Raymarine S1000 Wireless Autopilot

I have a Ranger 25 with the RayMarine S1000 and I really appreciate it. I use it constantly. It is a bit noisy and not always responsive to turning. I only use it with extreme caution when not at the helm. (I learned the hard way (mine is mounted on the door to the helm enclosure along with the fuses) That door must be in the closed position or the boat will turn 360s.) I feel very confident in its accuracy considering it is complimented by the GPS and Radar. In boat dollars it is a heck of a deal for around $1000
 
Sorry about the labels. Yes, those are only autopilot REMOTES.

And I agree that another tradeoff between the S1000 and the S1/S1G besides performance and capability, is the S1000 remote display versus the fixed S1/S1G display. I voted for the bigger fixed display, since I wanted to be near the helm when the boat was on autopilot.

Whichever one you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy.

Boris
 
Am I correct in assuming that the S1 and S1G will still use the GPS hookup to the GPS and will follow routes right??

Thanks

Mike
 
The S1 takes a NMEA 183 (?) input. This lets it do 2 ea things. First, yes it does follow a route, and lets you know when it passes a waypoint. Second, it will reduce cross track error, which is a function of following the route. These capabilities are under the AUTO function.

As I found out, have the GPS cross track error down near 0 nm. or it really heads for the route defined in the GPS. Caught me by surprise the first and second time I tried it (I learn slowly.) This means that the route isn't in the autopilot, but is the one stored in your GPS, and output in the NMEA sentence.

An autopilot is a great thing, don't leave home without it. And don't trust it.

Boris
 
Boris,

Thanks for the reply I have a few questions:

1) Is the pump on the S1 unit any quieter than the S1000 unit?

2) Do you know of a link I could download the instruction manual for the S1?

3) is the rudder angle unit used with the S1 a NMEA 0183 so I could use it with my Cummins Smartcraft display?

Thanks
 
I have the S1 autopilot with the fluxgate compass. Most of the time I just set a visual bearing on where I'm going and hit the auto button, and modify my course +/- 1 or 10 degrees with the buttons.

The question I have relates to using autopilot with the "go to waypoint" feature on the E-80. The one time I tried using this the boat took a violent turn to port, so I immediately took it off autopilot. I have not taken the time since to RTFM to find out what might be going on, but I would appreciate any tips, insights, etc. you might have for me.

Thanks!
Warren
 
OK, Warren, you have met the "Cross Track Error" gremlin. As you know, this is the distance you've strayed (port or starboard) from the straight line between the route's waypoints.

Here's my story, which took a long time to figure out. Don't laugh. When you set up a route in your GPS/Plotter (E-80, JRC, etc.) the first waypoint in that route is used as the starting point by the plotter. If your real position is not at that waypoint, as soon as you start tracking the route, you get a large cross track error. You can see what this error is on one of the screens which shows the GPS data: lat, lon, distance to waypoint, etc. Some displays show a path. I'm not sure what screen display that is on an E-80, since I can't afford one, but I'll guarantee there is one. OK, you've started tracking a route in the E-80, and you haven't reached the first waypoint. If you have a cross track error, when you switch the autopilot to AUTO/TRACK/etc., the auto pilot will turn to reduce the error (as it should.) If you've got a large error, it's a surprise when the boat make a LARGE turn, but it's doing the right thing.

If you've followed my tale this far, the solution is to put the first waypoint at where you're starting. NOT the first point where you're going. Make sure the cross track error is small (<0.1 mi.) and then go to autopilot. The result is wonderful. If you've got a remote, you can go back to sleep.

Let me know if this works (or doesn't.)

Boris
 
journey on":3nsfkuvs said:
Let me know if this works (or doesn't.)
Click to expand...

Boris, that certainly is counter-intuitive, but the way you explain it makes perfect sense. The boat is on the trailer right now and won't be in the water again until we get to Texas in January, but I will experiment with it, following your guidance, at that time.

I can tell right now that the first mistake I made was I did not have a route picked out. I just found a waypoint and said "Computer, go there."

Thanks!
Warren
 
Warren,

If you want to hit "go to" on the fly from your E-120 it helps if you are in "track-up" mode and pointed approximately at the desired waypoint. That is what I do as it automatically ensures that there are no obstacles between me and where I want to go.

You can occasionally get a surprise if you hit the "engage" button at the same time as the screen re-draws (because you are moving or turning). I have found that this can cause the go-to point to be recorded at a place you did not intend to go to.

Like all sharp tools, it can cut you..

Merv
 
Grumpy":2567yv3u said:
If you want to hit "go to" on the fly from your E-120 it helps if you are in "track-up" mode and pointed approximately at the desired waypoint.
Click to expand...

Track-Up mode, eh? OK, that's another thing to check out as I habitually run in North-Up mode and occasionally in Head-Up, but never in Track-Up.

Thanks!
Warren
 
Warren,

Yup. That's why I have a #2 plotter in N-up mode so I can find my (overall) way between similar looking lumps of Terra Firma while the primary display is getting me between the ones I cannot see under the water.

:beer
Merv
 
Warren, I looked at the "Quick Reference" for the E-80. 26 pages of quick reference!!!!!!

However, looking at card 17, "Using COG and heading vectors (Press DATA - CHART VECTORS - COG/HDG VECTORS).
Use the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI). With your display receiving accurate heading and position
information, you can monitor your course and accurately steer to a target waypoint."

This is the view I look at on my JRC plotter/display when I want to see the GPS data. It shows me the X-track error both graphically and numerically. You can practice starting out from your driveway, both in "Go-To" mode and Route track mode and look at what the X-track error display shows. Obviously, for the route, select the driveway position for the initial waypoint. And for the second position, straight ahead, the way the boat is pointing (you don't want the boat trying to turn coming out of the driveway.) If X-track is big, find another way to start off. If it's small, try AUTO, and see if your motors move just a little. If they crank hard over, disregard what I said and talk to Raymarine. Just like a pre-launch on the engines of a rocket booster.

Boris
 
Grumpy":2tlcleo2 said:
Yup. That's why I have a #2 plotter in N-up mode so I can find my (overall) way between similar looking lumps of Terra Firma while the primary display is getting me between the ones I cannot see under the water.
Click to expand...

Have you been able to get your two plotters to display a chart at different resolutions? I find that if I zoom in/out on one of my E-80s the magnification changes on the other one as well. The only way I have found around that is to put the cursor in control of the 2nd display. I am not sure but I think I tried to put the two plotters on different UPs and likewise, when I changed one, the other changed. But I need to verify that. Any tips on how to maximize multiple displays?

Thanks,
Warren
 
I just received my S1 autopilot and to my surprise there is no hoses or fittings supplied - but that's not too much of a problem - I know most guys talk about the pump being noisy up by the helm however both the manual and Raymarine tech service it should be located as close to the ram as possible.

Are most guys wit the S1 mounting the pump aft?

Thanks
 
Idelup,

I would guess that Raymarine wants to get the best response by minimizing the hydraulic line length which has to be pressurized. Since the manual steering pump and the autopilot pump are in parallel, both set of lines have to be pressurized before the motor actuator can be moved. Since hydraulic fluid is incompressible, this isn't a big deal.

If the above logic holds true, it doesn't matter where the autopilot pump is spliced into the existing hydraulic lines. Just keep the added autopilot lines as short as possible. Mounting the pump in the V-berth does this, as does mounting the pump aft. I mounted the pump under the sink, using 6' lines, and it still works well, though it was a bear to bleed.

When I got Journey On's S1, it came with a bunch of fittings, especially the ones that adapt the pump, which has metric threads, to the lines. I looked for the lines on the internet, and they were cheapest from an outfit in Florida. This outfit has installation kits and hoses: Fore & Aft Marine

Great hydraulic installation instructions are on the internet: Seastar Steering Make sure the hydraulic lines you get are long enough, or buy the optional hydraulic line strecher.

Boris
 
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