5. Initial Sea Trials
Initial sea trials should be carried out in calm
conditions with plenty of sea room. As the vessel
will be constantly changing heading it is very
important to maintain a constant look out.
Before sea trials:-
•
Carry out the functional test (section 3) to verify
that the autopilot is operating correctly and
that you are familiar with all of its controls.
•
If a planing vessel, check that the rudder gain
is set to 2 and turn rate limit to 5 degrees as
recommended in section 4.1. The lower turn
rate limit is very important for safety at planing
speeds where large course changes can
otherwise produce violent turns.
•
If the system has a hydraulic drive unit set up
the drive type to 4 (see 4.1).
•
Read the Operating Manual.
5.1 Automatic Deviation Correction
The ST7000 will correct the fluxgate compass for
any deviating magnetic fields. This should be
carried out in calm conditions preferably in flat
water.
•
To select compass adjust
Push
and hold
Standby
for 1 second.
•
Keeping boat speed below 2 knots, turn the
vessel slowly so that it takes at least 3
minutes to complete 360 deg. Keep turning
until the display changes to show the amount
of deviation the autopilot has corrected:-
Note:
If the amount exceeds 15 deg., it is
recommended the fluxgate should be re-sited.
•
Use the course change buttons to adjust the
displayed heading until it agrees with the
steering compass or a known transit bearing.
Note:
000
˚
is always followed by off. This will
suppress the display of compass and
automatic headings on the control unit.
•
To exit compass adjust and store the
compass settings push and hold
Standby
for
1 second.
•
To exit compass adjust without saving any
new settings push
Standby
momentarily.
5.2 First Sea Trials
•
Hold the course steady for 5 to 10 seconds.
•
Press
Auto
to lock onto the current heading.
•
In calm conditions a perfectly constant
heading will be maintained.
•
Alter course to port and starboard in multiple
increments of 1 and 10 degrees from any
control unit. Course changes should be
prompt and without any sign of overshooting.
•
Press
Standby
to disengage the autopilot for
return to hand steering.
5.3 Response Control
There are three response levels to provide tighter
than normal course keeping when restricted sea
room requires. Select each level in turn and
observe the autopilot activity.
Level 1 -
Automatic Sea State Control This
provides the optimum compromise between
power consumption and course keeping accuracy
and is suitable for most situations.
The automatic sea state control can be observed
during the sea trial.
When the autopilot is initially engaged in
Auto
mode the autopilot will respond to all pitch and roll
movements.
During the first minute of operation, it will be
noticed that repetitive movements of the vessel
are gradually neglected until finally the autopilot
will respond only to true variations in course.
39
Summary of Contents for ST7000
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