I have tried very hard to calibrate my wheelpilot, simrad wp30. Sailing in
circles until I'm dizzy - but no go.

I have read the manual again and again - I can't see what I'm doing wrong.

Can anyone help?

Best regards
Jan

"Jan Bunkenborg" wrote in
:

I have tried very hard to calibrate my wheelpilot, simrad wp30.
Sailing in circles until I'm dizzy - but no go.

I have read the manual again and again - I can't see what I'm doing
wrong.

Can anyone help?

Best regards
Jan



Look for wiring or magnetic objects especially speakers anywhere near the
fluxgate (or compass sensor, which ever it has). They only have a small
range of electronic adjustment, then will not calbrate if any field
distortion is just too much.

I fixed another type of autopilot not long ago moving the fluxgate from
under the seating in the storage, where there was a hot water tank, to
under the seating on the other side of this sloop, where the quarterberth
is located. The fluxgate is on the aft bulkhead of the quarterberth and
calibrated perfectly on the first rotation out in the harbor...(c;

He'd been fighting trying to get it to calibrate itself for years. Every
time someone moved something in the storage, the magnetic signature
distorted the earth's field and his autopilot went crazy. Now it only
happens when there's a blonde in the quarterberth, but I don't think that
"anomaly" has anything to do with the autopilot or earth's field...(c;

Try moving the fluxgate to a new position, making sure it is mounted in
the position the manufacturer's book shows. The plane it's mounted on is
also critical.

If this is a compass sensor, find the center of roll and pitch of the
boat and mount it as close as you can to that center...as far away from
any magnetic objects as you can. Compass sensors are like compasses,
responding to the rolling and pitching if they are outboard of the
center. Fluxgates don't care.

On Sun, 2 Apr 2006 18:19:50 +0200, "Jan Bunkenborg"
wrote:

I have tried very hard to calibrate my wheelpilot, simrad wp30. Sailing in
circles until I'm dizzy - but no go.

I have read the manual again and again - I can't see what I'm doing wrong.

Can anyone help?

I had a problem with an AutoHelm fluxgate sensor - the sensor was
gimballed inside its housing, and had somehow gotten tangled up in its
own wiring, so that it could no longer move - as it was held in a
tilted position, it gave very strange readings.

After I opened the sensor and untangled things, it worked fine. (until
I put a canvas and steel folding chair near it).


--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

In article ,
"Jan Bunkenborg" wrote:

I have tried very hard to calibrate my wheelpilot, simrad wp30. Sailing in
circles until I'm dizzy - but no go.

I have read the manual again and again - I can't see what I'm doing wrong.

Can anyone help?

Best regards
Jan

I had this problem a few years ago with a WP30. The Simrad person said
the unit might not calibrate if it was already in calibration.

I wonder why you're trying to calibrate. ANy problems?

--Gene Norris