Wireless wind instrument

Poey50 said:
Not for the first time, I've got exactly that kit on our S32. It was installed by the previous owner and works faultlessly after 7 seasons and no battery changes. I wish I could say the same about the DST800 transducer that came as part of the original kit, which failed intermittently over three seasons.
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I've got that transducer - I replaced the paddle wheel and shaft but it still underreads.
 
eddystone said:
Is the Raymarine/Ticktack solar/wireless set-up reliable?
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I've got a fairly aged tacktick, it seems to have started losing direction, though the speed is still about right. Mostly been OK.

There's no NMEA/ST etc outputs you have to buy another 300 quid box if you want that.
 
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pvb said:
Not as reliable as a wired connection. Also note that, when the rechargeable batteries in the masthead unit need replacing, someone's got to go up the mast a couple of times - not something I like doing!
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Hi - the batteries are recharged by the sun. Mine first wind indicator lasted from 2005 to 2015 and only packed up because the bearing wore out and the cups got stuck. The next one lasted 2 years before I gave up and took it back - it was just inaccurate and the tax information could not be corrected..... they replaced this one so that been there since 2016 and works perfectly...... The batteries self charge so no problems....
 
pvb said:
Sorry, I thought you were planning to get a wireless wind instrument, not a tactical compass. The Raymarine wireless wind transducer does have a battery which will need replacing; the battery costs about £60 and Raymarine have these instructions - https://seamarknunn.com/acatalog/2050281.pdf
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No I was saying the internal battery in the NASA wireless masthead unit is charged by solar, like the Raymarine tactical compass on our Flying Fifteen. The base unit is 12V. I don't know about the Raymarine wireless transducer.
 
Chris_Robb said:
The batteries self charge so no problems....
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The batteries have a finite life. Garmin say about 3 years; I think they use NiMH batteries. The Raymarine/TackTick units now use Li-ion batteries, I believe, which should last longer. Nasa don't say what type of battery is in their wireless transducer, but my guess would be NiMH.
 
I have an aged tacktick wind system and links well to a raymarine autopilot via a micronet gateway: so now the wind vane and auto tack function work very well. I did replace the mast head unit as it seemed to be good for speed but less for direction. Has anyone bothered trying to get them refurbished by raymarine? maybe new battery, bearings and firmware upgrade or best just replaced occasionally?
 
chubby said:
I have an aged tacktick wind system and links well to a raymarine autopilot via a micronet gateway: so now the wind vane and auto tack function work very well. I did replace the mast head unit as it seemed to be good for speed but less for direction. Has anyone bothered trying to get them refurbished by raymarine? maybe new battery, bearings and firmware upgrade or best just replaced occasionally?
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How occasionally? At around £500, I'd want rarely!
 
I had a Tacktick wind system and a box at the base of the mast to convert to NMEA 183, it worked OK, but there was a noticeable delay between the seeing the wind shifts on the windex and the Tacktick instruments responding. By the time that got through to the autopilot in wind vane mode, the autopilot response was well behind what was happening to the sails. When it came time to replace the masthead unit I replace with a wired system, wire to an itc5 at the base of the mast then NMEA 2000 to the autopilot. This system has a very much faster response time, not as fast as a good helms person, but much better than the Tacktick.
I realise that the speed of response to the autopilot may not be at the top of many peoples list, but sailing single handed a good accurate autopilot working in windvane mode, is a real bonus, especially when I seem to spend a lot of time working to windward.
 
pvb said:
Remember that it has a battery with a finite life - probably only 2-3 years. When the battery wears out, it's necessary to go up the mast to replace it. Unless you're very nimble, it would mean two trips up the mast.

As your mast is down, why not fit a nice reliable wired system? It would be cheaper and would probably last much longer without needing attention.
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Had my Garmin wireless wind for 5 years, have had to change the battery at least 3 times. It intermittently stops working, definitely one of my worst boat 'investments'. I will not be going wireless again, irrespective of manufacturer.
 
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