Help with autopilot

bigred

Well-Known Member
Good day just wondering if anyone has experience using a ray marine tiller autopilot? I just purchased a new to me boat that came with one which the previous owner did not know how to set up. I went over the manual, and am having some issues with it. As the manual says, start on the course you want, press the auto button and install the pilot. It should then hold you on that course unless you press the plus or minus degree buttons. So what happens when I use it is I set my course, hit auto, put it on and for a while it seems to hold steady course but then after a couple minutes it will try to turn the boat drastically sometimes even a 180 and pressing the buttons doesn’t seem to change its course once it starts turning. It seems to me as though there is some calibration step maybe I am missing. If anyone has any input I would greatly appreciate.
 
Sounds like you’re having an issue with your compass bearings. Take a handled compass and check by the autopilot compass to see if any magnetics are messing with your readings. Can be as simple as a magnetic tip screwdriver or even a cell phone too close to my compass can make my autopilot go in circles
 
Ok thanks I will give that a try. Just to confirm there is no other calibration or set procedure I’m missing? When it starts off it holds you straight and makes fine adjustment keeping you on track and out of no where it will just start cranking you left or right. And this is under normal conditions, no excessive wind/ waves etc just moving at 2.5 mph.
 
To the point above... I had Raymarine on my old boat. It would do that for two reasons. Cell phone near the puck on my roof or wind/waves/not enough speed and it thinks I am turning so it over corrects. You might also have pattern steer on? Does it have that setting? What does the control gauge look like (what model)?
 
Ok thanks I will give that a try. Just to confirm there is no other calibration or set procedure I’m missing? When it starts off it holds you straight and makes fine adjustment keeping you on track and out of no where it will just start cranking you left or right. And this is under normal conditions, no excessive wind/ waves etc just moving at 2.5 mph.
I’m not totally sure as I have the simrad autopilot. But for mine I had to first set it on land when the motor was straight, full left and right turns. Then go out on a calm day and drive in a circle at 3 degrees per second to calibrate
 
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I have a push pull cable steer boat not via hydraulic ram.

Mine cannot be calibrated using virtual rudder feedback where the system callibrates itself, I have to physically rotate the motor starboard/port/centre myself following the direction of the software for rudder feedback.

I set it to virtual feedback only once back at the beginning when it couldn't remember its settings due to out of date firmware. (from the factory I might add) LOL. 🌻
 
I had a bad heading sensor that would do that...troll along fine for an hour and it would take a sudden turn. Once I replaced it i had no more issues
 
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