tr1 compass

[crazy lady]

We bought a 1997 marlin 2 years ago. when using the auto pilot we can go for a while and then the boat will make a hard 90 degree turn to starboard.
we installed a new stereo, amp, sub and new speakers. does anybody have an idea where the compass would be mounted. Our thinking is that something we installed is interfering with the compass. If there is something else that might be causing this that would also be helpful.

Thank You
Tom

 

[freddy063]

what type of auto pilot do you have. I had some setting wrong on my Raymarine that cause it to do that.

 

[crazy lady]

We have a tr1 auto pilot. I am trying to find out where others have their ap compass mounted so that i can find ours. Then see if we mounted something
near it that is interfering with it.

 

[everwhom]

I have a Garmin autopilot on my 330 express and it's compass (integral to the head unit in my case) is also getting interference from the trim tabs and needs to be moved. But... it doesn't behave like yours and I'm wondering if you may have a different problem. On mine, when activate the trim tabs the compass heading swings in a predictable way, so if I'm on autopilot, the boat will make a turn, but it's obvious that it's being caused by activating the trim tabs. It sounds like your boat is making the sharp 90 degree turn randomly and without you turning anything on or off?

I'd start by recalibrating the compass (you will probably have to go into "Dealer" setup mode to do this -- I don't know the TR1 but that's how it is on the Reactor AP. If you didn't recalibrate after installing the stereo, this may solve the problem because you're supposed to recalibrate anytime you do things like add electronics (esp speakers which have magnets).

To test interference, you can sit at rest watching the autopilot's heading. Start by turning off everything you can while still having the autopilot on and then turn each switch on one by one to see if the heading is affected by that switch or device.

You should also give Garmin customer support a ring -- they are usually quite helpful and you can actually get a tech on the phone if you try hard enough!

 

[journeyman]

I am trying to find out where others have their ap compass mounted so that i can find ours. Then see if we mounted something near it that is interfering with it.

I think they are usually mounted along the center line of the boat, down low for the most stable feedback for the AP and GPS. Mine is mounted in the forward V berth storage compartment.

Food for thought... It may be that the equipment you installed is sharing the same rigging tube as the compass wiring and that is causing some interference, not necessarily the something near compass itself.

Good luck!

 

[crazy lady]

Thank you for the replies.

 

[seasick]

Thank you for the replies.

First thing to try is to turn off all the new stuff you installed like the stereo and the amp. See if that makes a difference.
It is possible too that the speakers (magnets but they should be shielded if marine rated) are causing the problem but I would expect the problem to happen right away and not after some time.

Make sure for this test that you are certain that the amp and sub amp are indeed unpowered. You may need to pull fuses.

A point was made about wires and routing;cross interference between sets of wires is common. Although all wires running neatly together in a bundle looks nice, in some cases that is asking for trouble. If you neatened up your cabling that might be a cause, Small signal wires should not run close and parallel to cables that cary higher currents. ( adding high draw electronics may overload the existing power cables and cause voltage drops too)
Hopefully the turning off of the power helps, If so that knowledge will help you find what the problem is.
Of course, your TR1 could be bad

 

[freddy063]

did you find the compass? My auto compass is installed forward of the starboard head compartment near the top close to center and that puts it pretty close to die center of the boat, look around that area and see if they put a speaker or anything there. You might find out they put a screw in a cable somewhere that is causing this and have nothing to do with the area of the new equipment