Wind indicator totally lost the plot

[stranded]

Raymarine 2007 vintage windex to st60+ head. I have googled this to death and this is the last gasp before I send swmbo up the mast - which tends to be more costly than hiring a pro. So, it stopped giving wind speed - just the three dashes. As with all it problems, that could be resolved by switching off and on again. Then the direction started wandering, by up to 180 degrees. First couple of times, factory reset and relinearisation sorted it, for an hour or three. Then it stopped linearising, so I manually calibrated, which again would hold for an hour or more then wander off. It has now, sometimes, but not always, started going backwards i.e. backing when the wind is veering. And yesterday we had several 90kt+ gusts, although you would never have guessed it from the glassy sea and sedate progress. In between times, wind speed doesn't feel to be far off when I can get the direction right.

So, my deduction, after a great deal of careful thought, is that something is, in technical jargon, totally knackered. As the windex pointer points at the wind, and the cups seem to spin reasonably consistently, I am assuming electronic rather than mechanical. In which case I presumably need a new transducer? And if so, will it work with my existing st60+ display as I am a bit OCD and would probably have to get matching speed and depth displays and I can't afford it.

As aforesaid, can't find any similar symptoms online, so grateful for any suggestions.

Mark

 

[Carmel2]

A crow sat on mine and it was sorted, but I think you will have more luck the wife! Have look at any corrosion at the point were the wiring enters the boat.

 

[stranded]

A crow sat on mine and it was sorted, but I think you will have more luck the wife! Have look at any corrosion at the point were the wiring enters the boat.

Inspirational! A fishing boat just came is so I'm off to borrow a sardine - I'll haul that to the top of the mast and get a seagull to come fix it for me.

 

[geem]

It could be as simple as a bad connection on the pins where the arm pushes in. I used electrical cleaner on mine and it has worked perfectly ever since

 

[oldharry]

+1 I had a Navman that behaved just the same. Unstable and often reversed direction, and speed indication of hurricane Harvey proportions in the gusts, and sometimes no indication. Recalibration would sometimes last an hour or two, sometimes a week or more. Turned out to be water ingress at the deck connector. The giveaway is the high gust readings caused by noisy connections giving what the instrument reads as a series of signal pulses giving ridiculouusly high speed readouts.

 

[chrisD]

The fact that both speed and direction are playing up suggests that it is likely a connection problem.

I believe that the ST60+ (but not the ST60) will work with the transducer currently available.

 

[lpdsn]

Inspirational! A fishing boat just came is so I'm off to borrow a sardine - I'll haul that to the top of the mast and get a seagull to come fix it for me.

Be careful. A fat seagull snapped off my Windex.

 

[Carmel2]

Be careful. A fat seagull snapped off my Windex.

It's as always a matter of attracting the right bird.

 

[earlybird]

My ST60+ gave unreliable reading, speed and direction. The fault proved to be corroded pins on the mast-head connector caused by water getting past the O-ring.

 

[stranded]

Thank you for all the suggestions. As the seagulls down this way are obviously too grand for mere sardines, my problem remains. I've checked all the sea level connections - instrument head and below deck connectors, and all in very good nick, so the masthead connections sound like prime suspects. Is this something that can likely be sorted while up there with a bit of emery cloth and a squirt of something, or is it a case of remaking wires, or replacing bits, or indeed none of the above? Better start taking soundings what a swmbo masthead visit is likely to cost me - iirc the last was a Paul Smith handbag.

 

[lpdsn]

T Better start taking soundings what a swmbo masthead visit is likely to cost me - iirc the last was a Paul Smith handbag.

Does she like sardines?

 

[MikeCC]

You will be hard pushed to get emery cloth into the pins/sockets. Contact cleaner (or some other alcohol based product) is probably your best chance. Spray on to both connectors and then gently work them back and forth a little. Don't be tempted to use a brush or file as the pins are easily bent.

There's also a chance that connections inside the base or wand are damaged. Might mean several mast trips, but you could test it on another boat. And vice versa with their unit.

 

[Carmel2]

Paul Smith you say, at least she has taste.

 

[stranded]

Paul Smith you say, at least she has taste.

Oh she has taste - a bit too much of it.

 

[Mistroma]

You will be hard pushed to get emery cloth into the pins/sockets. Contact cleaner (or some other alcohol based product) is probably your best chance. Spray on to both connectors and then gently work them back and forth a little. Don't be tempted to use a brush or file as the pins are easily bent.

There's also a chance that connections inside the base or wand are damaged. Might mean several mast trips, but you could test it on another boat. And vice versa with their unit.

My ST60s gave dodgy wind readings after about 18 months. Greenish colour on pins so obviously water ingress. I cleaned pins with contact cleaner and managed to wipe all discoloration away. Socket at masthead had contact cleaner blasted down each hole and repeated after inserting socket a couple of times. Contralube 770 smeared on pins before final reassembly and problem never returned.

I now remove the sensor at end of season, clean, apply Contralube and reassemble next season. Probably overkill as connections are always clean now. Saves wear on bearings and I go up the mast to check standing rigging anyway.