ComNav 1420 - Navigation Interface

ComNav Marine 1420 Autopilot System
Piloting with the 1420 Autopilot System
This section will introduce you to your
ComNav 1420 Autopilot System. Learn
your Autopilot's operations step by step;
you will find it is one of the simplest things
on your boat!
• Fast Boat Speed Response
Some vessels always respond quickly to
a small movement of the steering wheel,
regardless of the boat speed. These
boats might get the best steering control
by always using the Fast setting.
Steering Control Settings
When the boat speed varies, change the
Sensitivity of the Fast Speed Rudder
Response by a few steps. This might
give you better steering performance than
using the Slow Speed Rudder Response
setting.
The 1420 Autopilot has a wide range of
steering control settings. There are:
• two Rudder Response settings
– one for "Slow" boat speeds
– one for "Fast" boat speeds
• fourteen Sensitivity steps for each
Rudder Response setting
Turning ON the Autopilot:
To turn the Autopilot ON, hold down the
Pilot Key
for 2 seconds. All the lights will
briefly turn on for self-testing purposes,
followed by the Pilot light only being on
(the Speed light may also be on).
Each Rudder Response setting controls
the steering in a very different way.
In this section, you will learn how to select
both the Slow and Fast Rudder
Responses. You will also learn how to
select the correct Sensitivity step in each
Rudder Response.
The Autopilot will now begin to steer the
boat along the course you were on when
you turned it on.
After you have learned how to do this,
experiment with your boat, to find the
combination of Rudder Response and
Sensitivity which works the best for you.
When your 1420 Autopilot is working
properly, it will steer your vessel in a
straight line. The boat will not wander
back and forth across the Course line, nor
make any sudden turns unless you
command them.
⇒ Some vessels may not use both
Rudder Response settings.
• Slow Boat Speed Response:
When you do make turns, they will be
smooth and quick, but without a lot of
overshoot & corrections as the boat
settles on the new Course.
Some vessels always require large
amounts of steering wheel movement to
start and stop a turn. These might get the
best steering performance by using only
the Slow Speed Rudder Response setting
for all speeds.
Turning the Autopilot OFF
If you wish to turn off the Autopilot, press
and hold the Off Key for 2 seconds.
Immediately after pressing this key, you
will have manual vessel steering control.
When the boat speed varies, change the
Sensitivity of the Slow Speed Rudder
Response by a few steps. This may be
all that is required.
Document PN 29010012 V1.3
45