42 posts
I am over this auto pilot it refuses to work
spent $100s on it
gunna buy a new one
Does the St2000 unit have a separate compass or is it built in. if it is a built in compass is it ok with a steel hull as the St 4000 hand book says that the fluxgate compass has to mounted 1.2 Meters above the deck on steel hull boats
VIC
335 posts
The ST2000plus has a gimballed fluxgate compass built-in, just like the ST1000, and the Simrad TP 10, 22 and 32.
I just had a ST1000+ fail, and replaced it with the ST2000+ 'coz that's the only one in the shop. This weekend it worked very well.
On a steel boat I had, I had the Simrad TP22 mounted about half a metre above the steel cockpit seats, and I could never get it calibrated but it worked perfectly. I used it on weekends for convenience, but a windvane for longer trips. I bought a windvane first as I was told that autopilots don't work on steel boats, but in the end (i.e. fed up with hand steering on windless days), I got the tillerpilot and found it faultless.
Can you borrow a larger autopilot to try on your boat?
OTOH, with NMEA input, you could have the GPS send data to the a/p in lieu of the Earth's magnetic field as distorted around your steel boat.
QLD
880 posts
I have ST 2000, I do not belive it would be any problem on any boat.
You lock required heading and the pilot streer the boat.
You dont care what is compas deviation or offset in current heading,
simply it is not important at all.
The autopilot just keep preset heading within own limits.
