmin plotter may have the Auto Guidance feature (it will need G2 Vision cartography), but the Raymarine auto pilot will not follow the route the same as the Garmin AP will.

Some of the later Raymarine APs will follow a Garmin route, but successful interconnectivity can be convoluted.

Garmin advise that the Auto Guidance feature should not be used when under sail.

 

[Irish Rover]

Your Garmin plotter has a feature called "Auto Guidance", this works pretty much like the SatNav in your car. It will create a route and follow it, allowing for depth and clearance setting that you have entered. Your Garmin auto pilot will follow this route, if it is connected to the plotter by NMEA 2000.

The Raymarine autopilot and plotter do not have this feature, even if both devices are Raymarine.

The Garmin plotter may have the Auto Guidance feature (it will need G2 Vision cartography), but the Raymarine auto pilot will not follow the route the same as the Garmin AP will.

Some of the later Raymarine APs will follow a Garmin route, but successful interconnectivity can be convoluted.

Garmin advise that the Auto Guidance feature should not be used when under sail.

Thanks Paul. As you say Garmin autoguidance only works if you have a Garmin AP. My Raymarine unit is fairly dated and only has NMEA 0183 connectivity. Still can't figure out how it occasionally makes a turn without alarm or Track confirmation.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks Paul. As you say Garmin autoguidance only works if you have a Garmin AP. My Raymarine unit is fairly dated and only has NMEA 0183 connectivity. Still can't figure out how it occasionally makes a turn without alarm or Track confirmation.

Not sure why you are getting those odd unconfirmed course changes. I'd certainly look into setting the alarm on the plotter, it will ensure that you at least get some sort of warning.

 

[Irish Rover]

Not sure why you are getting those odd unconfirmed course changes. I'd certainly look into setting the alarm on the plotter, it will ensure that you at least get some sort of warning.

Thanks I plan to do that.

 

[vas]

Are you a Motor-boater perchance? Can be a bit hairy and/or disastrous if a sail-boat changes course without someone on the sheets appropriately.

Equally, regardless of boat-type, it is prudent to have an alarm or required confirmation before a course change....it allows the watch keeper to check the new course is clear of other vessels/obstructions before the boat turns blindly in that direction.

I'm obviously a motorboater, but fwiw so is the OP cat, hence my asking!

Your Garmin plotter has a feature called "Auto Guidance", this works pretty much like the SatNav in your car. It will create a route and follow it, allowing for depth and clearance setting that you have entered. Your Garmin auto pilot will follow this route, if it is connected to the plotter by NMEA 2000.

The Raymarine autopilot and plotter do not have this feature, even if both devices are Raymarine.

The Garmin plotter may have the Auto Guidance feature (it will need G2 Vision cartography), but the Raymarine auto pilot will not follow the route the same as the Garmin AP will.

Some of the later Raymarine APs will follow a Garmin route, but successful interconnectivity can be convoluted.

Garmin advise that the Auto Guidance feature should not be used when under sail.

thanks Paul for the elaborate explanation. I was assuming that most a/p-plotter combo on a mobo work the same way. and yes I do have the G2 chartography and it does the autoroute fine.

cheers

V.