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where to site new autopilot compass |
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gertha
Admiral Joined: 03 June 2004 Location: Pinn Mill Status: Offline Points: 1036 |
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Posted: 17 March 2012 at 18:20 |
I have purchased a new rate compass to improve the performance of my autopilot.
The problem is where best to locate it. Best location is in centre of boat at water line. This puts me in the seat in front of the sink, tradition has it that we keep food including tins in here, this could change; but I am only apron 300 mm above iron keel. I can move back and up to be under sink, however random saucepans and cutlery go here. I can go forward and up under table however the table bracket is a lump of iron. I can go into stern cabin; but to be the recommended 2 meters from engine I am in the lazarette(can some one tell me how to spell this) and close to cockpit speakers, gas bottles and autopilot drive . I can go forward into front cabin; but to be far enough away from keel I am getting close to anchor chain and windlass. Under the head lining is an option ; but the new compass is too deep to fit in the void. On deck is another option, however again it is a bit of a lump and needs to be away from all things ferrous . The only two safe places are up mast or in a dingy towed behind; but neither of these are practical. Any help much appreciated. Yours Simon Ridley |
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holby
Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 18 February 2006 Location: Isle of Man Status: Offline Points: 2287 |
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Simon, I know the layout of a 301 is diferent to your one, but to get my fluxgate compass close to the centre line and close to the water line. I mounted it in the locker under the port berth in the saloon.
I checked with a "professional" compass swinger, and he said that if you have a lump of ferrous metal nearby, and that after swinging the compass according to the instructions it passes this and the deviation is less than the max recomended in the instructions then all should be well, so long as the ferrous metal is fixed i.e. not tools that you use and put back, or saucepans again that you use. In my locker I store my reserve water, (bottled) and my deviation is 6 dgrees, the max my instructions say is 15 degrees, but it goes onto say that higher figures are OK if it is a steel boat.
So basically what I am saying is that fixed in somewhere like under a bunk, that is away from ferrous or the ferrous is fixed and then swing to see if the deviation is below the max allowed.
If it is it is sorted, but you wont know for sure until you have swung the compass.
Dave
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Hanse 301, tiller steering, Volvo 2010 (10hp)
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Ian Robinson
Captain Joined: 24 November 2005 Location: Essex UK Status: Offline Points: 246 |
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Hi Simon,
Almost anywhere has pluses and minuses. I do not have a rate compass, but my basic electronic compass is situated high up in the portside clothes locker in the front cabin since 2006 without any obvious problems.
Regards
Ian
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Ostara a 370#88
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samuel
Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 26 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2681 |
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I put mine in the chart table!!!
This is much more fun because you never know if something in the table has fallen against the sensor & put you 20 degrees off course
The biggest problem is that wherever you site these things you cannot easily move it because of the difficulty of threading wires
Hanse stick loads of extra wires in that are not needed but they do not put any draw wires in
When I do put in a new wire I always stick a draw wire with it for future use
One other problem is that (on a 311) it is about 4 metres from the hatch garage to the electric box & if one wants to site the sensor one has a limited area that the wires will reach..
It is because the wiring on the NASA Clipper compass is no long enough I had to put the sensor in the chart table
Another niggle is that some items - echo sensor etc - have to remain attached to the unit. You have to start from the sensor end & after half a day of threadling you suddenly find the wire is 6 inches too short
I am not a fan of compassess where you have to concentrate on a number (although most electric compasses have an off course indicator)
On my boat I have a 44 year old Sestrel grid compass which is mounted beneath the tiller where one can look down on to it
I find that when the helmsman is very tired he can easily forget the course & watching numbers spin before his eyes makes it difficult to concentrate. I have often caught a tired crew steering the wrong course
The grid compass stops this happening
Why on earth one cannot buy a decent grid steering compasses these days is beyond me
Hanse supplied a compass on the hatch garage as standard but the stupid thing has a light in the top & it does not shine onto the rim where the numbers are. As a result the helmsman cannot use it at night. the very first night sail we did caused near panic as we had no other compass to steer the course to, so a crew had to sit shinning a torch on it, which effectively blinded every one in the cockpit
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Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex
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gertha
Admiral Joined: 03 June 2004 Location: Pinn Mill Status: Offline Points: 1036 |
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Ian,
I have the same setup as you, however I can keep the existing compass as a backup so do not wish to remove it, however I am told it is not good to have two compasses close together. Having blown a chunk of money on this toy I will let the forum know if there is any improvement in performance. The compass supplied was a simrad RFC 35, this is described by Simrad as suitable as a back-up compass. I have bought the RF36 which is the compass designed to go with an AP25, the autopilot that I have. Simon |
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echoofwight
Captain Joined: 08 August 2007 Location: Portsmouth UK Status: Offline Points: 254 |
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I had the same problem. I finally mounted the compass on the waterline in the forward cabin under the bunk. So far this has been great. Very good course keeping and the headings seem to be accurate with no noticeable deviation. Putting it in the forward cabin is further forward than recommended but all the 'recommended sites were close to the engine, keel or water pump.
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Steve. Hanse 341 Echo of Wight, . Deep draft and rudder, white hull, Single aft cabin. Raymarine instruments. Raymarine radar. Garmin AIS. Wheel Steering, Portsmouth.
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Brufan
Rear Admiral Joined: 16 December 2010 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 628 |
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My compass is located under the main locker floor under a wooden hatch, approx, 1,5 m from engine, 0,3 m from calorifier and 1 m form rudder stock. It's also located 0,7m under steering column base.
Works well (till know). Note that I have upgraded from FC 40 to RC 42 but I kept both connected to Simrad Network. The reason for this is that I wasn't able to remove FC 40 original cable (stuck somewhere). So I have both compasses connected but autopilot is set to work only with RC42. FC40 will act as back up.
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Bruno
hanse 355 - 57 S/Y Spicy Ginger White hull, 2 cabins, Volvo D1-30, Selden rig, removable mainsheet track system, Simrad (now B&G)-Jefa autopilot. |
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Tigger
Lieutenant Joined: 09 November 2011 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 36 |
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We had a major problem with the Simrad-Jefa autopilot compass, it was badly located from new in the port stern cabin on our 470. I have put a post (17th Jan) called 'compass location' on the 461/470 section with pics of where an electronics engineer re-sited it. Hope it helps
Tigger
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470e
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Inopio
Lieutenant Commander Joined: 11 February 2012 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 59 |
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Hi all,
I just completed sea trials (60 miles with the wind) testing new Autopilot Raymarine's SPX-5. The floodgate compass is installed in the vertical wall of the sink cabinet (under the sink) at the toilette, near floating line. The main advantage of this position is that the cable reaches that place easily and cleanly. The autopilot steer the boat very finely. |
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Inopia
Hanse 312 Bahía de Cádiz, Spain |
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gertha
Admiral Joined: 03 June 2004 Location: Pinn Mill Status: Offline Points: 1036 |
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Have mounted new rate compass under the sink in the toilet, it is an easy installation and clear of most lumps of ferus metal.
I am in the middle of the boat front to back,and on the water so two out of three. Sitting in the marina we are 3 points off the original compass, will check it all in the summer. S |
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