B&G vs. Garmin

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Stumble

The result of this is that the autopilot is by far the best driver, and currently drives about 99% of the time on the above mentioned fleets. as an example, the autopilot is smart enough to change the way I think drives based on the conditions.

Does it use wind speed, temperature pressure and humidity as well? or just inertial motion to do this?

So where a Raymarine autopilot can only hold AWA or magnetic heading the NKE can be programmed to alter the gain and sensitivity based on wind speed, wind direction (beating, running, reaching), boat heel angle, wave action, or pretty much any other input. This allows the autopilot to react fa more like a good driver than anything else on the market.

A sailing autopilot can take advantages of knowing how the boat reacts under sail to greatly reduce power consumption.

On a multihull or plaining hull the autopilot is smart enough to automatically switch between AWA and COG settings itself if the aparent wind is building due to the boat speed climbing instead of a wind shift.

Doesn't this just mean the computer converts the instruments apparent wind reading into true wind, then steers relative to true wind?

The downside of these abilities is that you have to program the head unit to take advantage of it all. Out of the box it's as dumb as a Garmin/Raymarine. It just stears to a waypoint. Add the time to make it work and it is almost always the best driver on board.

I am considering a system in my autopilot to train a neural network. Basically you can train it to some combination of maximizing gps speed, minimizing power consumption, and minimizing accelerations or rolling.

I already notice that my autopilot can save huge amounts of power and wear simply by tuning it to drive in the period of the boat's rolling motion that has the least resistance to move the rudder. Since it costs nothing to lock it.

Eventually consider adding external video cameras to "see" the horizon as well as dangers, steering to avoid them.

[Stumble]

Alexandra,

I would suggest taking a look at the manuals for the NKE and racing B&G models. They can pretty much take anything into account. From the basics like wind speed, to using a gyroscope correct wind readings based on the heel angle of the boat, and adjusting how aggressively the boat stears based upon the same heel angles. Of course it's all boat dependent, so different hulls need different rudder inputs depending on the heel, and thus the programming requirement.

I haven't played with the current models, but the system I worked with more than a decade ago I still still more advanced than the Raymarine system we installed a year or so ago.

[sck5]

I am not a racer. I dont need or want all of the racing features others seem to want to play with. I want a plotter and an AP that work when I turn them on. No need for more. I had Garmin equipment on my old boat and now have Raymarine. I would go back to Garmin in an instant if I could. Easy interface and really excellent radar - truly startling actually - picked up crab pots on Chesapeake Bay.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by sck5

I am not a racer. I dont need or want all of the racing features others seem to want to play with. I want a plotter and an AP that work when I turn them on. No need for more. I had Garmin equipment on my old boat and now have Raymarine. I would go back to Garmin in an instant if I could. Easy interface and really excellent radar - truly startling actually - picked up crab pots on Chesapeake Bay.

I marvel at & enjoy playing with the newer systems, but I'm with you on choosing an easy interface and reliability when it comes to my own boat. If I can ask, which Garmin radar did you have that you thought so highly of? I am considering the 24" XD model radome to replace my old Furuno which is getting tired. The latest Garmin with Doppler looks impressive but also overkill (and more $$) for my needs.

[sck5]

I had the 18inch HD. I had it on a backstay mount relatively low down so it was very good at picking things up at sea level. Having said that I rarely use the radar now that I am in the Caribbean. Sometimes it is useful on night passages but otherwise it doesnt get turned on ever. I originally got one after finding myself in a pea soup fog one day and no idea where other boats were. Never again do I want that to happen. But most of the time eyeballs are all I need.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by sck5

I had the 18inch HD. I had it on a backstay mount relatively low down so it was very good at picking things up at sea level. Having said that I rarely use the radar now that I am in the Caribbean. Sometimes it is useful on night passages but otherwise it doesnt get turned on ever. I originally got one after finding myself in a pea soup fog one day and no idea where other boats were. Never again do I want that to happen. But most of the time eyeballs are all I need.

Thanks for the info. Sailing through pea soup fog is as scared as I've ever been on my boat thus far. I used to keep my radar on 24/7, often with guard alarms set, but now it usually only goes on at night or in other low visibility situations. Can't seem to get it to work in heavy rains using the filter but that could be operator error. Good to hear the 18" HD worked well. If you already have Garmin plotters/MFD's it's hard to beat price-wise. Not sure if it works with non-Garmin plotters or monitors.