Need Help With Navigation Electronics

[colemj]

Originally Posted by jeffrobbins

If you connect your WatchMate Vision's 0183 output to the A/P's 0183 input then you can send it waypoint, cross track error, etc. from any of your iPad / iPhone apps. The WatchMate Vision will also supply GPS data to the A/P and it will supply it to the iPad/iPhone too.

This will only send the AP nav info - not control it. So while you would be able to use it to steer directly to a waypoint, you would not be able to have it dodge something or take it in/out of auto mode.

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by CaptMarc

Are you plotting positions every 5 minutes to make corrections? Shucks in the USCG we were checked after a 4 hour helm watch and given a few degrees correction...

If the AP is steering to a waypoint, there will not be any corrections needed because there will not be any XTE. It is one of the best and safest modes in which to operate an AP - spend your efforts ensuring and plotting a safe route and forget about drifting off course due to wind, leeway, current or tired helmsman.

If you need to plot your position every 5 minutes on a 6kt boat to make steering corrections, you need more practice at the helm.

Mark

[ssscruz]

Originally Posted by CaptMarc

There is a + and - button on the auto pilot. if you're in the cockpit its easier to use that than making course corrections vie IPad....

I would second this. Also, Ray makes (made?) a wireless remote for the AP. You can use that to monitor waypoints, XTE etc. We use that along with a garmin chartplotter to send waypoints to the AP.

Also, I recently installed a Brookhouse iMux, which pulls all the info (position, wind, depth, etc) off the Seatalk network, and broadcasts it via wifi to iDevices with iNavX. It works really well.

[jeffrobbins]

Originally Posted by ssscruz

Also, I recently installed a Brookhouse iMux, which pulls all the info (position, wind, depth, etc) off the Seatalk network, and broadcasts it via wifi to iDevices with iNavX. It works really well.

Yeah, the Brookhouse works well. But it will be redundant in this case as he'll have a WatchMate Vision which does this for him.

[Kenomac]

Yes, I already use the +/- correction cockpit buttons for the Raymarine auto pilot. I was just wondering if it's possible to set a course via the ipad or laptop and have the boat steer itself and just check course every 10 minutes or so for deviation.

Much like Mark suggested.

Ken

[Abgreenbank]

The ray control app for iPad etc doesn't allow AP control or power on/off however if you have an e or a series mfd you can select pilot bar and have full control of the AP using the mfd.
The major use I have for the ray control app is to fire up radar, track targets with Marpa and AIS and check we are going in the correct direction, especially on those long night watches.
Oh and the latest use I found was acknowledging AIS messages from targets with class A (?) systems.

Regards

Ab


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[hellosailor]

Ken-
When you say the I-stuff reads gps "off the grid" that would mean the electrical power grid on the mainland. Which carries no GPS information.

If you mean the internet, of course you don't have any direct connection to that on a boat.

If you have your own "grid" of WiFi or Bluetooth on the boat...you should check on that before relying on it. If they are reading GPS from a WiFi source, you might want to make sure of what that is. For Bluetooth, only devices with special apple-licensed hardware and software can directly send a GPS or other data stream to I-stuff.

So, whichever it is? You might want to make sure about it. There's no conventional "grid" source that's going to feed gps data to I-stuff. (Or any other stuff.)

fwiw.

[Jman]

Originally Posted by colemj

If the AP is steering to a waypoint, there will not be any corrections needed because there will not be any XTE. It is one of the best and safest modes in which to operate an AP - spend your efforts ensuring and plotting a safe route and forget about drifting off course due to wind, leeway, current or tired helmsman.

If you need to plot your position every 5 minutes on a 6kt boat to make steering corrections, you need more practice at the helm.

Mark

IMHO ap steering to waypoint is strictly for power boats in calm waters, or very short runs. When sailing; compass course is fine, maybe steering to relative wind is even better. Consider crossing the Bay of Fundy (extreme I know), takes about 24 hours hours at 6knots. Four tide cycles, 2.5 knots in each direction, crab south on the flood and then north on the ebb, makes zero sense. In order to keep zero XTE, the computer will sometimes make extreme course changes, the very opposite of safe.


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[Jman]

Not to put an even finer point, but, consider a 200 mile journey with no tide. Somewhere in the middle of the journey you find yourself 10 miles off rhumb line. You correct back. How many extra miles have you sailed?

Here is the math sqrt(100^2 + 10^2) x 2 = 0.9975, you have sailed 201 miles, instead of 200. Or an extra 10 minutes.

Hard to do simple math, but bouncing back and forth trying to maintain 0 XTE, plus the at least sometimes, improperly trimmed sails, will be much slower, maybe that is the definition of safe.


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[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Jman

IMHO ap steering to waypoint is strictly for power boats in calm waters, or very short runs. When sailing; compass course is fine, maybe steering to relative wind is even better. Consider crossing the Bay of Fundy (extreme I know), takes about 24 hours hours at 6knots. Four tide cycles, 2.5 knots in each direction, crab south on the flood and then north on the ebb, makes zero sense. In order to keep zero XTE, the computer will sometimes make extreme course changes, the very opposite of safe.


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Another perfect example to use Dockhead's course to steer (CTS).

[Kenomac]

Sounds like it's best to just keep on doing what I've always done, which is constant small course adjustments on the auto pilot every five to ten minutes using the Chartplotter on the iPads and PC.

When I referred earlier to the iPads working off the grid, I meant to write off the cellular network. Using the new Vesper Vision AIS transponder, we will have all devices including the iPads, iPhones and PCs connected on a common onboard wifi network.

[Jman]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Sounds like it's best to just keep on doing what I've always done, which is constant small course adjustments on the auto pilot every five to ten minutes using the Chartplotter on the iPads and PC.



When I referred earlier to the iPads working off the grid, I meant to write off the cellular network. Using the new Vesper Vision AIS transponder, we will have all devices including the iPads, iPhones and PCs connected on a common onboard wifi network.

Maybe, I think my point is not every five to ten minutes, but every couple of hours or more, depending on the length of the trip.


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