SmartPilot SPX-5R Installation

S

SGIDave

New member
Hello All,

Last week I installed the Raymarine SmartPilot SPX-5R on my boat. I have heard of very few on this forum who use this type of autopilot, so I wanted to post my first impressions.

This type of 'wheel' autpilot is simple to install and does not involve tapping into the hydraulic steering system like most 'pump' driven units.

I was able to install the four main components Drive Unit which sits behind the steering wheel, SmartPilot ST6002 Controller, Flux Gate Compass, and the Course Computer without any trouble. Seatrial to 'swing' the compass, etc went smoothly as well.

The most difficult part for me was connecting it to my Garmin chartplotter via NMEA 0183 so that it could follow a 'course' or go to a waypoint. The tiny (28 ga?) NMEA 0183 wires are so little and are so numerous, it took a while for me to understand what I needed to connect. Ultimately, it was fairly straightforward once I got the drift of the 'receiving' and 'transmitting' ports.

Thus far, I have used the AP a total of 4-5 hours over two days. (It is my first autopilot, so I have nothing to compare it to.) I have found it to be highly accurate and not too noisy. It turns the wheel such that it steers the boat in a very straight line. I compared the tracks left on my back up GPS because they where so straight as to be unbelievable on the Garmin. Even when I zoomed in, there tracks proved to be straight. I mean straight over several miles even with wind and cross currents. It amazes me.

After a several hour boating trip across the bay or out to a reef, I do not feel nearly as tired as I usually do. I like it!

I'm not suggesting this AP is any better than the rest; only that it is easy to install, and performs, at least in the short term, as promised.

Pics are in my "Seadation" album.

Fair Seas,

/david
 
We just use Smart Pilot S 1000. I don't use it to run all the waypoints. I just keep the boat on the route using the hand held remote. I noticed how straight that the auto pilot maintains a course even when running along in quartering seas. I also have a 15 inch laptop running Coastal Explorer with a USB powered portable GPS puck displaying the route, boats position, heading and just use the hand held wireless remote of the auto pilot to dodge crab pots, unidentified floating objects,etc. Then just use the remote to bump the boat back on course looking at the boats position shown on the lap top's 15" screen. I spend my time trimming the the boat and adjusting the the throttle for changing sea conditions. No more stopping for natures call etc. I'm sure it saves fuel. It also allows me to use our Garmin 4208 for just radar or the GPS chart with radar overlay. We normally average about 40 miles a day on a week long cruises. With the auto pilot I'm sure we could do twice that if need be. I would not own another boat without at least a simple autopilot.
D.D.
 
D.D,

That's the same configuration I use except I have a Raymarine C-80 overhead and Coastal Explorer on a tablet PC mounted at helm on a ram mount. The autopilot let's you manage things much better rather than wandering all over while doing a simple task with the radar or sonar. I especially like it when running at hull speed or in poor visibility.
 
Running back across from Canada this weekend I was really missing my auto pilot. cornering following seas are a pain in my boat. seas right on the stern are fine but off to the side 20 degrees is a lot of work. its times like these that I miss the auto pilot the most. saving up for a new one now.
 
Tom,
I love it. Between the auto pilot and the Laptop running Coastal Explorer navigating has never been easier. It allows me to do other tasks with our marine network. Planning trips at home on a laptop and saving routes as normal windows files works great for us. The integration of active captain with Coastal Explorer is nice as it allows you to see reviews of marinas, anchorages, where fuel is available while on the cruise or in the planning stage. The chart CD that came with Coastal Explorer has been all we needed. No more buying expensive special Garmin SD cards.
D.D.
 
The very first autopilot I had was of this type. I was on a 26 foot Shamrock that I bought. It's what made me a believer. For the life of I can not remember the brand name. It mounted behind the wheel and the flux gate was inside, I think. It was strictly "point and shoot". You could not hook it up to a loran/gps. Then Raymarine came out with their version. It did not work out so well. The local Raymarine dealer said he would sell everyone that bought one two. One was for a spare.

I think Raymarine got all the bugs worked out and it is now a good unit. They were bata testing it when I was first going to do the Super Loop in the C-Dory 16. They were going to give me one for the trip. It would have been a good test but life made a sudden changed on my end and I didn't start the trip as planned.
 
flrockytop":23t95wrk said:
The very first autopilot I had was of this type. I was on a 26 foot Shamrock that I bought. It's what made me a believer. For the life of I can not remember the brand name. It mounted behind the wheel and the flux gate was inside, I think. It was strictly "point and shoot". You could not hook it up to a loran/gps. Then Raymarine came out with their version. It did not work out so well. The local Raymarine dealer said he would sell everyone that bought one two. One was for a spare.

I think Raymarine got all the bugs worked out and it is now a good unit. They were bata testing it when I was first going to do the Super Loop in the C-Dory 16. They were going to give me one for the trip. It would have been a good test but life made a sudden changed on my end and I didn't start the trip as planned.
Click to expand...

Hello Roger,

Yes, I hope Raymarine has worked out the 'bugs'. This unit was recently released after a year or more of re-engineering.

I especially like the "point and shoot" option as well as the "track" (to a waypoint or follow a course) option. It is great to be able to take care of other tasks whilst the AP holds a straight course....someone is maintaining a vigilant watch at all times, of course.

At an approx 50% savings over the Garmin AP, this was a good choice for me.

/david
 
The Garmin is supposed to be one of the best. I could not justify the price for me anyway. The point and shoot along with the wireless remote is perfect for me. If I need to take over I just push standby and drive until i want to go back on auto pilot by just clicking the pilot button. Simple stuff. I've have other places to drop the 1500 to 2000 dollars difference in price between a simple auto pilot and the Garmin unit. Traveling along the Erie Canal at 10 mph or less was where I first used it. The auto pilot made it really nice for taking pictures, drinking a cup of coffee, etc. Now I use it all the time. I'm waiting for the model that will dock the boat like the new cars that can park themselves. :smilep
D.D.
 
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