ComNav Commander P2 - Helm Delay

ComNav Commander P2 & P2VS Installation & Operation Basic Operations
Document PN 29010074 V4.1 - 128 -
Helm Delay
This parameter is only available when the Vessel Type is set to “Large”.
When a Large vessel is slow on the Helm, this parameter can be used to “slow down” the
autopilot’s IST steering processing responses to match. The range of values is 2 to 60.
The correct value of this parameter depends on the vessel’s Helm characteristics, and also
on the type of Heading sensor in use, and must be determined by careful testing during Sea
Trials.
For the standard ComNav magnetic compasses & sensors (see pages 27 to 29), a good rule
of thumb for finding the correct value is to start by setting it to 10 times the number of
seconds of Helm delay (i.e., the time span from initial movement of the Rudder until the
vessel’s Heading starts to change) the vessel exhibits: for example, if the Helm delay is 2
seconds, set it to 20.
For NMEA 0183 compasses, the correct value depends on what Heading update rate the
compass is set to; for example, with a Vector G2/G2B GPS Compass set to a Heading
update rate of 5 Hz, a value of 10 would be a good value to start with.
After the initial value is entered, adjust it in small steps until satisfactory steering performance
is obtained.