[C320-list] Autohelm

Sat Jan 21 07:58:05 PST 2006

To All,

  I have not read it in the manual, but I can confirm that the Autohelm does not use the wind direction incator input exclusively.  If it did it would never give an off course alarm since it would always stay at the same angle to the wind.

  John (Sojourn645)

Bill Culbertson <billculb_a2 at yahoo.com> wrote:
  I found the reference:

http://www.raymarine.com/raymarine/SubmittedFiles/Handbooks/Autopilots/ST4000plus_mk2.pdf

Check page 27, section 3.2

-bill

Bill Culbertson wrote:
Scott,
I remember reading in the manual (sorry Orlando) that the wind mode provides adjustments to the fluxgate heading but the unit still steers by fluxgate.
-bill

"T. Scott Thompson" wrote:
The settings quoted below are for the ST4000+, which is NOT the unit in 
question. In fact, if I read the messages correctly, Joan is asking 
whether she should upgrade to the ST4000+.

Steve: What makes you say that the wind instrument just provides 
adjustments to the fluxgate input? My impression has been that the 
fluxgate is no longer used to steer the boat at all when sailing to the 
wind instrument. The wind mode gives by far the best performance, at 
least for sailing upwind, I've found.

Joan: I've found that my boat with ST4000+ snakes about the same when 
using the GPS waypoint mode as when using a compass heading mode. May 
be the function of one GPS vs. another, but I can't think of why the 
GPS would help much since according to the docs, the Autohelm does not 
use the GPS heading information at all. (It appears to use the cross 
track error data and the bearing to waypoint data to determine which 
course to steer in GPS mode. But my experience is that it will 
tolerate quite a bit of cross track error before it makes a correction.)

I've read here that Raymarine has recommended the rudder sensor to some 
owners, but have never heard anyone report that they noticed much of an 
improvement from installing one. I'd love to be proven wrong, however.

On the other hand, installing one of the newer Raymarine units that 
includes a gyro unit to improve the heading response performance of hte 
compass should make a lot of difference. I don't think you can add 
this to the ST4000 or ST4000+, however.

------------------
T. Scott Thompson
sthompson at toad.net

Quoting Steven Magennis :

> This has been discussed a lot on this site. From Jan, 2005:
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Allan Field 
> To: c320 
> Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 5:44 PM
> Subject: RE: [c320] User Setup for Raymarine ST4000 Plus Wheel
> Autopilot
> 
> 
> An important setting is drive type = 2.
> 
> Calibration Lock OFF
> Pilot Type 4000whl
> Rudder Gain 2
> Response 2
> Turn Rate Limit 20
> Align Rudder 0
> Rudder Limit 20
> Off Course Alarm 20
> AutoTack 100
> AutoTrim 3
> Drive Type 2
> Variation 0
> AutoAdapt nth
> Latitude The correct latitude for 
> the location of the boat.
> Rudder Damp 4
> Cruise Speed A
> 
> 
> 
> These settings sort-of work. You will still get a wake snake, but
> they
> are much better than the original factory settings. At least one
> C-320
> owner has installed the rudder position indicator on his boat (look
> in
> the C-320 photo archives), and that may help.
> 
> I have been using these settings for the past four years with my
> ST-4000+ on my C-320, and get a minimal wake snake when steering
> off
> the fluxgate compass under power. However, when I use either the
> wind
> instrument or the GPS to control the direction (yeah, yeah, I know,
> the
> wind instrument just provides some adjustment to the fluxgate
> control,
> but what can I say), the boat runs straight as an arrow with no wake
> snake at all.
> 
> Steve
> Alchemist C-320 #909
> 
> 
> 
> --- Sweetwater Yacht Charters wrote:
> 
> > Believe me, we have tried everything! I would be happy with any
> kind
> > of
> > course at all - even if it is a big "S". This unit simply will not
> > hold a
> > course at all. The previous owner actually sent the head in for
> > repair and
> > they upgraded the software and sent a list of all the correct
> > settings, but
> > it still won't work. After struggling with it for 2 seasons, I
> think
> > I would
> > just rather get a new unit.
> > -Joan
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mark Koch" 
> > To: 
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 7:31 AM
> > Subject: RE: [C320-list] Autohelm
> > 
> > 
> > > Dear Joan,
> > >
> > > We had the same problem on "Still Crazy". I could not make the
> > system
> > hold
> > > a course in any kind of a sea. Each variation to port or
> starboard
> > was
> > > greater than the last. We were sailing huge S's down the lake. 
> I
> > contacted
> > > customer service at Raymarine and he gave me a group of settings
> > that
> > > returned the unit to factory settings. After performing the
> > recommended
> > > adjustments, the system worked flawlessly. Raymarine service
> > contacted me
> > > several days later to check on the adjustments. I am now very
> > pleased
> > with
> > > both the Autohem and the Service Dept.
> > >
> > > Mark Koch
> > > #738 Still Crazy
> > > Huron, Ohio
> > >
> > > Mark Koch
> > > KelKo Products Company
> > > Sandusky, Ohio
> > > (419) 626-2571
> > >
> > >
> > > >From: "Sweetwater Yacht Charters"
> 
> > > >Reply-To: C320-List 
> > > >To: "C320-List" 
> > > >Subject: [C320-list] Autohelm
> > > >Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 10:03:14 -0800
> > > >
> > > >We have never been able to get the Autohelm on Persistence to
> work
> > > >correctly. Apparently the previous owner had problems too. I
> have
> > decided
> > > >to
> > > >replace the unit this year. The old unit is the ST4000 (not the
> > ST400+)
> > > >My question: I think I can get an upgrade from Raymarine to go
> > from the
> > > >ST4000 to the ST4000+. This would be much cheaper since it
> would
> > work
> > with
> > > >the equipment already installed. Has anyone done this? Also,
> does
> > anyone
> > > >have suggestions for a better system? My feeling after doing
> > research is
> > > >that the ST4000+ is adequate, but not great. Of course, the
> > service
> > > >department would like me to buy a nice, expensive system! I
> sail
> > on the
> > > >Great Lakes (primarily Lake Michigan) so I don't need anything
> > really
> > heavy
> > > >duty, but we do some long distances when delivering so it can't
> be
> > > >light-weight either.
> > > >
> > > >-Joan
> > > > C320 #90 Persistence
> > > >
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John Van Vessem
Sojourn 645
Vallejo Yacht Club