Simrad AP44, Quick Manual

Page 1: ...us and dialogs Turn to adjust a value Press to select a menu option and to enter the next menu level In FU mode Turn to set rudder angle In AUTO NoDrift and Wind mode Turn to change set heading set course set wind angle 4 MODE key Press to display the Mode list 5 AUTO key Press to turn the autopilot to AUTO mode EN Alarms Alarm indication Acknowledging the alarms Acknowledge alarms by pressing the...

Page 2: ...tion Adjust the set course NAV From any mode select the NAV option in the Mode list No action No action Note Mode is only available when the boat type is set to SAIL The autopilot page The content varies with active mode All modes include Response AC12N AC42N SG05 Profile NAC 2 NAC 3 mode A Heading indicator analog and digital B Autopilot mode indication C Rudder indicator analog and digital D Dis...

Page 3: ...ENGLISH AP44 Operator Manual www simrad yachting com ...

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Page 5: ...ny instruction manuals user guides and other information relating to the product Documentation may be translated to or has been translated from another language Translation In the event of any conflict between any Translation of the Documentation the English language version of the Documentation will be the official version of the Documentation This manual represents the product as at the time of ...

Page 6: ...ady to use The manual assumes that the user has basic knowledge of navigation nautical terminology and practices Important text that requires special attention from the reader is emphasized as follows Ú Note Used to draw the reader s attention to a comment or some important information Warning Used when it is necessary to warn personnel that they should proceed carefully to prevent risk of injury ...

Page 7: ...utopilot mode 13 Standby mode 13 Follow up FU mode 13 AUTO mode Heading hold 15 Wind mode 16 NoDrift mode 17 Heading capture 17 NAV mode 19 Turn pattern steering 23 Using the autopilot in an EVC system 24 Trip log 25 Alarms 25 Alarm indication 25 Acknowledging the alarms 26 Enabling the alarm system and the alarm siren 27 Alarm history 28 Software setup 28 Calibration 33 Damping 34 Autopilot setti...

Page 8: ... display unit 45 Checking the connectors 45 Software update 48 Menu flow chart 50 Technical specifications 51 Dimensional drawing 52 Terms and abbreviations 54 Supported data 54 NMEA 2000 PGN transmit 54 NMEA 2000 PGN receive 6 Contents AP44 Operator Manual ...

Page 9: ...Mechanical installation and wiring of all units Refer to separate documentation for the units Software setup of the system Refer to Softwaresetup on page 28 Commissioning and setup of the autopilot computer Refer to the installation and commissioning documentation for your autopilot computer Manuals The following documentation is available for the AP44 system AP44 Operator manual 988 11189 00n thi...

Page 10: ...eturn to previous menu level or to exit a dialog 3 Rotary knob Menu and dialog operation Turn to move up and down in menus and dialogs Turn to adjust a value Press to select a menu option and to enter the next menu level In FU mode Turn to set rudder angle In AUTO NoDrift and Wind mode Turn to change set heading set course set wind angle 4 MODE key Press to display the Mode list 5 AUTO key Press t...

Page 11: ...esponse AC12N AC42N SG05 Profile NAC 2 NAC 3 mode A Heading indicator analog and digital B Autopilot mode indication C Rudder indicator analog and digital D For more information refer to the separate mode descriptions and to the Termsandabbreviations on page 52 Introduction AP44 Operator Manual 9 ...

Page 12: ...l or equipment near the heading sensor used by the autopilot system Verify at regular intervals the course and position of the vessel Always switch to Standby mode and reduce speed in due time to avoid hazardous situations Turning the unit on and off The unit has no power key and it will be running as long as power is connected to the NMEA 2000 network backbone First time startup When the unit is ...

Page 13: ... the Rotary knob Return to previous menu level by pressing the MENU key Edit a numeric value 1 Turn the Rotary knob to select the entry field 2 Press Rotary knob to turn the field into edit mode The left digit starts flashing 3 Turn the Rotary knob to set the value for the flashing digit 4 Press the Rotary knob to move focus to the next digit 5 Repeat step 3 and 4 until all digits are set 6 Press ...

Page 14: ...ecrements of 30 Display group Defines which network group the unit belongs to Night mode Activates deactivates the night mode color palette Night mode color Sets the night mode color palette Invert day color Changes the background color for the pages from default black to white Sleep Turns the backlight for screen and keys off to save power Ú Note All changes made to the display setup will apply t...

Page 15: ...e by pressing the STBY key Ú Note If sensor data vital for autopilot operation e g rudder response is lost when the autopilot is running in an automatic mode the system will automatically switch to Standby mode Follow up FU mode In FU mode you turn the rotary knob to set the rudder angle The rudder will move to the commanded angle and then stop Switch to FU mode from any mode by selecting the Foll...

Page 16: ...n the boat type is set to SAIL Tacking and Gybing in AUTO mode uses the heading as reference The tacking gybing operation changes the set heading to port or starboard with a fixed angle The tacking parameters are set in the Setup Sailing parameters The Tack angle defines the tacking angle while the Tack time defines the rate of turn during the tack gybe Refer to Autopilotsettings on page 34 Initia...

Page 17: ...s to the apparent or true wind angle and not to a compass heading Any wind shift could result in the vessel steering on an undesired course Tacking and Gybing in Wind mode Tacking and Gybing in Wind mode can be performed when sailing with apparent or true wind as the reference In either case the true wind angle must be less than 90 degrees tacking and more than 120 gybing The tacking gybing operat...

Page 18: ...g away from the track line due to current and or wind A the vessel will follow the line with a crab angle Prior to entering NoDrift mode the autopilot system must be operating in AUTO mode and with valid input from GPS and heading sensor Switch to NoDrift mode by selecting the NoDrift option in the Mode list The autopilot will draw an invisible track line based on current heading from the vessel s...

Page 19: ...ent you pressed the AUTO key NAV mode Ú Note NAV mode requires a compatible chartplotter connected to the network It is not possible to select NAV mode if heading information is missing or if steering information is not received from the external chartplotter Warning NAV mode should only be used in open waters Navigation mode must not be used while sailing as course changes may result in unexpecte...

Page 20: ...mode in the dialog Turning in NAV mode When your vessel reaches a waypoint the autopilot will give an audible warning and display a dialog with the new course information There is a user defined limit for the allowed automatic course change to next waypoint in a route If the course change is more than this set limit you are prompted to verify that the upcoming course change is acceptable If the re...

Page 21: ...he boat type is set to Sail Instead the tack gybe feature is implemented Turn variables All turn patters except the U turn have settings that you adjust before you start a turn or at any time when the boat is in a turn The turn settings are available from the Autopilot settings dialog The variables are described for each turn pattern option in the following pages Starting and stopping a turn Ú Not...

Page 22: ...topilotsettings on page 34 The turn rate cannot be changed during the turn Spiral turn Makes the vessel turn in a spiral with a decreasing or increasing radius Turn variables Initial radius Change turn If this value is set to zero the boat will turn in a circle Negative values indicate decreasing radius while positive values indicate increasing radius Zigzag turn Steers the vessel in a zigzag patt...

Page 23: ...elected heading change before the turn is started During the turn you can alter the main heading by turning the rotaty knob only for AC12N AC42N autopilot computers Turn variables Course change C Turn radius D D C Depth contour tracking DCT Makes the autopilot follow a depth contour Ú Note DCT turn pattern is only available if the system has a valid depth input Warning Do not use the DCT turn patt...

Page 24: ...pth contour steering to follow the bottom sloping to starboard or to port Portoption depthdecreasestoport Starboardoption depthdecreasestostarboard Turn variables Depth gain This parameter determines the ratio between commanded rudder and the deviation from the selected depth contour The higher depth gain value the more rudder is applied If the value is too small it will take a long time to compen...

Page 25: ...nce depth can be changed when the function is running Ú Note If depth data is lost during DCT the autopilot will automatically switch to AUTO mode It is recommended to turn ON the AP Depth Data Missing alarm when using DCT When this alarm is activated an alarm will be raised if the depth data is lost during DCT Using the autopilot in an EVC system When the AP44 is connected to an EVC system via th...

Page 26: ... through the water Log input Trip 2 records distance traveled via GPS input Log shows total distance run from system installation or from a system restore Ú Note Trip 1 requires correctly calibrated boat speed for accurate trip records Trip 2 requires a compatible GPS connected to the network You start stop and reset the active Trip log from the menu activated by pressing the rotary knob 4 24 Trip...

Page 27: ...ible alarm A single alarm is displayed with the name of the alarm as the title and with details for the alarm If more than one alarm is activated simultaneously the alarm pop up can display 2 alarms The alarms are listed in the order they occur with the alarm activated first at the top The remaining alarms are available in the Alarms dialog Type of messages The messages are classified according to...

Page 28: ...n the network must be acknowledged on the unit generating the alarm Enabling the alarm system and the alarm siren You enable the alarm system and the alarm siren from the Alarms menu Individual alarm settings You enable disable the single alarm and set the alarm limits from the Alarms settings dialog Press the rotary knob to display the menu from where you can enable disable the alarm and set the ...

Page 29: ...m messages until they are manually cleared You show alarm details for a selected alarm and clear all alarms in the alarm history by pressing the rotary knob when the Alarm history dialog is active Menuoptions Alarmdetails Alarms AP44 Operator Manual 27 ...

Page 30: ...l network sources are selected and configured Refer to Systemsettings on page 40 Boat speed Speed calibration is necessary to compensate for hull shape and paddlewheel location on your boat For accurate speed and log readings it is essential that the paddlewheel is calibrated SOG reference This is an auto calibration option that uses speed over ground SOG from your GPS and compares the average of ...

Page 31: ...referably three along the measured course Referring to the diagram A and B are the markers for each run X is the actual distance for each run Enter the desired distance in nautical miles that you would like to calculate the distance reference over When the boat gets to the predetermined starting position of the distance reference calculation start the calibration timer As the boat passes marks A a...

Page 32: ...s a negative offset If the port angle is greater than the starboard then divide the difference by 2 and enter this as a positive offset Enter the offset it into the MHU Align calibration field Depth Depth offset All transducers measure water depth from the transducer to the bottom As a result water depth readings do not account for the distance from the transducer to the lowest point of the boat f...

Page 33: ... calm sea conditions and with minimal wind and current to obtain good results Offset The Offset option is used for compensating for any difference between the boat s center line A and the compass lubber line B 1 Find the bearing from the boat position to a visible object Use a chart or a chart plotter 2 Steer the boat so that the center line of the boat is aligned with the bearing line pointing to...

Page 34: ... is reading more than 100 the compass calibration will fail If the local field is reading more than 30 you should look for any interfering magnetic objects and remove them or you should move the compass to a different location The local field angle guides you to the local interfering magnetic object Ú Note In certain areas and at high latitudes the local magnetic interference becomes more signific...

Page 35: ...air temperature and barometric pressure The offset value to be entered should adjust the reading from the sensor to match a calibrated source Rudder Starts the automatic calibration of the rudder feedback This procedure sets the correct relationship between the physical rudder movement and the rudder angle readout Follow the instructions on the display to perform the rudder feedback calibration pr...

Page 36: ...to these settings Both user settings and installation settings depends on which autopilot computer that is connected to the system NAC 2 NAC 3Autopilotcomputersettings AC12N AC42NAutopilotcomputersettings The following sections describe the settings that can be changed by the user The settings are described per autopilot computer Installation settings are available in the documentation following t...

Page 37: ...roaching the set heading Autotrim Controls how aggressively the autopilot will apply rudder to compensate for a constant heading offset e g when external forces such as wind or current affects the heading Lower autotrim will give faster elimination of a constant heading offset Ú Note In VRF mode this parameter controls the time constant of the rudder estimate A lower value makes the rudder estimat...

Page 38: ...han this set limit you are prompted to verify that the upcoming course change is acceptable Sailing NAC 2 NAC 3 Ú Note Sailing parameters are only available when the boat type is set to Sail Wind mode Select what wind function the autopilot will use when in wind mode Auto If TWA is 70º Wind mode will use AWA If TWA is 70º Wind mode will use TWA Apparent True Tack time Controls the rate of turn tac...

Page 39: ...utotune function If no autotune is made not recommended the level 4 values are the factory default values A low response level reduces the rudder activity and provides a more loose steering A high response level increases the rudder activity and provides a more tight steering A too high response level causes the boat to start lazy s movements The Wind response is used on sailboats Increase the Win...

Page 40: ... MANUAL Linked to the steering response control settings described previously It may be used to manually find the optimum combination of course keeping and low rudder activity in rough but steady sea conditions Sailing AC12N AC42N Ú Note Sailing parameters are only available when the boat type is set to Sail Tack time Controls the rate of turn tack time when performing a tack in wind mode Tack ang...

Page 41: ... response in a tack High Low Rudder gain This parameter determines the ratio between commanded rudder and the heading error The higher rudder value the more rudder is applied If the value is too small it will take a long time to compensate for a heading error and the autopilot will fail to keep a steady course If the value is set too high the overshoot will increase and the steering will be unstab...

Page 42: ...ange limit Defines the limits for course change to next waypoint in a route If the course change is more than this set limit you are prompted to verify that the upcoming course change is acceptable System settings Network Sources Data sources provide live data to the system The data may originate from modules internal to the unit for example internal GPS or sonar or external modules connected to t...

Page 43: ...tails and actions All devices allow allocation of an instance number in the configure option Set unique instance numbers on any identical devices on the network to allow for the unit to distinguish between them The data option shows all data being output by the device Some devices will show additional options specific to the device Ú Note Setting the instance number on a 3rd party product is typic...

Page 44: ...s buffer before the application could read them Rx Overruns The unit contained too many messages for its buffer before the driver could read them Rx Tx Errors These two numbers increase when there are error messages and decrease when messages are received successfully These unlike the other values are not a cumulative count Under normal operation these should be at 0 Values around 96 upwards indic...

Page 45: ...ssigning several units to the same group a parameter update on one unit will have the same effect on the rest of the group members Units Provides setup of units of measure used on various data types Decimal places Defines number of decimals used for speed and sea temperature Key beeps Controls the loudness of the beep sound when a key is pressed Default setting Loud Language Controls the language ...

Page 46: ...t for screen and keys off to save power Files File management system Used to browse the contents of the unit s internal memory and the content of a device plugged into the unit s USB port Simulate Runs the display with simulated data Use the simulator to become familiar with your unit before using it on the water When activated the simulator mode is indicated on the display Restore defaults Allows...

Page 47: ...alcohol to clean the screen Avoid any contact with solvents acetone mineral turpentine etc or ammonia based cleaning products as they may damage the anti glare layer or plastic bezel To prevent UV damage to the plastic bezel it is recommended that the sun cover be fitted when the unit is not in use for an extended period Checking the connectors The connectors should be checked by visual inspection...

Page 48: ...our website www simrad yachting com and save it to a USB device 2 Insert the USB device to the AP44 unit and restart the AP44 unit The upgrade will now start automatically the upgrade procedure for all units 3 Remove the USB device when the update is completed Warning Do not remove the USB device until the update is completed Removing the USB device before the update is completed may damage the un...

Page 49: ...ad yachting com and save it to a USB device 2 Insert the USB device to the AP44 unit 3 Start the File explorer and select the update file on the USB device 4 Start the update from the file details dialog 5 Remove the USB device when the update is completed Maintenance AP44 Operator Manual 47 ...

Page 50: ... autopilot computer and for the system Level 1 Level 2 Calibration Boat speed Wind Depth Heading Roll Pitch Environment Rudder Advanced Damping Heading Aparent wind True wind Boat speed SOG COG Attitude Roll Attitude Pitch Tide Trip log Trip 1 Trip 2 Log Alarms Alarm history Alarm settings Alarms enabled Siren Enabled 8 48 Menu flow chart AP44 Operator Manual ...

Page 51: ...lation Autopilot AC12N AC42N and SG05 Refer to the AC12N AC42N Installation manual 988 10276 00n Response Sea state filter Sailing Automatic steering Turn patterns Installation System Network Units Decimal places Key beeps Language Time Display Setup Files Simulate Restore defaults Global reset About Menu flow chart AP44 Operator Manual 49 ...

Page 52: ...N Color Black Display Size 4 1 diagonal 4 3 Aspect ratio Type Transmissive TFT LCD White LED backlight Resolution 320 x 240 pixels Illumination White for day mode Red green blue or white for night mode Environmental protection Waterproof rating IPx7 Humidity 100 RH Temperature Operating 25 to 65ºC 13 F to 149 ºF Storage 40 to 85ºC 40 F to 185 ºF 9 50 Technical specifications AP44 Operator Manual ...

Page 53: ...Dimensional drawing 118 mm 4 64 115 mm 4 52 8 mm 0 31 36 5 mm 1 43 28 5 mm 1 12 97 5 mm 3 83 48 5 mm 1 91 STBY MODE AUTO MENU X 10 Dimensional drawing AP44 Operator Manual 51 ...

Page 54: ...eer DGPS Differential Gps DTW Distance to next waypoint DSC Digital Selective Calling EPFS Electronic Position Fixing System EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon ETA Estimated Time Of Arrival ETW Estimated time of arrival to next waypoint GLONASS Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System GMDSS Global Maritime Distress And Safety System GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System GPS Glob...

Page 55: ...ed STBD Starboard STW Speed Through Water TCPA Time To Closest Point Of Approach TGT Target TIME LOC Local time TM True Motion TRK Track TRK CRS Track course to next waypoint TWA True wind angle TWD True wind direction TWS True wind speed WOL Wheel Over Line WOP Wheel Over Point WPT Waypoint name WPT BRG Bearing to waypoint WPT DIST Distance to waypoint XTE Cross track error Terms and abbreviation...

Page 56: ...28 ISO Address Claim 126208 ISO Command Group Function 126992 System Time 126996 Product Info 127237 Heading Track Control 127245 Rudder 127250 Vessel Heading 127251 Rate of Turn 127257 Attitude 127258 Magnetic Variation 128259 Speed Water referenced 128267 Water Depth 128275 Distance Log 129025 Position Rapid Update 129026 COG SOG Rapid Update 129029 GNSS Position Data 129033 Time Date 12 54 Supp...

Page 57: ...vigation Data 129539 GNSS DOPs 129283 Cross Track Error 129284 Navigation Data 130074 Route and WP Service WP List WP Name Position 130306 Wind Data 130576 Small Craft Status 130577 Direction Data Supported data AP44 Operator Manual 55 ...

Page 58: ...56 Supported data AP44 Operator Manual ...

Page 59: ... 13 D Damping 33 Device list 41 Diagnostics 41 K Key beeps 43 L Language 43 M Manual About 4 Version 4 P Preventive maintenance 45 S Settings Unit of measure 43 System Settings Key beeps 43 Language 43 Time 43 T Time 43 U Units of measure setting 43 W Warranty 3 ...

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