Alignment Error Adjustment
Now, you should check to see how well you aligned the sensor parallel with the cen-
terline of your boat. To check the sensor's alignment, take a couple of known runs from
a chart* and compare the magnetic bearing on the chart with the heading readout on
the Sailcomp display. If the Sailcomp reading is off by the same amount of degrees in
a couple of directions, then every reading around the compass will be off by exactly
that amount. This indicates that the sensor is not pointing exactly forward in respect
to the bow of your boat. Rather than rotating the sensor slightly to adjust for this
Alignment ("
A
") error, you can adjust it electronically.
1. Enter into the "Compensation Display" as
indicated on pages 19-20. To adjust for "A"
error, apply a short push to the
cr
(course)
button
. The display will show "
AoF
", indi-
cating that you have entered the "Alignment
Offset" section of the software.
2. To examine the value for the "A" offset,
apply a short push to the
nav button
. The display will flash the current value of the
offset. Offset is set at the factory to 00°.
3. If the heading is "low" (or to the minus(-) side on all headings), you need to add
offset. To increase the "A" offset, hold the
nav button
down until the desired
plus(+) value is displayed.
4. If the heading is "high" (or to the plus (+) side on all headings), you need to sub-
tract offset. To decrease the "A" offset, hold the
port button
down until the desired
minus(-) value is displayed.
5. To change the offset, use the nav and
port buttons
to scroll up or down the correct
number of degrees.
6. To save the "A" offset and return to compass mode, apply a short push to the
crs
(course)
button
. The new "A" offset will be stored in memory and the display will
return to compass mode. Notice that the Sailcomp's headings will now match the
known headings.
Note:
Do not turn the 103AC's power OFF for at least 10 seconds after exiting the Alignment
Offset Mode to allow the system to update and record the data in long term memory.
21
*The Sailcomp 103AC is more accurate than any compass you may have on your boat, so do
not use another compass as a reference.
