Autohelm 6000 interface

[Peter Newns]

I would like to interface the fluxgate compass data from my Autohelm 6000 to the compass input of my JRC 1500 radar - does anyone know how to do this? There are no details in the Autohelm 6000 installaion/operators'' manual.

[gnorbury]

If you really do mean an "Autohelm 6000" (black box, circa 1992 vintage) then you are out of luck.

If on the other hand you mean an ST6000, you can probably use the build in NMEA output on the 100/300 course computer.

I''m not sure quite what you expect the radar to use the heading information for, but remember a fluxgate typically only provides 1 second updates so it is too slow for MARPA or good radar/chart overlay. For this you need the Raymarine "Active Heading Sensor" or a Type 150G course computer with gyro.

Graham

[fer@fer]

Graham,

I''m having the same question as Peter.

I believe he wants his radar to read absolute bearings instead of relative. Tipically all boats (with the exception of fancy new equipped) have the radar in the navigation area. So when the navigator wants to communicate a target bearing to the helm, he will need to add the relative bearing to the heading. After doing so, and making some other simple calculations, he will shout: tanker at 223º, 4 miles, heading 120, 12 knt. The helman will inmediately understand that 223º is the absolute bearing of the tanker, because the navigator has added their own heading. He will ask any of the crew by his side to look downstairs for a calcuator, and to deduct their heading to 223º, and remain watching for the tanker to appear behind the genoa within next 4 minutes.

Now, if you happen to have a gyro interfaced with the radar, it will give you the absolute bearing and rumblines, so it will allow the navigator to make lesser calculations. However, if the navigator continue to provide absolute bearing to the helmsman, he will still need to make calculations. I will change the navigator, unless he is my wife, which I rather preferred her downstairs.

So the 1 second updates is quite enough for this purpose , I believe. The ST 6000 Instalation & Operation instructions do not cover this issue. However the Furuno 1830 (1992 vintage) indicates that a gyro can be intefaced in a slot, after connecting a gyro converter (?!)

So probably Peter will need to look into his radar instructions or booklets to find out more.

In any case the question wether the Autohelm flux can be interfaced is still unanswered yet. Sorry & Rgards

Fernando

[Peter Newns]

Many thanks to Graham and Fernando for their helpful replies - the black box is indeed an Autohalm 6000 (about 13 years old now) and I do want to make the radar show magnetic rather than relative bearings. Also, I have the JRC 1500 radar interfaced with my GPS through the NEMA interface so that I can see way points on the radar display, but because the radar doesn''t know where north is, it puts the way points on relative bearings (which isn''t much help!). However, I have yet to use the system underway, so my guess is that the GPS will tell the radar where North is once it finds out its self.

I''m sure Frenando correct is saying that the Autohalm 6000 has no output for the Fluxgate.

Regards,

Peter

[gnorbury]

The old AH 6000 doesn''t have an NMEA output, so you can''t connect it to anything. (Even its "nav" input is not NMEA 0183 compatible.)

sorry
Graham

[Peter Newns]

Thanks, Graham.

I guess that closes this topic!!

Cheers,

Peter