Raymarine ST2000 & ST40 wind

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rickchart

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I have an ST2000 tiller pilot and want to interface it to an ST40 wind instrument. Is it possible to buy just the wind transducer and connect that via Seatalk to the ST2000 or is it connected via the ST40 instrument?

Confused!
 
For the ST50 & 60 system, the display head is necessary to power the transducer and produce the seatalk, almost certain it will be the same for the ST40. Your post suggests that your prime aim is to have wind input to the autopilot, rather than the instrument read out. If so, my advice is to keep your money in your pocket. Steering to the wind input has a very slow response and has little, if any, advantage over steering to the autopilot compass.
 
Thanks earlybird!

Yes - I wanted to use the wind facility on the ST2000 but, after your reply, will probably not bother now. Saves me both time and money!
 
I haven't tried an ST40 but went for the ST60 instead & use it with an ST2000+. When I was looking around to buy, the ST40 looked a good deal. But on reading up & asking around I discovered it's not so good with yachts. Somewhere in the Raymarine blurb I believe they even say it's not recommended for yachts, only power. It does'nt use a wind vane for direction but works it out from a rotor that's slightly imballanced, called a rotavecta. You do need a display though. Neither the ST60 wind vane & the ST40 rotavecta are seatalk. the display converts the transducer to seatalk.

Yes, sailing in vane mode does work. But what it won't do is hold a good close hauled course. That's because the whole system is too slow to handle wind shifts. If they're small, it's OK but no-where near as good a a human. If they're not small & I'm headed, the genny backs before the autopilot can respond & I'm tacked. So, I don't use the autopilot hard on the wind even in vane mode. I need to be 10 degrees off at least to avoid being thrown about. Downwind if it's blowing, I don't use the autopilot for the same reason. Generally it is fast enough to avoid a gybe. But, being tacked is one thing, being accidentally gybed is something I avoid. Again I sail 10 degrees off a dead run or sometimes more depending on sea condition if I'm going to use the autopilot.

I sail short inshore passages & therefore vane mode isn't that useful. However, offshore it would ge great.

So, if you're looking at buying just to use vane mode, unless you're going offshore don't bother. Use compass mode or lock to GPS.
 
I find the rotorvecta has been good on a yacht, gives steady reading and if it is not made for yachts why has it got the steer to wind function? unless its for the mobo skipper who does not want the froth blown off his pint!
 
i should add that i use a nasa clipper instrument, maybe this is faster at providing the nmea information than seatalk. i can sail closehauled for significant amounts of time without major course alterations.
 
Interested to see that you use the NASA clipper wind with your St1000. I have a NASA target wind but have got fed up with replacing the windcups on the transducer (2 have disappeared in the last 3 years!).

Also, I looked to buying the NASA transducer with NMEA output but the NMEA sentence produced by this is not one of those recognised by the ST2000+! How do you get your one to interface with the ST1000?
 
This is the cheapest I can find it on-line, but I was advertising one for a sailing friend last year that was brand new, still in box, and never fitted.

If you are interested, I can find out if he will take an offer. He was asking around £100 delivered. Take off VAT (at least) from the above and make him an offer.

If you are interested, PM me and I will give you his phone number.
 
Thanks for the information Phillip. I think I will first of all try to get my NASA wind working correctly and then do a bit more research on whether or not it is worth my while bothering to interface the wind with the autohelm.

This year was meant to be the one where I spent no more money on electronic gadgets!

Rick Chart (Sadler 29)
 
[ QUOTE ]
This year was meant to be the one where I spent no more money on electronic gadgets!

[/ QUOTE ]

This year was meant to be the one where I spent money on a wind instrument, and re-glazing 3 hatches.

No such luck as the engine has had to come out for a major service!! Bores honed, rings replaced, valves and seats replaced - this is so far!! It's a VP /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Let me know if you are interested in the interface later on.
 
I'm just installing an st2000 autopilot and want to interface a NASA Clipper Wind to enable sailing to the apparent wind.

I know that the masthead unit puts out NMEA 0183 sentence MWV but that the st2000 only recognizes VWR on it's NMEA 0183 input.

Has anyone had any joy with getting them to talk?
 
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